The Camp Luther Log

Submitted by Jim & Kathy Wiebel  “Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old.” (Mary H. Waldrip) “Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent.” (Donald A. Norberg) These quotations certainly summarize well some of our own feelings about the joys of being grandparents. To be blessed, first, with two wonderful sons and their lovely wives, and now to have been gifted by them with six beautiful grandchildren in the past 11 years has made our hearts and our lives full, indeed! Not only that, but to have received a call to serve as one of the pastors at Faith Lutheran Church, Appleton, at precisely the same time as our first grandchild was born (bringing us back to Wisconsin from Florida) has been one of God’s great blessings in our lives. Living only 30 miles from each family (who reside in Green Bay & Oshkosh) has allowed us to share in their lives from infancy on by providing childca...

For we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  (Hebrews 6:19) Water is unpredictable. This is a truth you learn very quickly working at camp. I remember taking a group out onto Rangeline Lake for a fun afternoon of canoeing during my first summer as a counselor. And it was fun—until it was time to head back in and I realized that the wind had picked up. It was blowing us away from the safety of the channel where we had launched our canoes and out across the open lake. I, an experienced college student, struggled to even get my canoe turned around against the force of the wind. I looked behind me to see my campers’ boats scattered across the lake. All I could think was that staff training did not prepare me for this! as I watched the canoes get tossed around by the wind. In the end, I had to paddle up to each boat individually and help tow them to the nearest shoreline. Once everyone was finally safely on shore, we walked back to main camp leaving a sca...

Indigo, Director of Donor Relations Shelly “Indigo” Karolus is Camp Luther’s Director of Donor Relations, but what does that mean?! As Director of Donor Relations, part of Indigo’s time is spent connecting people to the many different opportunities of supporting the ministry of Camp Luther. Part of her time is also spent thanking people who give in different ways to advance the mission of Camp. In all she does, she gets to hear about all the different reasons why Camp is such a special place to many. When connecting people to opportunities to support and thanking them, Indigo uses the phone quite a bit, but also does much of this work on the road, meeting with people face-to-face. "I have the wonderful opportunity of getting out on the road and driving to visit people who love Camp Luther. Sometimes I'll be on the road for a couple of days or just a day trip. No matter where I go, it is awesome to hear about why people love God and how Camp has helped them grow a clo...

Camp Luther staff Beemer, Woody, Sojo, and Kardia at the NLOMA Conference Every February, members of the Camp Luther staff join with ministry professionals representing nearly 30 Christian camps across the country. The organization is called NLOMA (National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association). This year, staff members Woody, Beemer, Kardia, and Sojo traveled to the Mount Olivet Conference and Retreat Center in Farmington, Minnesota for the conference. This annual conference features worship time, several amazing speakers, and plenty of time to enjoy fellowship and networking with staff members from other camps. Pastor Gabe Kasper (Camp Luther Alumn) leading worship Worship times at this year’s conference were led by pastor and Camp Luther alumn Gabe Kasper (Austin, Texas). The keynote speaker was Dr. Andy Root. Andy’s discussion focused on place sharing in relationships and letting Jesus find His way into our lives by spending time with one another and sh...

Have you ever thought about how many team players Camp Luther needs to be able to make plays in sharing Christ with others? Over the last 70 years, there have been thousands of volunteer team players who have come to camp and given their time and talents. Blaine ‘Beemer’ Welch, Camp’s Director of Guest Services, shares that thought in a devotion that he led at our October Workbee. Fall is my favorite season for several reasons. The leaves are changing, hunting seasons begin, and there is a lot to do in the Northwoods this time of year. Like many people in Wisconsin and across the country, one of my favorite parts of the season is football. We all have our teams, from high school all the way to the NFL. These days it seems like one of the most important things for any team hoping to win a championship is avoiding injury and getting a healthy team all the way to the big game. The more I think about a team staying “healthy,” the more I realize that it isn’t always about just avoiding...

Hi, I am Rock.  I work at the Welcome Desk here at Camp Luther.   I meet and greet all visitors, campers and parents.  If you have a question, you can start with me and I will find the answer or someone who will have an answer! I was brought up in Mt. Prospect, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago.  I attended John Hersey High School and was in the band.  I played the flute and piccolo.  I went to a few colleges and ended up at Roosevelt University in Chicago.  I graduated with a BSBA-Accounting.  I obtained my CPA and worked in public accounting at A M & G in Chicago.  I also worked as an internal auditor for Sears/Homart/Coldwell Banker.  My last job in Chicago was for 25 years at Margie Korshak, Inc., a public relations firm, as their CFO. I headed north in 2009 to live with my aging father in Three Lakes, WI.  I have had a number of jobs here in the Northwoods. I started at Camp Luther in November, 2016 and I couldn’t b...

Before joining the staff team at Camp Luther, I didn’t have much experience with camp in the winter, but the one time I did will forever remain a favorite memory.  It was my senior year of high school. Our small youth group loaded up my Aunt’s SUV (she was also our youth leader) to start on the four-hour drive to Camp Luther for the Sub Zero Youth Retreat. A few of us had been to camp in the summer, and for everyone else this was their first Camp Luther experience ever! Along with trying to get some homework done, our ride was filled with lots of laughs and licorice. We arrived, got settled in, and sang some favorite camp songs during devotions, before plunging into our first winter activity: night tubing!  Enjoying camp's tubing runs at night Saturday morning, we broke into small groups for Bible study and talked about who God is to us and who the Bible says he is. Later that morning everyone hit the ice for some broomball! It was Team Colby Cheese versus Team Cottag...