MOUNT LUTHER MOUNT LUTHER SUMMER 2019
Come to Mount Luther and Be An Agent of C.H.A.N.G.E. Camp Mount Luther is a year-round outdoor ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We offer a variety of programming for children, youth, adults, and families; but, it is our summer program that gets most of the attention. Why? Because regardless of where you are from, what you look like, or whether or not you go to church, we welcome you! Our welcome statement says: In response to God s immeasurable love and Jesus radical calls for grace, inclusion, and freedom of expression, Camp Mount Luther believes all staff, campers, and guests shall be affirmed as children of God who are able to be loved, treated with dignity and justice, and shown grace. Diversity and uniqueness are welcome here because God welcomes all, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, life circumstances, race, relationship status, sexual orientation, socio-economic circumstances, or anything else that divides us. Our unity is in Christ. Mount Luther is 400 acres of woodland near Mifflinburg, PA. Come and encounter the beauty of God s creation as you visit our trails, campsites, worship sites, fields, pool, pond, and cabins. Accredited by the American Camp Association, we meet the highest standards of the camping industry. We provide a safe place and space to try new things. Our program is led by carefully selected and specially trained college-aged counselors, program staff, volunteer nurses and chaplains. Send your children to Camp Mount Luther today! You can play volleyball, Gaga Ball, and Frisbee Golf. You can also do craf ts, go swimming, and go to the nature lodge. All children have fun at Camp Mount Luther. You can also spend the night or just do day camp! --written by Hannah Ehrisman, a 2018 Summer Camper For 56 years, Mount Luther has been where campers of all ages can connect with God and one another. We spend time Gathering and Reflecting On God s Word through readings, songs, games, and demonstrations. This Year s Theme is Transformed Community: God s Agent of C.H.A.N.G.E. Our theme conjures up images of a mighty band of superheroes with secret missions. When we take on the mission of being God s agent of change in the world, we must be ready to be transformed individually and together. Daily themes will look at what transforms community: generosity, compassion, inclusion, justice, and forgiveness. If you are a returning camper, consider bringing a friend who has never been to camp. If you ve never been to camp, especially if you are a first-time camper who is apprehensive, please come to our Spring Open House. It will be held on Sunday, April 28, 2019, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Learn more about our summer program and tour the camp that day. First time campers who attend can get a coupon for a discount on their summer registration! We look forward to welcoming you to camp this summer as we learn more about transforming community and being God s Agent of C.H.A.N.G.E. Remember, we can t have a great summer without you! Chad Hershberger, Executive Director
2019 Programs A typical week begins with registration on Sunday from 2:45-4:00 p.m. and wraps up Friday with a picnic meal, singing, and a short sending at 6:00 p.m. During the week, you ll have big all-camp games and electives, campfire programs, worship experiences, and service projects. You ll make new friends, get unplugged, and develop life-long relationships. We practice small group camping, where a cabin of boys and their counselor works with a cabin of girls and their counselor and forms a tight-knit community for the week. A typical day might go like this: Wake up in the morning for breakfast and singing Do First Light Morning Devotions to set the tone of the day Make crafts or play sports like Frisbee Golf or Gaga Ball Practice team building and challenge course activities Eat a terrific lunch, do more singing, and learn more from the Bible Swim in cool, clear water on a hot day Hike to see wildlife, canoe in the pond, or study nature Care for our camp and catch your breath during USEiT Eat supper fit for a king or queen with more singing and GROW Time Play games like parachute, volleyball, or Down and Out Hear stories and worship God to end the night Get good rest in our unique cabin setting Weeklong resident campers also sleep out under the stars as part of an overnight camping experience. If you have concerns about doing such a trip, please discuss those with the camp director before your camp week. Our age groups are classified as follows: Pioneers (completed Grades K-2) Juniors (completed Grades 3-5) Intermediates (completed Grades 6-8) Senior High (completed Grades 9-11) All of our programs give you a taste of the best that Mount Luther offers. Here are this summer s programs: Buffalo Gap Adventure: August 4-6 (Fee B) New this year! You ve heard about Buffalo Gap, near camp, in the Bald Eagle State Forest. Now, go there for an extended stay. Hike to the Gap Monday morning, explore God s creation there, stay overnight and come back to camp the next day. Explore water falls, rock formations, and beautiful trees. You ll never forget this camp! Camp Setebaid at Mount Luther: July 28-August 3 This camp for children and teens with diabetes from ages 8 to 14 is run by Setebaid Services. Setebaid and Mount Luther have partnered together for many years, sharing space for those with juvenile diabetes to learn more about the disease. If interested in this program, please visit www.setebaid.org for more information, including registration. Classic Juniors and Intermediates: July 28-August 2 (Fee E) It s back! This is a week for those juniors who may be away from home for the first time or intermediates who want to connect your faith with becoming a young adult. You ll learn to be more independent as you live in community. Swimming, games, crafts, an overnight, electives, campfires, and GROW Time are essential parts of this week.
