The Camp Luther Log

Name: Kristina Aschenbrenner Camp Nickname: Kash Position: Business & Finance Manager How long have you worked at Camp Luther? 1 year So, what do you do?? What does a “typical” day look like for you?  I review all invoices and code them to the appropriate area and work closely with our accountant to track cash flow to ensure we have enough money to pay our bills. I manage our vendor accounts; updating contracts and getting bids for projects. Managing Camp’s HR functions is also my responsibility; performing background checks and maintaining personnel files. I also work with the budget; tracking expenses, planning for projects and preparing reports for the Board of Directors. Where is your favorite spot on camp, and why? Waterfront - when my daughter attended day camp last summer I loved watching her having fun splashing around and enjoying life. If you could participate in any camp program, what would it be? Probably IMPACT, after 10 years in...

  For we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. – Hebrews 6:19 This summer at Camp Luther and Keweenaw Base Camp, thousands of campers got to experience the theme “Anchored” lived out in their own lives. Campers, guests, and families were reminded of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. They learned that in Jesus, we have a hope that rescues us, a hope that we can trust in, and a hope that we know is true and living. They left Camp Luther knowing that Jesus loves them tremendously and that He is stronger than any earthly anchor and will hold them through the storms of life. While it’s impossible to measure how many lives were impacted by the Holy Spirit this summer, we can measure some things! At Camp Luther... Over 1,500 children and youth attended overnight camps at Camp Luther! 275 first-time campers were sent to Camp Luther through the Every Kid to Camp program! Over 20 kids participated in the second year of a local day ...

At the end of May, 45 college-aged servants of Christ arrived at Camp Luther for one unforgettable summer. For some, this was their fourth year as part of the Camp Luther Summer Staff, for others this was the first time they had stepped foot on camp soil. Over the next three months they impacted thousands of lives, became a family, and learned what it is to truly rest in the strength of Jesus Christ. Saying "thank you" isn't enough for all they've done, but we're going to try. Thank you for starting fires in the rain. Thank you for living by the motto "the water is always warm." Thank you for comforting homesick campers. Thank you for sacrificing sleep. Thank you for trying new things. Thank you for making each week memorable for campers and families. Thank you for showing grace to campers and fellow staff. Thank you for pointing everything back to Christ. Thank you for bearing with and building up one another. Thank you for the joy and laught...

Every summer approximately 60 high school youth give two weeks of their summer in service at Camp Luther. They assist our counselors and act as "big brothers and sisters" to our campers, making sure they are safe and have a great time. Their duties also include behind-the-scenes tasks like keeping camp clean for all our visitors. The time they spend here and service they provide is priceless, but if we were to put some numbers to it, here's a glimpse of the summer. 150 times cleaning the Dining Hall in a summer  93 Junior Counselor applicants 62 high school Junior Counselors who volunteered at Camp Luther this summer 34 female JCs 28 male JCs 24 fires built for weekend programming cookouts 15 cottages cleaned every Saturday 10 weeks of summer camp 5 sessions of JCs 4 trips to Lick-A-Dee Splitz after cottage cleaning 2 weeks volunteered at a time 1 incredible summer! Thank you, Junior Counselors, for your servant heart...

Over 1,600 children and youth will attend Camp Luther this summer. Many of these will be coming for the first time. Over 200 of these first-timers will experience the Christ-centered community, build positive relationships with their counselors and fellow campers, and grow in their faith because of the Every Kid to Camp program.  Every Kid to Camp allows kids who have never experienced a Camp Luther summer program to come to camp at no expense to their parents. Generous supporters who know that camp changes lives make this possible, and we are so grateful! When you give to the Every Kid to Camp program, you are helping kids have new experiences, learn life skills, get unplugged, make lasting friendships, and most of all learn about Jesus and His incredible love for us.  We love opening the mail and seeing thank you notes from Every Kids to Camp recipients! Although they are addressed to Camp Luther, they are really thanking everyone who supports Camp and the Every Kid...

Heavy rains poured on the day before Camp Luther’s 13th Annual Golf Challenge in Rhinelander, delaying the start time for one hour to allow the Northwoods Golf Course to dry out.  With an extra hour of rest golfers came ready to play on a beautiful 70° sunny day! With 15 teams competing for multiple awards in the Competitor and Hackers Division it was game on! For the first time in many years the Volm Team edged out the Strasser Team by one stroke in the Competitor Division. Tim Strasser made up for the loss by winning the Longest Putt on #7. MCL Team 3 took the honors in the Hackers Division by four strokes. Meanwhile, members from MCL and BayTek Teams dominated the Hacker Awards with Terry Hansteadt winning the Most Balls in the Water Honor and Todd Louthain and Carl Treankler tying for Most Lost Balls, with Jane Hunter breaking up the monopoly by winning the Least Used Tee Shot. John Zimdars showed everyone how to hole-in-one the Closest Chip Shot, while Nate Reichle brought i...

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...