Rock the Dock

Recommended music to read by: Dock Rock Playlist by PC Shores

When camp is really humming at Pine Cove in the summer, there are many places you can find campers: the pool, the air-conditioned gym, the ropes course up in the trees. But as Thursday afternoon turns into evening, there’s just one place you can find everyone at the Shores: Dock Rock.

A truly iconic theme night at Pine Cove’s East Texas high school camp, Dock Rock is many campers’ favorite event of the week.

Head down to the edge of camp—the spot from which the Shores derives its name—and you’ll find yourself in a shady, laid back haven of cool tunes and chill activities. Campers take their pick of playing games like Spikeball or sand volleyball, hanging in hammocks, heading out on the boats, or just sprawling and talking on beach towels on the lawn.

Many campers’ favorite part of the night? Boats, of course! Dock Rock is kicked off by a “fly by” of eight boats that cruise along the shoreline at full speed to the cheers of watching campers on the shore.

A hallmark of Dock Rock is how relaxed and unstructured the evening is. Stand on the field by the shores of Lake Palestine and you’ll see boats pulling away from the dock to take campers water skiing, a cabin of guys and their counselor eating pizza on the lawn, and a few girls drifting by on One wheels. Everyone has the freedom to choose how to spend their time completely free of distractions; there are no cell phones, no devices. It’s a sweet picture of what normal life could look like for high schoolers if the world wasn’t constantly trying to distract them from spending quality time with each other.

But all of this pales in comparison to the beautiful sound of 200 campers and staffers lifting their voices as one in an acoustic time of sunset praise and worship. Then everyone hears from a speaker who continues to bring home the lessons they’ve been learning all week—this year it’s Jesus’s upper room discourse found in the book of John.

Dock Rock is an iconic part of the Shores camp experience. It embodies what campers, staff, and alumni love about this property. It’s a vessel that God can utilize to illustrate His original intention for His people. Everyone gets to spend uninterrupted time together, connecting however they choose, just enjoying God’s creation without a worry or a care in the world.

Special thanks to Shores Men’s Director Luke “Thunder Up” McGrath for his insight!