CLAWS: July 14-19 (Fee E) Juniors and intermediates can join us for a fun and exciting week of Crafts, Legos, and Wild Sports! Campers will be encouraged to try new things and be more active in helping to plan and lead activities. Another fun option this year at camp will be sewing. This is your week to be as creative as you can be! Family Camp: June 30-July 3 (Fee F) One of our most popular camps, Family Camp is a time and space for families and friends to talk, listen, grow, share, play, sing, and pray together. Enjoy GROW Time, camp activities, family time, and rest. Spend time with each other in God s creation. Reconnect with God and others away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Each family member over 5-years-old pays the fee. Fishing Adventure: June 23-28 (Fee A) Juniors can come spend time on the camp pond and take a trip to the Eastern Shore for an overnight trip! We might even do a second local overnight for some nighttime fishing if the weather permits. We ll supply the worms and a limited amount of rods. Please bring fishing equipment if you d like. Don t forget your sunglasses and sunscreen! High Adventure: July 28-August 2 (Fee A) We are thrilled to partner with our friends from Krislund Camp to offer a new camping option this year. Travel to some great climbing and rappelling sites in Central PA; and do the high ropes and Goliath courses at Krislund. You ll also camp out near the climbing sites. This is your chance to do something you ve never done before! Intermediate Ten Day Camp: July 28-August 6 (Fee C) It s back! Can t get enough of camp as an intermediate? Then this camp s for you. Intermediate campers come for a longer period of time, building stronger communities and doing more of the camp activities that you love. Be prepared for a longer hike or canoe trip! Intern: July 7-12, July 14-19, July 28-August 2 (Fee E) Do you want to know what it is like to be on the Camp Mount Luther summer staff? Interning is where you can learn all the skills you need to be a counselor. You will plan GROW Times, lead games and songs, and supervise campers. It will give you a taste of the leadership it takes to be on staff! LEADS: June 30-July 2 (Fee B) We are excited to offer this camp, returning to our schedule. It s a leadership laboratory where you learn knowledge about leadership and planning. Senior High X-Teen will do this program and if you are a senior high-aged camper and want to join for just these three days, we invite you to be part of this unique camp. Mini-Junior Base Camp: June 23-25 or August 4-6 (Fee B) Mini-Junior Base Campers spend a half week here and experience all of what camp has to offer like swimming, making new friends, crafts, and growing in faith. Mini-Juniors do not go out on an overnight camping trip. You spend all your nights in your cabin! You are here Sunday through Tuesday.
