Four decades ago, a congregant at Mesa Church (Assemblies of God) in Costa Mesa, California, asked staff pastor Wayne R. Tesch how he planned to help abused and neglected children.

In response to that challenge, Tesch and his wife, Diane, created Royal Family KIDS Camp, a weeklong event in the San Bernardino Mountains for foster children aged 6–12.

Tesch eventually resigned his church post to lead the nonprofit, which is now part of the umbrella ministry For The Children.

Over the years, the concept has spread across the nation and around the world. During 2024, 7,330 children participated in 236 church-sponsored Royal Family camps in 44 U.S. states and nine foreign countries. Since the program’s inception, 172,000 children have attended the camps.

While one-third of these camps are connected to Assemblies of God congregations, churches from 26 denominations are involved.

“Research confirms what Wayne and Diane discovered in the beginning: The power of human connections changes lives,” says the organization’s president, Wendy McMahan. “Nowhere is that more evident than for children in foster care, where relationships have been broken because of neglect, abuse, and removal from the home of origin.”

Tesch, 78, says camp changes not only children, but also volunteers.

“We needed to take the Church beyond the stained-glass windows and into the community of pain,” Tesch says. “When churches get involved spending time and energy face-to-face with children, the child is no longer a statistic.”

Many campers are survivors of abuse or neglect.

To provide the attention these children need, Royal Family camps have a ratio of one adult for every two young campers. Additionally, each camp has a certified social worker or counselor on site.

In 2008, For The Children added a Royal Family KIDS mentoring program in partnership with local churches. Throughout the school year, children and mentors gather monthly to share Bible stories, lessons, and encouragement. More than 1,400 children participated last year.

All volunteers undergo extensive screening, training, and monitoring. Camp directors receive 36 hours of classroom instruction and submit to 20 hours of observation. Counselors must complete 12 hours of training before attending camp.

“Our volunteers are the finest people in the Church,” Tesch says. “They have heard the call of God, and they take a week of vacation to minister in the mission field in their own backyard.”

During 2024, camps and mentoring led to 24 adoptions, while 59 volunteers decided to become foster parents.

McMahan, who has fostered 13 children and adopted two, says the camp experience is an annual highlight for many volunteers, with a sizable share returning year after year.

Partner churches have little trouble raising the average $40,000 needed to sponsor a camp since community stakeholders tend to recognize its value. Campers pay a nominal fee, but donations cover most costs.

“We needed to take the Church beyond the stained-glass windows and into the community of pain.” 
— Wayne R. Tesch

“Royal Family is not so much about return on investment as it is about planting seeds in God’s kingdom,” Tesch says.

AG Assistant General Superintendent Rick DuBose says the emphasis on ministry to foster children helped lay a foundation for the AG Foster Care Network. Since 2021, this network has brought together diverse individuals and churches involved in foster care.

“When For The Children started, foster care was hardly on anyone’s radar,” says DuBose, who also serves as chairman of COMPACT Family Services, an AG child welfare agency based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “What they did was the right process to get people to think about these kids.”

DuBose became involved in foster care while serving as North Texas District superintendent nearly two decades ago. In recent years, he has organized national foster care conferences to help the Fellowship further cement relationships for existing and prospective parental providers and ministry partners.

“We have learned that if a foster family is part of a church that has a foster care support system, they are more likely to foster more than once, to have a better experience, and be more effective for the kids,” DuBose says.

Tesch, an ordained Assemblies of God minister for over half a century, appreciates the Fellowship’s strategic focus on foster care. He notes that 38 AG U.S. missionaries are foster care chaplains.

Since stepping down from leading For The Children 12 years ago, Tesch has remained involved in fundraising efforts.

“I’m the steward of the dream, not the owner,” Tesch says.

For Tesch, the greatest reward is seeing the success stories that emerge from For The Children.

Samantha Orr is a shining example. She entered foster care in 2002 at age 8 after experiencing horrific abuse.

Before she was removed from her home, Orr suffered third-degree burns; went days without eating; was forced to eat a sibling’s feces; sustained daily beatings and repeated rapes; and was threatened at gunpoint.

At age 9, Orr attended her first Royal Family KIDS Camp, under the auspices of Evangel Temple (AG) in Springfield, Missouri.

Now 31, Orr says camp changed her life. She arrived with no childhood friends and a deep distrust of adults. By week’s end, Orr felt valued and loved for the first time in her life.

“Other kids had similar stories of being hurt by a mom or dad,” Orr says. “I realized I wasn’t alone in the world. I no longer felt weird.”

Orr embraced the biblical message of hope and mercy she encountered during camp.

Despite developmental delays connected with abuse, Orr went on to become valedictorian and student body president at her high school. She earned three degrees from Evangel University in Springfield, including a doctorate in educational leadership, curriculum, and instruction.

Orr now serves as a middle school assistant principal. As an educator and abuse survivor, she recognizes and responds to potential warning signs of neglect and abuse in students.

While still a teenager, Orr began giving back as a volunteer at Royal Family KIDS Camp. Last summer, she worked at her 15th camp.

“I know from experience the impact a camp has on creating an environment where a timid kid feels safe to open up,” Orr says. “Knowing I understand helps relieve some of the fear, stress, and anxiety kids feel.”

Orr recently became a For The Children board member as well.

“I can’t change my past, but I can help change the future of some of those kids,” Orr says. “I’m trusting God to use my story to ultimately help others.”

This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Influence magazine.