Executive Director Don Johnson will occasionally post reflections as he travels to Lutheran Outdoor Ministry sites. Here is his latest entry, written on September 24 and 25, 2015:
September 24, 2015
This day began with a drive through the countryside in the middle of Minnesota, ending up at Camp Onomia (www.camponomia.org) in Onomia, MN. Located on the shores of Lake Shakopee, Camp Onomia is another beautiful camp. Executive Director Jim Schmidt was my host, and he was so good to take me around and show me many of the buildings. Jim has been executive director at Onomia for a relatively short time, and during that time he has already spearheaded some very impressive improvements. As it is for so many of our Lutheran outdoor ministry organizations, money is a very finite commodity at Onomia and Jim is doing a great job of stretching every dollar to the nth degree. Thank you, Jim Schmidt, for a very enjoyable visit and lively conversation about Omomia, LOM, and all things outdoor ministry.
My next stop was in Cross Lake, MN, for a visit to Camp Knutson (www.lssmn.org/camp/). Camp Knutson is sort of a hidden gem for many of us who are active in LOM. And what a gem it is! Camp Knutson occupies the whole end of a peninsula between two of Minnesota’s premier lakes, Whitefish and Trout Lake. It is owned by Minnesota Lutheran Social Services. The land was originally donated to them by former U.S. Senator Knutson, who owned a cabin which is still in magnificent condition on the camp grounds. In fact, every building in this camp is in magnificent condition. Their mission is to serve children and adults with a variety of special needs – persons with severe skin diseases, children with autism, children with autism and downs syndrome, and families with members afflicted by HIV/AIDS. The people they serve require very sophisticated medical equipment and Camp Knutson is so equipped. I haven’t seen anything quite like this since several years ago visiting Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Very impressive.
My host for the visit to Camp Knutson was Jared Griffin, the newly appointed camp director. As I do on all my visits, I made the case for Jared getting involved in LOM. I sure hope we will soon see Jared at the LTE or Annual Conference.
September 24, 2015
This day began with a drive through the countryside in the middle of Minnesota, ending up at Camp Onomia (www.camponomia.org) in Onomia, MN. Located on the shores of Lake Shakopee, Camp Onomia is another beautiful camp. Executive Director Jim Schmidt was my host, and he was so good to take me around and show me many of the buildings. Jim has been executive director at Onomia for a relatively short time, and during that time he has already spearheaded some very impressive improvements. As it is for so many of our Lutheran outdoor ministry organizations, money is a very finite commodity at Onomia and Jim is doing a great job of stretching every dollar to the nth degree. Thank you, Jim Schmidt, for a very enjoyable visit and lively conversation about Omomia, LOM, and all things outdoor ministry.
My next stop was in Cross Lake, MN, for a visit to Camp Knutson (www.lssmn.org/camp/). Camp Knutson is sort of a hidden gem for many of us who are active in LOM. And what a gem it is! Camp Knutson occupies the whole end of a peninsula between two of Minnesota’s premier lakes, Whitefish and Trout Lake. It is owned by Minnesota Lutheran Social Services. The land was originally donated to them by former U.S. Senator Knutson, who owned a cabin which is still in magnificent condition on the camp grounds. In fact, every building in this camp is in magnificent condition. Their mission is to serve children and adults with a variety of special needs – persons with severe skin diseases, children with autism, children with autism and downs syndrome, and families with members afflicted by HIV/AIDS. The people they serve require very sophisticated medical equipment and Camp Knutson is so equipped. I haven’t seen anything quite like this since several years ago visiting Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Very impressive.
My host for the visit to Camp Knutson was Jared Griffin, the newly appointed camp director. As I do on all my visits, I made the case for Jared getting involved in LOM. I sure hope we will soon see Jared at the LTE or Annual Conference.
My day ended up at Green Lake Bible Camp (http://www.gllm.org/) in Spicer, MN. This organization operates three sites – Green Lake Bible Camp (GLBC), Shores of St. Andrew’s, and Camp House in northern Minnesota. Green Lake Bible Camp is actually the only camp in Minnesota that I had ever before been to, so it felt a little like going home. Lucky for me, I arrived right in the middle of dinner being served, so I had a delicious meal that tasted home-cooked with a retreat group of quilters. Travis Aufderheide of the GLBC staff hosted me for dinner and the conversation with Travis was so enjoyable.
