When the Flood Hit, the Phones Started Ringing

Reputation Management & Crisis Communications

Thelemata positioned the Christian Camp and Conference Association as the national voice for faith-based camping — then a tragedy proved it.

AP syndication to 125M readers. New York Times placement. 8x increase in monthly interview requests. ~$134K in earned media value.

THE CLIENT

The Christian Camp and Conference Association represents more than 800 camps serving over 7 million guests annually. As the largest professional membership body for faith-based outdoor ministries in the country, CCCA holds the institutional standing to speak for an entire sector. Gregg Hunter, President and CEO, is the organization’s public face and primary spokesperson.

THE CHALLENGE

When the Camp Mystic flood struck Texas, national journalists and faith leaders immediately began reaching for the phone — looking for someone credible to contextualize the tragedy, speak to camp safety, and represent the broader Christian camping community. Organizations without established media infrastructure get bypassed in those moments. CCCA could not afford to be bypassed.

The challenge was not the crisis itself — it was whether CCCA had the brand presence, messaging clarity, and media relationships to function as the authoritative national voice at the moment it mattered most.

THE STRATEGY

Thelemata had already been building that foundation. Consistent brand PR work — messaging development, spokesperson positioning, proactive media engagement — meant that when the Camp Mystic story broke, CCCA was not starting from zero. Gregg Hunter had a defined public profile. Thelemata had active relationships with journalists covering faith, outdoor ministry, and nonprofit leadership. The messaging architecture was already in place.

The strategic pivot was fast because the strategic groundwork was already done. Crisis communications only works at speed when the non-crisis communications work has been executed well.

EXECUTION

Thelemata deployed immediately across national, local, and faith media channels. The core work:

Developed rapid-response messaging for CCCA and member camps — framing the organization’s posture toward the tragedy, the sector’s commitment to safety, and the role of faith-based camps in communities

Positioned Gregg Hunter as the authoritative national spokesperson on camp safety and the Christian camping industry’s response — not just a reactive voice, but a credible expert source

Executed outreach across national wire, major digital outlets, and regional Texas media, and faith-specific press simultaneously

Placed CCCA at the center of the story rather than on the periphery, ensuring journalists covering Camp Mystic had a clear, credentialed source for broader context

RESULTS

~$134K earned media value (AVE). 8x increase in monthly interview requests. 125M AP syndicated reach. 95M New York Times reach.

The 8x increase in monthly interview requests was not a one-time spike. It reflected a shift in how national media perceived CCCA — from a membership organization to the go-to institutional source on faith-based camping.

Representative placements: Associated Press (syndicated) – 125M. New York Times – 95M. The Independent (US) – 41M. Texas Tribune – 3.4M. CBN – 5.1M. Christianity Today – 1.14M.

THE TAKEAWAY

Crisis communications is not a separate discipline — it is the dividend paid on consistent brand-building work. Thelemata’s ability to pivot CCCA into a national media source within hours of a breaking tragedy was possible because the messaging, relationships, and spokesperson positioning were already in place. This case demonstrates what it means to be media-ready: not just reactive, but positioned to lead the narrative when the story demands it. For organizations operating in sectors where a single event can define public perception, that readiness is not optional.

SERVICES DELIVERED

Brand PR & Visibility, Crisis Communications, Messaging Development, Media Spokesperson Positioning, National, Local & Faith Media Outreach.