Campers participate in a group activity during Camp Lookout at College of the Ozarks. The free summer camp provides children from surrounding communities with opportunities to grow in their faith through recreation, worship, and service.

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — College of the Ozarks hosted its 32^nd annual Camp Lookout this summer, providing a free camp experience for more than 300 children from the surrounding community. This year's theme, "Out of This World," encouraged campers to understand what it means to "hold fast" to their faith, just as astronauts are securely fastened before launching into space. The theme also taught campers that God's love is not ordinary but extraordinary — so extraordinary it could be described as "out of this world."

Camp Lookout is held at the College of the Ozarks campground, which includes housing, playgrounds, and an activities field. During the summer of 2026, the camp offered 10 sessions from June 1 through Aug. 6. Approximately 50 campers, ages 8 through 12, from surrounding counties attended each week.

The camp was created to serve local families by providing children with a summer camp experience at no cost. Through recreation, worship, and service, campers had opportunities to build friendships while growing in their faith.

"The message that God wants us in community, following Him, is reflected in this year's camp through the Bible verse Hebrews 10:23-24," said Esperanza Melendez, co-director of Camp Lookout. Hebrews 10:23-24 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works."

"I want every kid who comes here to leave knowing they were created by a God who loves them and that they can hold fast to Him whenever they need Him," Melendez said.

Campers at Camp Lookout pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes during a community service project at College of the Ozarks. The activity gave campers the opportunity to serve children around the world while learning the importance of sharing God's love through acts of kindness.

One of the most memorable moments of the summer came during camper check-in, according to Camp Lookout Director Caden Peterson. A mother dropping off her son for his first week at camp shared that she had attended Camp Lookout herself in the early 2000s.

"I am 34 years old now and would not have made it to where I am today without the knowledge that was given to me back then," she told Peterson. "I came back home that same year to a very hard life that wasn't the same because I knew someone loved me, and He would never leave me and I had a purpose. It changed my life, and I don't say that lightly. Not only did it change mine, but I am now a mother teaching my children about God, and I wouldn't be that without Camp Lookout."

Campers spent the week participating in community service projects, water activities, and swimming. They also visited Silver Dollar City. Evening worship services and cabin devotions were part of each day's schedule and reinforced the camp's theme.

A team of 40 College of the Ozarks student counselors guided and supervised camp activities throughout the summer. Before camp began, counselors completed training that included team-building activities, safety procedures, lesson preparation, and campground preparation.

"If I could describe Camp Lookout in three words, they would be fulfilling, energetic, and Christ-centered," said Elyza Hampsch, a junior psychology and family studies major who worked at Camp Lookout for the second time this summer. "It is so exciting and rewarding to get to share God's Word with the campers and see the Holy Spirit working in their hearts at such a young age."

For more than three decades, Camp Lookout has provided children from the surrounding area with a place to build friendships, try new activities, and learn more about their faith. Through the work of College of the Ozarks student counselors and staff, the camp continues to offer a free summer experience for local families.