Our Mission
Sharing Christ, planting seeds
Our Purpose
A year-round ministry providing resources and experiences in spiritual formation, outdoor adventure, intentional community, and leadership development for people of all ages.
Our Vision
Cultivate and integrate strong partnerships between Camp Mount Luther and all expressions of God’s church.
Our Core Values
Cultivate and integrate strong partnerships between Camp Mount Luther and all expressions of God’s church.
Spiritual Formation
We are re-rooted to rest in a safe space set apart. We encounter the Triune God in new and exciting ways. We listen, question, raise doubts, ask serious questions, and explore what it means to be disciples.
Outdoor Education
We learn appreciation and adoration for the Creator and how to safely care for creation. We learn about using God’s creation for recreation and re-creation. We participate with one another in activities we might not do anywhere but camp.
Intentional Community
We strive to improve participants’ sense of self-worth, helping them discover their identity and vocation. We extend genuine Christian hospitality. We experience the transforming power of building healthy relationships with others.
Leadership Development
We involve campers in leadership of their cabin group. We develop Christian spiritual leaders. We initiate participants into a new way of living, one filled with love and service.
Our Place Set Apart
Camp Mount Luther’s 400 acres are the perfect place to grow closer to God, form new friendships, and learn about yourself. Camp Mount Luther boasts: 14 cabins, 6 outdoor worship spaces, 6 camp sites, 3 Adirondack shelters, 2 bath houses, a retreat cottage, an administrative center, a dining and activities center, a canoeing and fishing pond, a pool, a disc golf course, a gaga ball pit, a nine square court, numerous woodland trails, and several feral camels (rumored).
Our History
The purchase and development of Mount Luther was the first step in implementation of a 20-year plan to reorganize the camping ministry of Lutherans in Central PA. It was also a response to the need for a place to provide small group camping experiences. Outgrowing the facilities at Camp Juniata near Milroy, and a declining camping program at Camp Susquehanna on the campus of Susquehanna University, the synod’s Commission on Camping wished to have a central location in this area.
The synod purchased the 385-acre former Buffalo Valley Fruit Farm in western Union County, and the camp was dedicated in 1963. The property consisted of two houses, two barns, and several other farm buildings. The initial stage of development consisted of planting trees, the construction of eight A-frame cabins, a kitchen/dining hall and a man-made lake for swimming, and development of a year-round site that could be used by congregations as well as synodical boards, committees, and agencies. Mount Luther enjoyed great success in its early days and often had a waiting list. To help accommodate more campers and provide some larger office facilities, Pine Village and the Administration Center were added in 1967.
The decade of the 1970s would prove to be crucial to Mount Luther’s survival as a building up of programs and facilities would need to be undertaken to combat burnout and the destruction of a main cabin, which burned down. The camp was part of the Lutheran Camping Corporation of Central Pennsylvania from the mid-1970s until the early 1990s. The corporation operated Mount Luther, Nawakwa, and Kirchenwald. During that time, a capital funds campaign helped make improvements to the camp, including a swimming pool and winterization of the cabins. Trip and specialty camps and opportunities for younger children were added to the summer program.
With the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988, the Upper Susquehanna Synod decided to bring local control to the camp and the Camp Mount Luther Corporation was formed in late 1990. Since then, Mount Luther has seen an increase in use and programs from the people of this synod. Full-time staff were hired to provide quality facilities and programs during both the summer and retreat season when events began to be held. The summer camping program grew, with over 500 campers attending in 2002 and 2003.
In 2004, the Evergreen Center was constructed because of the need for more dining and activity space. In 2006, the camp began a partnership relationship with the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania (ECUSA), offering a joint camping week for both Episcopalians and Lutherans. In the early 2010s, a new method of Bible study called “GROW Time” (Gather and Reflect On the Word) was introduced. In early 2017, the debt was paid off for the Evergreen Center, two and half year ahead of schedule. In addition, the total project, including the loan, was paid for by donations for the cause. No general operating funds were used for loan payments.
In 2023, we launched a new capital campaign called Foundations for the Future which seeks to build a new bathhouse in the Maple cabin area as well as refurbish and repurpose Maple Hall.
Our Commitments
We are a Reconciling in Christ organization, accredited by the American Camp Association, and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries.
