An important message about Cameron Boys Camp, Camp Duncan and Oak Ranch

NOTE: The following is a letter from Baptist Children's Homes CEO David Melber to supporters announcing changes with Cameron Boys Camp, Camp Duncan for Girls, and Oak Ranch.

---

Dear Friends and Faithful Supporters of Camp Duncan, Cameron Boys Camp, and Oak Ranch:

We greet you with gratitude and deep respect for the decades of prayer, generosity, and partnership you have poured into the wilderness ministries of Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH). Your investment has transformed countless lives, and we thank the Lord for your faithfulness.

We are writing today to share significant updates regarding the future of these long-standing ministries that will allow us to impact more lives while making changes to better steward the resources friends and ministry partners provide.

Assessment and Stewardship

Earlier this year, BCH’s Board of Trustees and leadership began a comprehensive, organization-wide assessment of all our programs and properties. This prayerful evaluation is rooted in our responsibility as Christian stewards—to faithfully use every resource entrusted to us for God’s glory and for the maximum impact on children and families in need. Scripture calls us to this kind of stewardship. Whether in Joseph’s foresight in Genesis 41 or in Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we are reminded that God calls His people not merely to maintain, but to shepherd and multiply the resources He provides.

Key Findings from the Assessment

The assessment process included a close examination of what we refer to as BCH’s three wilderness ministries: Cameron Boys Camp and Camp Duncan for Girls, both located in Moore County, as well as Oak Ranch which is in the rural community of Broadway outside of Sanford. BCH owns and maintains the properties for both Cameron Boys Camp and Oak Ranch. BCH operates the Camp Duncan program but does not own the property–we have a long-term99-year ground lease agreement through the Duncan Foundation.

At the same time our assessment began, Camp Duncan was placed on a programmatic pause due to increasingly difficult circumstances—a sharp decline in the number of girls entering the program and persistent staffing challenges in the Chief/mentor positions. These positions, which require Chiefs to live in the structured, outdoor campsites with the children, are critical for providing mentorship and direct care. As leadership reviewed long-term trends at both Cameron Boys Camp and Camp Duncan for Girls, a clear pattern emerged: for at least 12 years, attendance has steadily declined, and both wilderness camp ministries have struggled to recruit and retain Chiefs.

Together, these factors created an unsustainable operational imbalance. Because of the extensive infrastructure at both camps, that requires a tremendous amount of resources to maintain and operate, BCH’s annual cost per student at Cameron Boys Camp and Camp Duncan is now significantly beyond a bearable range compared to all other ministries within BCH.

Oak Ranch began as residential care for vulnerable children. Because of its rural location, which created accessibility challenges and connectivity to public resources essential to the well-being of the children we served, we saw the placement of boys and girls at Oak Ranch steadily decline. Whether it was the private placement of a child or placement by local Departments of Social Services, the lack of accessibility to the property and to public resources was a deterrent. Other programs, including our Family Care residential program for single mothers and their children, replaced children’s residential care at Oak Ranch with minimal success. Eventually, the same challenges arose regardless of the programs that were put into place.

Finally, a commonality between all three wilderness programs is that each piece of property exceeds 700 acres and all of it is significantly underutilized. The associated operating costs cannot be sustained long-term.

Conclusions and Prayerful Decisions

After reviewing all available data, prayerfully discerning the trends, and considering the stewardship implications, BCH leadership and the Board of Trustees have concluded that consolidating our ministry efforts onto one property is the most faithful and responsible path forward.

Camp Duncan has emerged as the logical choice of location for consolidating ministry efforts. Because of the longstanding partnership between BCH and the Duncan Foundation, its property arrangement presents us with a significant stewardship advantage.

A New Ministry Opportunity at Duncan

Through these findings, a new opportunity has emerged where BCH will create a year-round suite of therapeutic and family-strengthening services that will be located on the Duncan property. Rather than operating reactive programs that intervene only when a child or family is in crisis, These programs will focus upstream—helping children and families before situations become catastrophic. In addition, the Duncan location will also play an instrumental role for increasing participation in our EVERY CHILD foster care initiative. It will provide a regional presence for licensing, equipping and strengthening Christian husbands and wives who the Lord is calling to be foster families.

The Duncan property’s central location—within a 3.5-hour drive of many communities across North Carolina—provides an ideal place for families to receive care in a natural, peaceful, Christ-centered setting. By concentrating our resources at this single site, BCH will be positioned to serve more families, more effectively, for generations to come. Our longstanding relationship with the Duncan Foundation strengthens this vision and ensures the property will continue to honor the wishes of Haskell Duncan and the legacy of ministry that began there.

Because Camp Duncan has been on pause, there are currently no girls on the property. Cameron Boys Camp presently has three boys enrolled. These young men will return home to their families during Christmas break, and our staff will ensure they receive appropriate support throughout this transition. All of the announced changes will be effective as of December 31, 2025.

The Transition Before Us

As part of this stewardship plan, BCH will sell Oak Ranch and Cameron Boys Camp, focusing all wilderness-based ministry efforts at the Duncan property. In partnership with the Duncan Foundation, BCH will launch a property master-planning process in 2026 to ensure that both ministry needs and the original vision for the land are honored and protected. Programming for the new services will begin in late 2026.

We know this announcement brings both gratitude for what God has done and grief over what is changing. Camp Duncan, Cameron Boys Camp and Oak Ranch have deeply impacted children and families for decades. God has used your generosity to make that possible, and we honor every prayer, every dollar, every hour you have poured into these ministries. We give God the glory for every life that has been changed.

Moving Forward with Gratitude and Faith

As we move into this new season, we remain firmly committed to James 1:27: “to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” Your partnership and prayers continue to sustain this mission. BCH thrives because of God’s faithfulness through friends like you.

We will continue to share updates as plans progress. If you have questions or would like to speak with someone directly, you may contact us at questions@bchfamily.org.

Thank you for walking with us through this transition and for believing, as we do, that God is preparing BCH for an even greater impact in the years to come. May He receive all the glory.

David Melber

CEO, Baptist Children’s Homes of NC