By Jim Vitale

CarolAnn is returning to staff for the 2025 summer camp season!! This will be her 6th year on staff.
Let’s get to know her a little better!

One of my earliest memories of CarolAnn Miller is watching her convince my oldest child to eat everything on his plate. At the time (and often since) I was unsuccessful in persuading my kid to eat; but there’s something about CarolAnn, her playful approach, her persuasiveness, her positive attitude that makes youth of all ages utterly devoted to her. I cajoled and scolded to no effect; but CarolAnn encouraged, coaxed, and joked her way to a clean plate. Before I even knew what was happening, my son held up his empty plate in triumph as CarolAnn sat back smiling with a “that’s how you do that” look on her face.

If ever Camp Mount Luther had a Pied Piper, it would be CarolAnn (excluding of course the creepy and problematic elements of that Medieval tale). When CarolAnn walks into the dining hall she is always greeted with a chorus of “CarolAnn’s here!” from her biggest fans. My own children often contend for the crowded seats beside her.  It’s a rare thing to see CarolAnn sitting, standing, or walking alone.

But it’s not just CarolAnn’s personality that makes her magnetic. I suspect that children and youth detect (on a subconscious level) CarolAnn’s own love of children and are drawn to her all the more. They intuit (correctly) that her company is a truly safe place. Watch CarolAnn work with kids for a few minutes and you’ll soon be convinced of her love for all of them. I recently noticed that a camper was struggling, her feelings having been hurt in some way or another. Quickly a cabin leader came up beside her and said, “Do you want to go be with CarolAnn?” The girl nodded and the next thing I saw, she was snuggled up next to CarolAnn. Soon the camper was calm and at peace.

One of CarolAnn’s favorite memories of camp is a good example of her love for youth and their love for her. She was serving as a cabin leader for only two kids during day camp, both pastor’s kids. “We spent our day with [one of them] teaching us to dance in the pool,” she remembers, “[The other] suggested instead of Duck Duck Goose we play Methodist Methodist Lutheran. Three pastor’s kids together at one time is always a recipe for some kind of wild fun!” That this is one of CarolAnn’s favorite memories and that the two kids felt comfortable enough to be so goofy are both a testament to CarolAnn’s gifts for youth ministry.

CarolAnn has a heart for helping others. She is the only daughter of Rev. Craig Miller (current bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod) and social worker Nancy Morgan. As such it’s no surprise she grew up caring for others. She’s originally from Brooklyn and so it’s perhaps surprising that she’s a long-time camper. She notes, “Camping ministry is important because it opens a pathway to nature and faith that isn’t always accessible. Growing up in the city, it wasn’t often that my friends got to be in the woods and camping. Camp offered a getaway that opened them to a whole different view on life and how the world can be, seeing turkeys and deer and bears all in their natural habitats.”

CarolAnn was fortunate to have regular experiences of nature, spending years attending camp at Koinonia . When her father accepted the call to serve in the Upper Susquehanna Synod, one of his first tasks was to call executive director Chad Hershberger and suggest that Chad consider hiring CarolAnn as a cabin leader. Chad happily agreed and CarolAnn’s camping experienced continued at Camp Mount Luther.

After graduating from Muhlenberg College with her undergraduate degree, CarolAnn moved to Ireland where she studied music therapy at the University of Limerick. Her education there only furthered her heart for helping others. When she moved back from Ireland she started working as the ministry coordinator for the Milton Lutheran Church and, luckily for us, has been working part-time as a cabin leader at Camp Mount Luther.

When I talk with congregations about impactful youth ministry, I always stress the importance of relationships. Youth ministry is about introducing children to Jesus, and if they do not feel comfortable at church or youth group, they’re never going to meet Jesus there. We need more people who can be Christ to and see Christ in our young people. If you want to know what that looks like, just watch CarolAnn Miller. She creates a comforting, open, and safe environment like none other. When her campers think about what it means to be with Jesus, they will remember CarolAnn. And their faith will be better for it.