Mini-Pioneer Base Camp: July 7-9 or August 4-6 (Fee B) Pioneers are venturing into new territories. This half-week program is a great way to give you a first outdoor experience. You ll get to swim, make new friends, do crafts, and grow in faith. Mini-Pioneers do not go out on an overnight camping trip. Your cabin is your home away from home from Sunday through Tuesday. Night Owls: June 23-28 (Fee E) During this week of camp, junior and intermediate night owls stay up later each night doing fun nighttime activities with traditional camp activities during the day. Night activities might include flashlight tag, star gazing, night hikes and worship, capture the flag, and drive-in style movies! Paws: July 7-12 (Fee E) Paws is the name of our new camp for our youngest pioneer campers to pick two areas to focus your attention on during the week. Become a specialist in these thoughtfully planned, age-appropriate, hands-on activities. Please list your preferences on your registration form. SWIM. Designed for campers who love water adventure, this will give you a chance to play pool games and do lots of swimming. SING. Bring your voice and celebrate music! We ll have group jam sessions to learn some of our great camp songs. FISH. Like to go fishing? Come spend some time at the camp pond and see if you can reel in the big one! PLAY. Like to play field games? Want to learn Gaga Ball or Nine Square in the Air? This Paw gives you time to play in the outdoors. You might even learn a Frisbee game! LOOK. Explore the camp woods and learn about the creatures who call this place home all year long. Campers will create field notebooks and may go on a camel hunt! Pick-A-Day(s) Day Camp: July 15-19 and/or August 5-6 ($30 per day; lunch included) Preschoolers (over three and potty-trained) through third graders come to camp from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for one, some, or all five days. Parents or guardians can also stay at camp, relax, and eat lunch for $10. During day camp you get to do all the fun camp activities during your time at camp. Your first day of this day camp is FREE. Scooby Doo Day Camp: June 17-21 (Fee D) This program for pioneers and juniors is perfect for those youngsters who don t want to leave home overnight as you ll be here from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Our staff will make you feel welcome and comfortable. And, Scooby Doo is back! Bring your detective skills to help Scooby and the gang solve the Mystery of the Swashbuckling Pirate. There s a pirate on the loose with a hidden treasure. Help find the treasure, figure out what it is, and who is disguised as a pirate. You can even sleep overnight on Thursday night, participate in our popular Clue All-Camp Activity, and stay for our closing program on Friday!
Scooby Doo Week: June 16-21 (Fee E) Scooby Doo is back! Resident juniors and intermediates can bring your detective skills to help Scooby and the gang solve the Mystery of the Swashbuckling Pirate. There s a pirate on the loose with a hidden treasure. Help find the treasure, figure out what it is, and who is disguised as a pirate. We ll also have our popular Clue All-Camp Activity. SURE: July 28-August 2 (Fee E) Intermediates can learn and practice various outdoor survival skills, including fire-building, tracking, water gathering and more. This camp will teach you how to Survive Using the Resources of the Environment! You might be stationed in our three-sided Adirondack shelters this week and will sleep out at our various campsites, too. Tour De Crème: August 4-6 (Fee B) This bike tour group for intermediates and senior high campers is sure to be worthwhile. Scoop up your bike and give a big scream as we set out each day for a different ice cream establishment. Bring a ROCKY ROAD ready bicycle and be prepared to bike about 20 miles each day. The reward will be ice cold and tasty! You should milk another pun. Tracks: July 7-12 (Fee E) Back by popular demand is Tracks, where this year campers can pick two of the following tracks to focus your attention during the week. Become a specialist in these areas. Please list your preferences on your registration form. H2O. This track is for campers who love adventure and water activities and want to cool off. Pack an extra swimsuit and towel! Fishing will be included in this track. We ll supply worms and have a limited number of rods. JAM. A new track this year! Celebrate music with your voice and/or musical instruments. You ll work together to create a musical performance for our campfire on Thursday night and get to sing and/or play with the group. MAD. Slightly different this year, our MAD track is to Make Actors for a Drama. What does that mean? You ll work with your fellow thespians in creating a play or skit for our Thursday night campfire. MTA. If testing your body and spirit sounds like fun, sign up for our MounTain Adventure track. This track is designed for campers to participate in some of the best of camp s outdoor activities. You ll canoe, hike, and spend extra time on our ropes course by the mountain stream. DISC. Like Frisbee games? Then this track is for you! Disc golf, Ultimate, and Frisolay, will be on the agenda for this track. LEAF. Want to learn more about God s incredible creation? This is your track. You might learn more about fire building, outdoor cooking, or animal and plant identification. STEM. Do you love designing, building, creating and experimenting? Then the STEM track is the one for you! In this track campers will participate in science, technology, engineering and math activities. We will build balloon powered cars, complete fun science experiments and more! X-Teen: June 23-July 2 (Ten Day/Fee C) or June 23-28 (Weeklong/Fee E) X-Teen brings senior high campers together to spend time with peers doing some cool special activities! Discover your gifts, grow in your faith, and learn how to live that faith in daily life. We have two options for you: come for the Ten Day Camp or choose to come for a weeklong program. Ten Day Campers will also do our LEADS program.
