Expansion Plans
Growing the Ministry of Deer Run
God is MOVING.
Lives are CHANGING.
You can make an IMPACT.
Over the past 25 years Deer Run Camps & Retreats has been making a kingdom impact. Encompassing 150 acres of beautiful private scenic wooded property in the rolling hills of middle Tennessee, Deer Run Camps & Retreats provides summer camps (day, overnight, and family), Spring Break day camp, day and overnight camps for winter school breaks, family weekends, parent-child dates, and year-round customized retreats. Every camp and event at Deer Run is designed to strengthen your relationship with God and with your family and friends.
Your generosity, prayer, and outpouring of love and support has helped catapult us into a newly developed season of growth. This past summer just over 3,600 summer campers experienced Jesus in new and tangible ways through adventure in a camp setting. We are grateful God allows us to play a part in advancing His Kingdom through the next generation.
We have launched a Capital Fund Campaign to support our expected growth. It is our goal to raise $15 million over the next 7 to 10 years to expand the ministry of Deer Run. This includes expanding the 56 acres we acquired at the end of 2020, increasing the number of cabins to double our overnight capacity, adding The Refuge dining hall and meeting space, developing an area for our BaseCamp gap year program, and constructing a security entrance and welcome center/admin building. Visit this page regularly to see updates on our progress.
How to Get Involved
Here are a few ways you can get involved and make an impact:
PRAY — We need prayer warriors and ministry champions to come alongside us in praying for what The Lord is doing in The Valley!
GIVE — Deer Run is structured so that all operating expenses are covered through program and facility fees. This allows your donations to go exclusively to our ministry expansion through our:
- Capital Fund for expansion of the ministry
- MISSION 42:1 Scholarship Fund to help families in need.
SERVE — Whether you love being behind the scenes or connecting with people as a front-line volunteer, we have numerous year-round volunteer opportunities for you! You can volunteer for a couple hours, a day, a week, or more. Discover how to become a Deer Run Volunteer.
We plan to build each phase as funds are available. Volunteers/volunteer teams have helped build most of the facilities at Deer Run throughout the years. They will continue to help with most projects so we can continue to be good stewards of the gifts you provide.
We would love to give you a personal tour of what has already been accomplished and show you where new facilities will be. Contact our development team at Connect@DeerRun.camp or call/text Jenny Dyer at 615.426.1196.
Phases of Growth and Expansion at Deer Run
On the original Deer Run property:
- Enclose The Fortress worship/meeting facility with glass walls, add air conditioning/heating for year-round use, add video wall, and improve sound system.
- Repurpose Creekside Dining Hall to be a larger Camp Store and Eatery. Renovate the kitchen for quick-serve food, ice cream, and specialty coffees for campers and retreat guests.
On the 56 acres added in 2020 (west campus):
- Add utilities and connecting roads from existing property to new property.
- Refurbish Brookside Barn as a dining facility to accommodate 250 campers/retreat guests (doubling the prior capacity) and relocate the commercial kitchen which we previously had at Creekside.
- Refurbish pool deck.
- Add Aerial Quest, a high ropes challenge course.
- Renovate The Loft Game Room at Brookside Barn.
- Add a wiffle ball field and basketball/pickleball court.
- Refurbish Homestead Cabin to use as a guest cabin.
- Renovate Valley View Lodge, the existing home on the property, as a lodge to support Family Camps, Married Couple’s Weekends, and retreat guests.
Total Estimated Cost: $1,000,000
Expected Completion: Fall 2023
- Pave roads connecting the original campus to West Campus from Cedar Point Cabins to The Brookside Barn. [completed May 2024]
- Security Entrance and Welcome Center/Admin Building to receive campers/guests with increased security.
Total Estimated Cost: $3,000,000
Projected Timeline: 2024/2025
- 12 cabins with 3 meeting spaces, adding capacity for an additional 144 campers/guests.
Total Estimated Cost: $3,500,000
Projected Timeline: 2026/2027
- The Refuge, a 23,000 square foot multi-use building with a 600-seat auditorium, 400-seat dining hall, camp health center/nurse’s station, and 2 meeting rooms.
Total Estimated Cost: $5,000,000
Projected Timeline: 2028/2029
- 12 cabins with 3 meeting spaces, adding capacity for an additional 144 campers/guests.
Total Estimated Cost: $3,500,000
Projected Timeline: 2029/2030
