The Paisano Baptist Encampment was conceived at a meeting on its grounds on July 28, 1915.
The first assembly was in 1921. The camp meeting brings together ranchers, preachers, businessmen, families and friends
for a week of study, worship and fellowship. The first visitors slept on the ground under the stars and cooked their
own meals. Soon the campgrounds were dotted with white cotton tents. An eating shed was erected. Army chuckwagons
were used to prepare meals of beef, beans and biscuits. Families began to build simple cabins and the camp started
to take a more permanent shape. Worship services and Bible studies were held under a tin-roofed tabernacle until
1950 when the present tabernacle was completed. Water, sewer, and electrical utilities were added to the camp.
Later RV areas were added. Young people enjoy a youth activities center and classes continue to be held in teaching
sheds scattered throughout the campgrounds. The annual general encampment attracts about 1400 participants. Youth
camps and retreats are also held throughout the year on these picturesque West Texas grounds.
Preachers, Bible teachers, and conference leaders at Paisano include some of Southern Baptist’s greatest. The camp
is funded almost entirely from an offering taken at the last service of camp. The offering is patterned after the
first camp when ranchers gathered around a campfire after the last worship service and discussed camp expenses.
Each rancher offered to pay what they could to cover the expenses so that the camp could continue the next year.
A foundation has now been established which is able to help with capital expenses outside the budget. Paisano is
administered by a board of directors elected annually by those who attend the general encampment. Volunteers
ensure the smooth running of the camp while a fulltime employee oversees the grounds. With the past as prologue
and God’s continued blessings, the future growth of this historic camp meeting is assured.
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