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…
Why do places mean something to us? For most, it’s not just the beauty of a place, but rather the experiences that we have while we’re there: the people we spend time with, the conversations we dive into, or the laughter we share. That’s certainly the case for second-time cabin leader Burton and his favorite place on camp.
No one really knows the full history of Oak Cottage, the small house already standing when the synod purchased the property in 1963. So, we know it’s (quite a bit) older than our esteemed director, Chad. While camp staff have lived there on and off over the years, it’s not used heavily now, except for the occasional rainy overnight stay. Which leads us back to why Oak Cottage is Burton’s favorite place!
Although still a relatively new face at Camp Mount Luther, Burton is a summer camp pro, having worked eight summers at sister camp Sequanota prior to joining us here. Although Turkey Feeder made a close second, Oak Cottage came out on top of the list for Burton’s favorite camp spot. While old Oak Cottage might seem like an unusual favorite, it’s not when you learn the story of why.
Burton recalls an especially fun overnight spent at Oak Cottage with fellow cabin leader Ali and their campers. “It was so much fun,” he says, reminiscent “of his Sequanota camper life” and a time he went camping out at one of their pavilions.
Spending an overnight at Oak Cottage can be a cramped, yet cozy, experience. Imagine a rainstorm raging outside while laughter, games, and conversation fill the inside of a cottage that’s seen so many years, it’s as if the wood itself has absorbed the memories. Besides feeling reminiscent of his own camper days and joy over all the fun, Burton felt a “sense of community” in their group, able to “sit in the couches of the living room and pretty much see everyone.”
It’s hallmark moments like these that make camp so important, not only for campers, but also for staff. Meaningful experiences can stay with us for a lifetime, shaping our reality and molding our hearts. Next time, when you’re with others having a fun time, remember this verse from Psalm 133.
How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
That community Burton felt at Oak Cottage is good and pleasant, not only to us, but also to God! Whether it’s Oak Cottage, your family’s cabin, a campsite, or somewhere else, listen for those old memories imbued in the space, say a prayer of thanksgiving, and have fun spending time with people you love.