The Camp Luther Log

This summer, our 45 member Summer Staff joins the legacy of 71 years of Camp Luther summer staffs! These young adults have come to camp to be caring, Christian role models in a number of different capacities. Some are sharing the love of Christ by serving as counselors, others as coordinators for programs such as IMPACT and Junior Counselors. Still others are serving as specialty staff in the maintenance and kitchen departments. Each person, each personality, each skill set has been specifically selected by God himself to be here at Camp Luther this summer, and we couldn’t be more excited! After two weeks of staff training, we can proudly say that we have one of the best trained groups of young adults to serve families, care for children, keep camp safe and maintained, and make sure everyone is fed! During their time of orientation, our staff grew together in their faith, gained countless practical skills, and bonded to form the strong team that is out across camp right now, servi...

Summer is just around the corner, and here are 10 signs to prove it! 1.    The Waterfront is in!  Thank you to the hard working volunteers who helped! Quik, Java,  Skipper,  Snack-Shack, Djembe, and Paul braved the cold and rain, and we are so grateful.  Follow Camp Luther on Instagram 2.     Summer Staff have arrived!  Our Program Coordinators move in today and Counselors and Support Staff join us next Tuesday. Meyer, Surge, and Band-Aid are ready for summer! 3.  The cottages are open! During winter, some of our cottages are closed to save on energy costs. Workbee volunteers in April and May made sure they are open and ready to be lived in! 4.    The fish are biting. Our Men’s Fishing and Golf Retreat was last week, and all who attended had a great time. 5.  Canteen is full of snacks, ice cream, drinks, and new merchandise! 6.    Baby geese have been spotted having lunch at...

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...