For Dallas Metro, ministry isn’t just a place, it’s a promise kept summer after summer.
In Dallas, church doesn’t always happen inside four walls. For Dallas Metro, it happens on the back of a yellow Penske truck — transformed into a mobile stage and sound system that brings children’s church straight to the heart of local neighborhoods.
From Tuesday through Friday, staff and volunteers roll into the same parks and apartment complexes week after week, rain or shine. For many inner-city kids, it’s their first introduction to the Gospel.
Since 1988, Dallas Metro has built its ministry on one simple but powerful principle: relationships. Team members visit every child and family they serve, often stepping into homes where trust has been earned through years of consistency and compassion—reaching more than 2,000 children and their families.
“Even when it’s below freezing or pouring rain, our teams still show up,” said Director Clay Wallace. “We made a promise to these kids, and we keep it.”
Ministry in the city isn’t always easy. Many of the children Dallas Metro serves have faced loss, instability, or abuse. That’s why the team works to give them a chance to get away — even for a few days — to simply be kids and experience the peace of God’s creation.
Partnership with Lakeview Camp
Since the early 1990s, Lakeview Camp and Retreat has been that place. For some campers, it’s their first time leaving the city, their first time to see stars in a dark sky or hear quiet.
“Our kids think Lakeview is heaven,” Clay said with a laugh. “I’ve never had the heart to tell them it’s not.”
At camp, children enjoy three meals a day, swim in the lake, and take part in worship and activities that make lasting impressions. For kids from communities that face food insecurity, something as simple as a full plate at the dining hall can be a new experience. Some even save snacks to take back to their cabins, a small reminder of the realities they face at home.
“We’ve seen kids change spiritually and emotionally,” said James Musyoki, Dallas Metro’s director of operations. “We’ve seen children healed, set free from oppression, called to ministry, and delivered from suicidal thoughts.”
Over the years, the partnership between Lakeview and Dallas Metro has become more than a summer tradition.
“It’s one of our staff’s favorite groups,” said Jaroy Carpenter, executive director at Lakeview and longtime friend of Clay. “We always look forward to seeing those buses full of kids rolling into camp with amazing energy and many of them don’t realize how their lives will change from the impact of a few days with God at camp.”
“People always ask how to make an impact,” Clay said. “Just go someplace and plant yourself. Stay long enough to see what God can grow.”
A Season of Gratitude
This season of thanksgiving takes on special meaning with November 20 marking Universal Children’s Day, a day dedicated to promoting the welfare and rights of children around the world. For Dallas Metro, everyday feels like Children’s Day.
From fishing lessons at Lakeview’s dock to late-night worship under the stars, the stories of transformation are countless. This Thanksgiving, Lakeview celebrates nearly three decades of partnership with Dallas Metro because what happens here changes lives far beyond camp.
“I was talking to a 9-year-old girl this week,” Musyoki said. “She told me every night she prays she can go back to camp next year.”
You can be part of that story too.
To volunteer, give, or learn more about supporting Dallas Metro’s camp at Lakeview, visit dallasmetro.org/summercamp or givebutter.com/dallasmetro.
