by Bishop Bill Gohl
God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." - Exodus 3:4-5
I have been profoundly shaped by our Lutheran outdoor ministries. Summer camp as a kid at Koinonia, youth retreats at Camp Wilbur Herrlich, Camp Ma-He-Tu and Cross Roads (NJ), summer camp as an adolescent at Pinecrest Lutheran Leadership Ministries, working in college back at Koinonia and then returning to Pinecrest after ordination as a faculty member. My life has been saturated with all of the good things – the God things – that happen in our outdoor ministries. In these last years, my own kids have gone to camp at Mar-Lu-Ridge, one of the crown jewels in the ministry we share as the Delaware-Maryland Synod (in partnership with the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod).
My world changed when my dad dropped me off at Koinonia for the first time back in 1984. As we pulled up, I was thinking to myself, this is going to be a long 12 days. I remember the awkwardness as my cabin mates began to arrive, and we went to our first meal together. I didn’t think I was going like Koinonia very much; but I was wrong. It began a deep connection and genuine friendships that sustain to this day.
Those weeks and summers spent in outdoor ministry have dramatically changed and impacted my life. I can honestly say the course of my life was altered because of summer camp. I went to college intending to be a music teacher; after five summers on the summer staff at Koinonia, I was in seminary studying to be a pastor of the church.
For me, summer camp has always been a place of acceptance and friendship. During the seasons of insecurity in my teen years, working at Koinonia and going to Pinecrest was a haven. Camp was a place where I felt I belonged; I was accepted and loved. I could be myself, nerdiness, quirks and all. It was an environment that built up my confidence and self-esteem. It was, and now Mar-Lu-Ridge continues to be, my home away from home. Some of my closest friends are from outdoor ministry. They get "it," and they "get" me. There is an intensity of experience living in community and there is a real bond shared in Jesus Christ.
When I think of the visceral encounters I've had with Christ, camp is a common denominator. There's something to being away from your normal, everyday life, routine and environment. Camp helps eliminate distractions that take our attention away from the gift of faith, but also provides opportunities for hearts and minds to open up in ways that don't necessarily happen at home. Daily worship and Bible study, devotions and journaling, team-building and trust-building, testimony and witness, it's an environment that provides a fertile soil to meet Jesus. Indeed, there's nothing like camp! I can walk you to various places on these holy grounds, and I could point out specific places where I met Jesus, where God spoke to me and the healing power of the Spirit has touched me over the course of 30+ years. God never fails to show up in powerful ways at camp.
Eric, Dave and Dieter; Gef, Jimmy and Carl; Diane, Tom and Rosemarie; Fred, Paul, Mack and Renee; Mike, Greg, Jeff and Chris; Cindy, Kari, Sandi and Stacey; Sarah and Karl – all of these have stewarded holy ground, and by their lives and ministries they have shared themselves with me and thousands of others. They have loved me into loving Christ and the church. Through the years, theirs has been the gift of encouragement, believing in me when I didn't believe in myself, mentoring and blessing me to bless others.
Life-changing and life-giving; that's what camp was to me and continues to be. If I have done anything "right" with the youth and families that have been in my care through the last 20 years, it was connecting them to Christ through our outdoor ministries. There's simply nothing like it.
This last Friday, I picked-up my son David from his first-ever week at Mar-Lu-Ridge. At 15, he thought himself a little old to be starting for the first time; he resisted going, though I insisted. A conversation on the way home and another on Sunday revealed that at summer camp, "church finally makes sense," "I met someone who I think will be my best friend," "the counselors were awesome," "I can’t wait to get more involved in LYO." My tears come freely, even as I write, and I am grateful; another life transformed in this time for eternity.
For those who are involved in outdoor ministries across this church, on behalf of those of us who sometimes take you for granted, I say well done good and faithful servants. This work is tiring and fundraising is the worst; but the outcomes are priceless.
Your prayers and financial support for Mar-Lu-Ridge and our many other Lutheran outdoor ministries make a difference. I know, they made a difference in my life; and it’s making a difference in the life of my children, too.
It's not too late – even for this summer! Let's get our kids, our grandkids - and even ourselves - to camp!
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." - Exodus 3:1-6
Those weeks and summers spent in outdoor ministry have dramatically changed and impacted my life. I can honestly say the course of my life was altered because of summer camp. I went to college intending to be a music teacher; after five summers on the summer staff at Koinonia, I was in seminary studying to be a pastor of the church.
For me, summer camp has always been a place of acceptance and friendship. During the seasons of insecurity in my teen years, working at Koinonia and going to Pinecrest was a haven. Camp was a place where I felt I belonged; I was accepted and loved. I could be myself, nerdiness, quirks and all. It was an environment that built up my confidence and self-esteem. It was, and now Mar-Lu-Ridge continues to be, my home away from home. Some of my closest friends are from outdoor ministry. They get "it," and they "get" me. There is an intensity of experience living in community and there is a real bond shared in Jesus Christ.
When I think of the visceral encounters I've had with Christ, camp is a common denominator. There's something to being away from your normal, everyday life, routine and environment. Camp helps eliminate distractions that take our attention away from the gift of faith, but also provides opportunities for hearts and minds to open up in ways that don't necessarily happen at home. Daily worship and Bible study, devotions and journaling, team-building and trust-building, testimony and witness, it's an environment that provides a fertile soil to meet Jesus. Indeed, there's nothing like camp! I can walk you to various places on these holy grounds, and I could point out specific places where I met Jesus, where God spoke to me and the healing power of the Spirit has touched me over the course of 30+ years. God never fails to show up in powerful ways at camp.
Eric, Dave and Dieter; Gef, Jimmy and Carl; Diane, Tom and Rosemarie; Fred, Paul, Mack and Renee; Mike, Greg, Jeff and Chris; Cindy, Kari, Sandi and Stacey; Sarah and Karl – all of these have stewarded holy ground, and by their lives and ministries they have shared themselves with me and thousands of others. They have loved me into loving Christ and the church. Through the years, theirs has been the gift of encouragement, believing in me when I didn't believe in myself, mentoring and blessing me to bless others.
Life-changing and life-giving; that's what camp was to me and continues to be. If I have done anything "right" with the youth and families that have been in my care through the last 20 years, it was connecting them to Christ through our outdoor ministries. There's simply nothing like it.
This last Friday, I picked-up my son David from his first-ever week at Mar-Lu-Ridge. At 15, he thought himself a little old to be starting for the first time; he resisted going, though I insisted. A conversation on the way home and another on Sunday revealed that at summer camp, "church finally makes sense," "I met someone who I think will be my best friend," "the counselors were awesome," "I can’t wait to get more involved in LYO." My tears come freely, even as I write, and I am grateful; another life transformed in this time for eternity.
For those who are involved in outdoor ministries across this church, on behalf of those of us who sometimes take you for granted, I say well done good and faithful servants. This work is tiring and fundraising is the worst; but the outcomes are priceless.
Your prayers and financial support for Mar-Lu-Ridge and our many other Lutheran outdoor ministries make a difference. I know, they made a difference in my life; and it’s making a difference in the life of my children, too.
It's not too late – even for this summer! Let's get our kids, our grandkids - and even ourselves - to camp!
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." - Exodus 3:1-6