Today I had the opportunity to visit two camps that are members of LOM. Each of these camps are located in Alexandria, Minnesota. In fact, they are actually situated right next to each other – yes, adjoining property lines – on the shores of beautiful Lake Carlos.
The first of these that I visited is the Mount Carmel Family Camp, a ministry of Mount Carmel Ministries (https://www.mountcarmelministries.com/). From a personal perspective, I’ve wanted to visit Mount Carmel for some time because for a long time I have used the Daily Texts (https://www.mountcarmelministries.com/daily-texts-devotionals/) as part of my daily devotional routine. It was a great experience to visit the place and the people who publish this devotional resource that has been part of my daily routine for at least the last dozen or so years.
Mount Carmel is an absolutely beautiful camp with excellent facilities and stunningly beautiful vistas overlooking Lake Carlos. I was given a personal tour by the executive director of Mount Carmel Ministries, Dan Baker. This was a good opportunity for me, because not only did I see a beautiful camp site, but I also engaged Dan in conversation about the joys and challenges of Mount Carmel’s unique program and how it has developed since the early days of Mount Carmel’s history, rooted as it originally was in the Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI). The unique thing about Mount Carmel is that the program is entirely focused on serving families and adults.
Thank you, Dan Baker, for a great visit.
From Mount Carmel, I moved onto my next stop, Luther Crest Bible Camp (http://www.luthercrest.org/). Dave Holtz, the executive director, greeted me and informed me that I would’ve arrived quicker had I walked through the woods from Mount Carmel rather than drive a car, as I did!
My visit to Luther Crest was especially rewarding for me because it was an opportunity to re-connect with two long-time friends from my prior involvement in the Lutheran outdoor ministry network. Jody Johnson, Director of Communications and Development, has been part of the Luther Crest leadership team for many years now. Paul Hanson has been the Luther Crest Director of Program Ministries for the past several years but will soon be moving on to a new position with Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota. Some good conversation with Paul served as a reminder for me of the pivotal role that the program leaders have in assuring a quality experience for all of those who participate in programs throughout our organizations.
Luther Crest is a beautiful outdoor ministry site, as I saw on my tour with Troy Olson, one of the program associates. Its location on Lake Carlos provides breathtaking views. They have an abundance of well-kept buildings for lodging and program, but one of their biggest challenges is having enough lodging and program space to keep up with the demand on their facilities. They are one of our rare organizations that have been growing in numbers for both off-site and on-site activities. The hosts for my visit attribute this to hard work, especially paying attention to making sure that every camper and guest develops strong relationships with other participants and staff, keeping close ties with the congregations in their association, and being bold in articulating who they are as a Christian community and what they do as agents of Gospel proclamation.
Executive Director Dave Holtz invited me to have dinner with his daughter, Maddie, and several Luther Crest staff - Paul Hanson; Maddie Gray, assistant director of program ministries; Troy Olson and wife, Laura; and program associate Kelsey Degerman.
I slept like a log in the well-appointed conference center.
Thank you, one and all at Luther Crest, for a great visit.