2026 Summer Newsletter
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
35 CAMPS | 1 MISSION
Our partnership network continues to grow as we strive to reach more at-risk children together. For the 2026 season, we have allocated a total of $304,800 in scholarship funding across 35 different Christian camps. We have already distributed $178,000 in spring funding to help our partner camps begin their seasons with confidence.
How Our Partnerships Work
The Min/Max/Match model
Min At the beginning of the summer, Psalm68Five provides an initial amount of guaranteed funding based on each camp's expected need. This allows camps to begin offering scholarships to fatherless campers without worrying whether funding will be available.
Max We reserve additional funds that can be released if needed after the summer season. This creates a financial safety net, giving camps the confidence to welcome every qualifying child while protecting them from unexpected scholarship shortfalls.
Match Partner camps share the mission of serving fatherless children and invite their community to try and match the initial Psalm68Five investment. This not only raises awareness of the fatherlessness crisis but also generates new scholarship funding that stays with the camp.
Why This Matters
When local support covers all or part of a camp's scholarship needs, Psalm68Five can redirect unused safety-net funds to help additional camps and additional fatherless children in future years. In this way, every gift has the potential to do more than sponsor a camper—it helps grow a movement of camps committed to reaching fatherless children with the love of Christ.
Dusty's Story: From Void to Victory
Dusty* almost didn't make it to camp because his mother lacked transportation. When he finally arrived, he was carrying far more than just a heavy duffle bag; he was burdened by the pain of a father who had abandoned his family and exposed Dusty to substance abuse. Dusty confessed that he had only experimented with drugs because he "really wanted [his] dad to like [him]". During chapel, a staff member shared that while his earthly father may have left him, God can "fill the void" and heal that pain. Dusty broke down in tears, finally feeling safe enough to let his guard down. By the end of the week, Dusty made a public confession of faith and was baptized. He left camp with a smile on his face and a spring in his step because, for the first time, his heart was free.
*Name and photo changed for privacy.
Two new Prayer Journals!
We are thrilled to introduce two new editions of our prayer journal series, titled "Filling the Void: Why Nothing Else Satisfies". These journals are designed for a mentor to walk closely alongside a camper throughout their week of camp, exploring how the Gospel speaks into the specific wounds of fatherlessness.
104: for teen boys
This version directly addresses common coping mechanisms like chasing status and money, or numbing emotional pain through substance abuse. It guides them toward finding true fulfillment in the Father rather than worldly desires.
105: for teen girls
This edition focuses on the desire to be deeply loved, chosen, and known. It addresses the traps of seeking validation through social media attention or unhealthy relationships, teaching them instead to set healthy boundaries and trust in the Heavenly Father’s everlasting love.
A Letter From Our Founder
There’s a unique ache that comes with growing up without a father. It’s more than an empty seat at the table—it’s a weight many people carry quietly, shaping how they see themselves and their future.
At Psalm68five, we don’t just see the statistics—we see the young men and women behind them. And we believe deeply in who they can become.
So many of these boys and girls have learned to cope in ways that don’t really heal—chasing approval, numbing the pain, or withdrawing altogether. Our goal isn’t to shame those struggles, but to gently bring them into the light and point them toward something better: a steady, unchanging love they can build their lives on.
What makes camp such a powerful place for overcoming these struggles is that they won’t be walking through it alone. Camp staff sit with them, listen, and help them process what’s in their hearts. In those conversations—on cabin porches, along trails—real healing begins.
We’re believing that every camp scholarship is more than just a gift for a fatherless camper. We believe it’s a step toward freedom, toward wholeness, and toward breaking cycles for the next generation.
Thank you for standing with us and helping these young men and women know they are not alone.
Bryan Johnson
Founder & President
Bryan.Johnson@psalm68five.org
Devotional: A Million Things to Do, One Person to Trust
What do you need to get done today?
For our camp partners, each day often feels like facing a never-ending list of problems that need to be solved for the camp to continue running. I know from my own years as a camp director that many camp staff are working 14+ hour days all summer long. Billy Graham, in his book The Secret of Happiness, tells of a stressed out secretary who told her boss “When this rush is over I am going to have a nervous breakdown. I earned it, I deserve it, and nobody’s going to take it from me”. I’ve had plenty of moments where I felt I could relate to that secretary over the years. On those days when I felt overwhelmed, I would repeatedly pray “Lord, there are a million things that I want to accomplish today, but help me to do what You want me to do.”
Frederick Howard Taylor, a missionary to China, said “It doesn't matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is where the pressure lies, whether it comes between me and God or whether it presses me nearer His heart.”
If you are overwhelmed by the busyness of life this summer. Remember that God does not ask you to get results; He asks you to be obedient and to trust Him with the outcome. Fruit is produced through the connection to the vine, not by the efforts of the branch. Your Heavenly Father desires that you be, at all times, completely and intimately dependent on Him.
John 15:5 — "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Thank you for your support,
Mikel Collins
Executive Director
mikel.collins@psalm68five.org
How to support Psalm68Five
If you have not already done so, we want to invite you to join the ministry of Psalm68Five through financial support. Click the button below to visit our support page, or mail checks to:
Psalm68five Ministries,
504 N. Church Street
McKinney, TX 75069
Remember that 100% of our general and administrative costs are fully funded by private designated donations for that purpose, so that 100% of your donation goes to send fatherless youth/families to summer Christian camp!
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