Thursday, October 8, turned out to be an even warmer day than the day before. It was like a summer day, but without as much haziness in the air. It was such a gorgeous day to drive up to Mar-Lu-Ridge for my first visit of the day. Mar-Lu-Ridge is the camp and retreat center of the Delaware-Maryland Synod and the Metropolitan Washington, DC, Synod of the ELCA. It occupies the top of a ridge in the Catoctin Mountains, the same mountain range where Camp David, the presidential retreat, is located.
The views from Mar-Lu-Ridge, especially on a day like this, are spectacular. Mar-Lu-Ridge has one of my favorite camp chapels anywhere. When you sit or stand in the chapel you look beyond the altar and the cross across the valley below and you can see for miles and miles. It’s all the more wonderful now because there have been some excellent renovations accomplished at the chapel.
In fact, there have been many fine improvements that have taken place throughout the Mar-Lu-Ridge facilities during the past several years. Sara Lefler, the executive director, and Karl Muhlbach, the program director, were soft-spoken about many of these improvements as they showed me around Mar-Lu-Ridge on that beautiful day, but the pride they have for their camp couldn’t help but show through. And they should be proud. And thankfully, the improvements they have been working on, in regard to both the buildings & grounds and the programmatic improvements are reaping good reward in both the number of year-round retreat groups and summer camp enrollment.
I was treated to some yummy coffee and donuts in the newly renovated dining hall. Even more enjoyable than the donuts was the impressiveness of the beautiful surroundings that the dining hall now provides; most enjoyable of all was the easy conversation that I enjoyed with these two wonderful outdoor ministry leaders.
And then a drive down to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. My destination: Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp in Fort Valley, VA. Talk about beautiful countryside! I sometimes wonder if we in the ELCA fully appreciate how beautifully situated are our camps and retreat centers.
I met Reuben Todd, the new executive director of Caroline Furnace, at the office and main entryway into this beautiful site for outdoor ministry. Reuben is new to Caroline Furnace and new to all of us in the Lutheran outdoor ministry network, but he is no stranger to outdoor ministry. Prior to coming to Caroline Furnace, Reuben served as the executive director of a fairly large Baptist camp in the southern part of Virginia.
Caroline Furnace is not anywhere near as large nor does it have the full time staff that Reuben had in his prior position, so he is experiencing what all of us in outdoor ministry seem to experience at one time or another – if you want it to get something done you better be ready to roll up your sleeves and get it done yourself. Reuben impresses me as being a guy with boundless energy, a love of the outdoors, a love for people, and a good sense of humor. No wonder I feel like he is going to be right at home when he starts getting involved in activities and programs of LOM! I can’t wait for the rest of the LOM network to meet him.
From Caroline Furnace I headed back east toward my next destination, Washington, DC. As I often do, I had some phone calls (thank goodness for hands free Bluetooth technology). One of the most involved calls was to Larry Hamrick, director of Coastal Retreat Center on the Isle of Palms in SC. Coastal Retreat Center was pounded by the torrential rain, wind, and surf of the recent coastal storms, and unfortunately, Coastal Retreat Center experienced some pretty serious water damage. This is an especially frustrating development because they had just completed some nice interior renovations not too long ago.
On Friday, October 9, I had my first appointment of the day at the headquarters for Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) located at Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C. What a contrast from yesterday – the Logan Circle area of DC is quite a change from the Shenandoah Valley! But the commitment and passion for doing ministry at LVC is rivaled only by the same passion and commitment among the outdoor ministry leaders of LOM!
I was scheduled to meet with Sam Collins, president of LVC, and Jessica Morton, their new development and outreach associate. Unfortunately, Sam had to change his schedule for the day and couldn’t meet with us, but I had an excellent meeting with Jessica. It was a bit of a reunion in a way (Jessica just graduated last spring from LTSP with an MAR degree). We are envisioning some great opportunities for deeper collaboration of LVC and LOM. A subsequent phone call with Sam has led to some even more practical and plausible possibilities. Sam is a connector and collaborator from the word go. It will be great to have LVC represented by Jessica at the Conference next month.
My final stop for this trip was at the offices of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), one of the biggest social service organizations in the world. I met with Charlotte Haberaecker, president, and T.J. Cantwell, Director of Member Engagement. This was another great example of mutual commitment for deeper collaboration with an organization that has much to offer for LOM, not the least of which is the excellent job they do of having the CEO Academy each year. This is an excellent educational opportunity and I’m grateful that they make it available to the outdoor ministry leaders whose organizations are members of LOM.
It was a great trip and I’m very grateful for the many connections that were accomplished for LOM.