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…
First-time cabin leader Emma has been getting to know Camp Mount Luther the last month and a half. With its 400 acres and numerous spots, it can be difficult, even for long-time staff, to choose a favorite spot. But even for newcomers, camp’s magical allure can quickly form connections. As it is for most people, Emma’s chosen her two favorite spots based on her experiences there, not just the physical place.
The pool at camp is a place of vivacity. On any given afternoon, you’ll spy kids jumping into the deep end, competing in a lively game of water polo, or practicing handstands. Clouds of sunscreen hang on the breeze while campers’ towels and water bottles litter the grass. Lie back and relax with some pool noodles and you’ll hear conversation and laughter against a backdrop of splashing.
This camp staple plays a humble yet pivotal role in the lives of campers. Camp wouldn’t be camp without a pool. For Emma, it’s a place for observation and relaxation. Most of the time, she prefers to sit on the side of the pool and soak up the rays, sticking her feet in and reading a good book while keeping an eye on her campers.
Emma also loves Holy Spirit, a place so powerful that it ends up at the top of the list after only two worship services. She loves how the benches are oriented, facing the cross and table for communion.
A worship service at Holy Spirit during Family Camp helped imprint it as a favorite for Emma. During that service, we sang and listened as a storm rolled in. Thunder rumbled in the distance while we listened to chaplain Gary Shaeffer recount a story about walking in the dark woods when his headlamp went out. We’d already moved the start time of the service up 15 minutes, and during the service, the musicians decided to cut a song. The thunder got louder as clouds darkened the sky.
After the service, we walked back to Evergreen for a snack. As soon as we arrived, the heavens opened and rain poured. The clouds had darkened the sky, but we had found the light and comfort of Evergreen. It seems as if the Holy Spirit was at work.
The second worship service at Holy Spirit was one for her campers that Emma helped lead. The theme of the day was the same as the service at Family Camp: Jesus is the light of the world. To go along with the passage from John, Emma incorporated Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Matthew:
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Let’s let Camp Mount Luther be like that city built on a hill. Its light cannot be hid. For so many campers and staff, camp provides a safe place where they can see the light of God at work in nature, others, and themselves. Let us then be the light of the world to others, both at camp and beyond, letting our good works point to the unconditional love of Jesus.
P.S. Don’t worry; Gary isn’t still lost in the woods. He relied on the moon and stars to guide the way!