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…

Longtime camper and first-time cabin leader Ellis couldn’t pick just one favorite place. And we don’t blame her, considering her two top picks! First comes Holy Spirit, a well-known worship site down the path that begins at the bottom of the field (BOF if you’re a camp regular) on your way to a towering black walnut tree, affectionately dubbed Big Tree. Second is Twin Creeks, which might be camp’s most mysterious and least well-known spot, accessible only if you’re willing to cross the road and go down a path that’s not much more than a deer trail.

Holy Spirit is tucked off into a medium-sized clearing, perhaps nothing too special at first glance. There are benches and a cross. But the more time you spend there, the more you’ll see why people love it. The altar is old and strong, not just a stack of artfully arranged rocks but specially chosen rocks held together by mortar that have experienced years of campers worshipping. It’s an intimate place for worship, too. Even spread out among the benches, you feel close to others as you sing, pray, and listen. The dense underbrush backdrop behind the cross and altar just enhances the coziness you feel when you’re there.

Twin Creeks, on the other hand, might not be a spot you’re familiar with and possesses more grandeur than Holy Spirit. If you keep going past Holy Spirit until you meet the road, then cross the road and walk a little further, you’ll find a narrow path of trodden grass. When you duck back into the woods, it’s hard to imagine the breathtaking beauty you’re about to stumble on, but then you arrive at Twin Creeks. The trees thin out, moss covers the ground, the stream rushes by, and a large hill creates a dramatic backdrop to the whole scene. Tall trees, fallen long ago, create a natural fence around the area. A huge tree with a giant uprooted root system is especially eye-catching. You almost feel as if you’ve stumbled on Eden itself.