During our camp season on Good SOIL, to highlight our seasonal staff, we’re taking a trip around camp to all the favorite places they hold dear. For many, Camp Mount Luther is a haven, a place of peace, good memories, and fun times. Usually there’s one (or maybe a few!) place where a person feels particularly drawn: their favorite place to go. In those special spots, camp becomes embodied, and we grow deep roots into the very landscape of Camp Mount Luther. It’s not just a building. Or a campsite. Or a worship space. It’s a memory, a feeling, a place of community.

Let’s continue our tour of staff members’ favorite places…

Weddings, baptisms, worship services — Alyx’s favorite spot at Camp Mount Luther has seen a lot, and if you’ve ever visited it, you know why. It’s a place of gathering and community.

The amphitheater is off a side gravel road, to the right of the main entrance road before you reach any visible buildings. Down a tunnel of trees, you might begin to wonder if there is a big enough place for somewhere called the amphitheater.

But then you arrive, and the trees widen to reveal a huge clearing. There, benches in two sections form a wide semicircle around an altar and a huge wooden cross. The vista, although almost completely blocked by towering evergreens, is that of a farm field. The curtain of trunks and branches part at the center where the cross towers, revealing the field beyond. The swaying wheat peeking through the gap lends a pastoral lens to the space.

Whether it’s the swath of gravel under your feet, the sheer magnitude of the cross, or the heavy benches that have weathered many storms, the amphitheater is a place of permanence, an outdoor sanctuary ready to gather God’s people for fellowship.

Alyx loves the amphitheater for quite a few reasons. First, he feels that almost indescribable peace you experience when you’ve found your favorite place (a common thread you’ll keep seeing with this series!). Second, it’s a popular hangout for turtles, which Alyx loves to watch. Third, it’s the best place, in his opinion, for worship. And with the benches, altar, and cross, we’d agree it’s a special spot, especially if you need to seat a crowd.

Lastly, Alyx remembers fondly time spent at the amphitheater when he was a camper, especially when the cabin leaders would host “messy campfire,” a collection of skits and activities aimed at getting everyone messy. The campers loved watching the silly antics of their leaders, which got them covered head to toe in ketchup, shampoo, and who knows what else!

The amphitheater is a place of gathering. Although you can certainly go there alone and feel at peace, the mass of empty benches can serve as a constant reminder that you’re by yourself. As a place of community, let’s remember these words from Hebrews 10 when we visit the amphitheater:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

At Camp Mount Luther, we try to stir up one another to love and good works, and a big part of how we do that is by meeting together during our summer camp season. We meet together with the children and youth of our community, encouraging them through community and worship. If you’ve never visited the amphitheater, grab a couple friends and head over. Keep an eye out for turtles!