D-NOW 2025

The Details

D-Now is an in-town weekend retreat designed to help 6th-12th grade students connect with God and grow in their relationship with Him that will take place 3/28-3/30. The cost is $75 and scholarships are available! The price includes meals, a t-shirt, rec activities, student booklets, etc.  Students will sleep in host homes with their same gender and age group, they will be put in a small group led by trusted adults and college students, they will attend large group worship at the church and they will have fun rec opportunities throughout the weekend.

The Theme: Total Surrender

Our theme this year is "Total Surrender". We live in a world where surrender can be a dangerous practice. We think of surrendering as something that you do when you no longer have any reason to keep fighting. But when it comes to surrendering our lives to God, we gain far more than we ever had to lose in the first place. We gain the life-giving relationship that we could never have with God by our own power. We are given an eternity to spend with Him. We gain wisdom and comfort from God, who has an endless supply for His children.
In a world where surrendering seems like a weakness, we want students to see that surrendering to God is the most important thing that they can ever do. Over the course of D-Now Weekend, we are going to talk about the initial surrender of giving our lives to Christ. But why stop there? Surrendering our lives is not a one-time event, but a daily occurrence that requires faith and focus.
Jesus tells us that whoever loses their life for His sake will ultimately find it (Matthew 10:39). God’s desire for us to surrender to Him is not so that we would be left with nothing but rather that whatever we thought we had before could be replaced with the only thing that we will ever truly need: God Himself.

Meet the Speaker

Introducing, Emma Dotter! Emma is the Join the Journey Director at Watermark Church in Dallas. You can read her bio here: While I gave my life to Christ when I was 7, I was called to ministry when I was a sophomore in college (Texas A&M WHOOP!), I just didn’t know I would end up on staff at a church. Having worked at T Bar M Camps all throughout college, I assumed I’d do camp ministry for the rest of my life. Little did I know the Lord would call me to college ministry at Central Baptist Church in College Station, Texas for two years post grad. As Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”
After my time in College Station, I moved to Dallas summer 2019 to begin the Watermark Institute and jumped on full-time staff January 2020. I love getting to participate with God in people coming to know and grow in Jesus Christ, and there have been plenty of opportunities to do that at Watermark. I’m very passionate about my generation knowing the story of Scripture and how to study it, which has led to many opportunities to do ministry all over the place.

Meet the Band

Worship for the weekend will be led by Danny Bolin. Danny is a passionate worship leader and musician with a heart for serving God and others. Growing up in a musical family of nine, he developed a deep love for worship and ministry, serving alongside his father, who was a worship pastor. Over the years, Danny has led and grown worship ministries, mentored leaders, and fostered authentic worship experiences. Now living in Sherman, TX, with his wife Caysi and their ten children, he continues to lead worship, invest in others, and pursue God’s calling on his life.

FAQs

What is a Host Home?
Host Homes are where students stay overnight during DNOW weekend. Our hosts are people within our church that love Jesus and love students! They are all background checked ahead of time and they are people that church leadership knows and trusts. As parent or guardian, you will get the address and phone numbers of the host home family where your child will be over the weekend. 
Does my Child Have to Stay the Whole Weekend or Stay Overnight?
No, students are not required to attend the entire weekend in order to register. We understand that some families are uncomfortable with overnights or students have sports they must attend during the weekend, etc. However, we do REQUIRE that parents/guardians fill out a time away form for the times that their child will be away so that we can be aware of where students are and keep them safe! 
What are Small Group Leaders?
Small Group Leaders are usually either college students or regular adult leaders in the Student Ministry. They are all throughly background checked and have taken Ministry Safe Awareness Training. Small Group Leaders are the primary source of encouragement for students through the weekend. They lead students through 4 small group sessions of curriculum, they get them to and from the host home and rec, they keep at eye on their safety, etc. 
Who will be in my child's group during D-Now?
Students are placed in color groups before D-Now weekend. This group is made of students of their same age and gender. In some cases, this will be all students in their grade and gender, but in many cases this will part of that age group. We do try to keep students with friends they are comfortable with, but to ensure that we need you to put their top 3 friends to connect them with on their registration.  
Can my student have their phone?
Students will be allowed to have their phone during the day but we will be taking them up by midnight to charge in a separate room. This is to protect their eyes but we understand that some parents may be concerned about their child being able to contact them- the small group leaders will happily give them access if needed and parents will have access to both small group and host home phone numbers!