Due to COVID-19, summer camp and year-round group rentals to be canceled for more than a year. It is a program which thousands of children are looking forward to each summer. However, there are some unique and exciting opportunities that have come about at Camp Hoblitzelle.
The Chosen, the first multi-season app-based television series about the life of Christ, shot an amazing scene on their production facility at Camp Hoblitzelle. The scene was a three-thousand man, women, and children all coming to hear Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount, in freezing temperatures on a February day at Camp Hoblitzelle.
Previously in 2020, the production team was searching for suitable locations to shoot the show in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area and made a chance to visit Camp Hoblitzelle. They can quickly decide the camp landscape and facilities were perfect for their needs and for several months.
The Chosen was created by Dallas Jenkins and distributed by Angel Studios. They have been renting a section of the camp property for filming and production. The show is the highest crowd-funded project of all time and has been translated into more than 50 languages.
The Chosen producer, Chad Gundersen, said they feel proud to be able to bring the story to life and therefore, they received a lot of support worldwide since the season one debut, and they look forward to releasing season two later this year. "This Sermon on the Mount, shot at Camp Hoblitzelle, is going to be the highlight of the new season and the most incredible retelling of that event in television history," he added.
There will be an upcoming plan to shoot future seasons of The Chosen at Camp Hoblitzelle. Meanwhile, other opportunities came to partner with local homeschool co-ops such as Family Education Days (FED), Sunflower Nature Co-op and Ellis County Christian Homeschool Co-op (ECCHO) all currently meet at Camp Hoblitzelle. They will be utilizing classroom space and outdoor activities for three days in a week. There are also certified teachers lead K-12 classes in the Mabee Music Conservatory building and students to participate in afternoon outdoor education tracks led by Camp Hoblitzelle staff.
The program team developed a 14-week outdoor curriculum including Taking Aim, Project Wild, Adventure Experience, Sports Exploration, Adventure Experience and Artistic Expression. All students are able to experience the facilities of camp like archery, camping, hiking, ropes course and challenge tower, canoeing. There will be an equestrian track offered in the spring semester where Equestrian Professional Missy Halbert taught skills needed to learn wrangling, horse and cattle care, as well as other important equine and riding skills.