After dinner I had the good fortune of meeting with one of the most seasoned and expert veterans in our LOM network. Loren Teig started serving as executive director of Green Lake Lutheran Ministries last January after “retiring” from 38 years of service at Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Ministries. Talking outdoor ministries with Loren is like learning from one of our master craftspersons. Once again, the theme emerged of the importance of staying in touch with and building relationships with the leaders and members of our congregations.
My friends at GLBC provided this wandering sojourner with a nice comfortable room conveniently equipped with high speed wi-fi. Sleeping came easy after a wonderful day of seeing some wonderful camp and retreat center facilities, and talking with passionate and dedicated outdoor ministry practitioners.
September 25, 2015
Friday morning and breakfast at Green Lake with Dave (Eli) Eliason, director of congregation and community engagement at GLBC. I’ve known Dave for many years and it was so good to reconnect with him. Eli is another of those masters of the “trade” of outdoor ministry; it was great to get caught up with him. Eli was nice enough to drive ahead of me and lead me to Shores of St. Andrew’s (http://www.gllm.org/Shores%20of%20Lake%20Andrew.html). This is another spectacular location with an expansive sandy beach on Lake Andrew. Everything is being kept in tip-top condition for both the summer camp program and the year-round retreats and conferences.
I was then on my way to the airport for my return flight home. Another stop, thought, was on the way. This time to Camp Chi Rho Center (http://www.stjohnsmpls.org/chi-rho/) in Annandale, MN. This is another camp and retreat center located on, in this case, the shores of Lake Sylvia. This site is owned by St. John’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. David is truly a “jack of all trades” – in charge of taking care of all the buildings and grounds, hosting all the retreat groups and sometimes cooking for them, taking care of all the housekeeping, and on and on. He’s a great guy and I hope we can soon have the good fortune of his participation in the life of LOM.
Doggone it – I forgot to take any pictures while at Chi Rho. I guess I was starting to get focused on getting to the airport in time for my scheduled flight. Yes, I did get home that night, by the stroke of midnight. It was a great week!
After dinner I had the good fortune of meeting with one of the most seasoned and expert veterans in our LOM network. Loren Teig started serving as executive director of Green Lake Lutheran Ministries last January after “retiring” from 38 years of service at Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Ministries. Talking outdoor ministries with Loren is like learning from one of our master craftspersons. Once again, the theme emerged of the importance of staying in touch with and building relationships with the leaders and members of our congregations.
My friends at GLBC provided this wandering sojourner with a nice comfortable room conveniently equipped with high speed wi-fi. Sleeping came easy after a wonderful day of seeing some wonderful camp and retreat center facilities, and talking with passionate and dedicated outdoor ministry practitioners.
September 25, 2015
Friday morning and breakfast at Green Lake with Dave (Eli) Eliason, director of congregation and community engagement at GLBC. I’ve known Dave for many years and it was so good to reconnect with him. Eli is another of those masters of the “trade” of outdoor ministry; it was great to get caught up with him. Eli was nice enough to drive ahead of me and lead me to Shores of St. Andrew’s (http://www.gllm.org/Shores%20of%20Lake%20Andrew.html). This is another spectacular location with an expansive sandy beach on Lake Andrew. Everything is being kept in tip-top condition for both the summer camp program and the year-round retreats and conferences.
I was then on my way to the airport for my return flight home. Another stop, thought, was on the way. This time to Camp Chi Rho Center (http://www.stjohnsmpls.org/chi-rho/) in Annandale, MN. This is another camp and retreat center located on, in this case, the shores of Lake Sylvia. This site is owned by St. John’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. David is truly a “jack of all trades” – in charge of taking care of all the buildings and grounds, hosting all the retreat groups and sometimes cooking for them, taking care of all the housekeeping, and on and on. He’s a great guy and I hope we can soon have the good fortune of his participation in the life of LOM.
Doggone it – I forgot to take any pictures while at Chi Rho. I guess I was starting to get focused on getting to the airport in time for my scheduled flight. Yes, I did get home that night, by the stroke of midnight. It was a great week!