Three-Tiered Pricing We believe everyone should have the opportunity to attend camp, regardless of their ability to pay. Because of strong financial support of our donors and friends, we have always subsidized the cost of camp for everyone. We offer voluntary three-tiered pricing, where you can self-select the rate you can afford. Paying a higher tier helps us cover the actual costs of having your child at camp. Tier 1: A "true cost" of camp for families who want to support camp by covering costs. Tier 2: Slightly subsidized for families needing some support to make camp affordable. Tier 3: Rate for families who need more support to send kids. Please remember: All campers receive the same camp experience regardless of which tier you choose. Campers are encouraged to contact their church for assistance, too. If none of these three tiers meets your budget, please send a request in writing to Chad Hershberger, Executive Director, to apply for funding from The Rev. Conrad B. Youse Campership Fund. We ask those who apply for camperships to have either their family or church pay at least the registration deposit. Taking Camp Home We live in a world of choices and opportunities and make decisions daily on how to spend our time and money. Why come to camp? To grow in your faith and as a person! According to the Effective Camp Research Project, campers go home from camp and are more positive, more interested in worship, and have a greater faith in God. Campers rated the following things that they learn most from camp: empathy, compassion, self-identity, faith, singing songs, and treating others better. Over time, camp also leads to more self-confidence, devotional practice, church attendance, and faith conversations. One of our parents told us that her daughter definitely has learned independence and self-reliance at camp! At Mount Luther, we believe the most important outcome of the camp experience is a deeper relationship with God. Campers learn to be followers of Jesus and serve others, and their faith grows in these ways: By jumping in the pool and knowing God is with me. Claire, 8 By singing about God and being nice. Allison, 8 I know more about the stories in the Bible. Lydia, 14 I was starting to question my faith before I came but being here made me open my eyes and believe more. Hannah, 16 I know God s love is stronger than any love could ever be. I will share God s Word. Emily, 15 I know God has awesome love. R.J., 13 I saw God in all the friendly people and the songs. Naomi, 14 Our hope is that each camper who comes to Mount Luther will also gain skills for living in the natural world; become more emotionally mature and self-assured; and gain leadership skills and confidence. Here is what some of our 2018 campers said about camp: I will tell my friends back home that camp is the best thing I ve done. Gabbie, 10 I went to my favorite camp ever and I want to live there! --Elisabeth, 8 I was welcomed and included a lot this week. Hannah, 9 Mount Luther has excellent counselors. Carolynn, 8 I am coming back. Lacie, 12 I loved arts and crafts. Erica, 7 On a scale of one to ten, a ten. Katherine, 8 No one cares how long you ve been here, they just bring you into the amazing family here. Elise, 13
2019 Summer Schedule Week Dates Pioneers Juniors Intermediates Senior High (Completed Grades (Completed (Completed (Completed K-2) Grades 3-5) Grades 6-8) Grades 9-11) 1 June 16-21 Scooby Doo Day Camp (Pioneers and Juniors) Scooby Doo Week 2 3 June 23-28 June 30- July 3 Fishing Adventure Mini-Junior Base Camp (June 23-25) Night Owls Family Camp for all ages (ends at 12:00 p.m. on July 3) Senior High X-Teen (Ten Day ends on July 2) LEADS 4 July 7-12 Paws Mini-Pioneer Base Camp (July 7-9) Tracks Intern 5 July 14-19 Pick-A-Day(s) Day Camp (Ages 3-3rd Grade) CLAWS: Crafts, Legos, and Wild Sports Intern 6 July 22-26 Off-Site Day Camps 7 July 28- Aug 2 Classic Juniors Intermediate Ten Day (July 28- Aug 6) Classic Intermediates SURE High Adventure (Intermediates and Senior High) Intern 8 Aug 4-6 Pick-A-Day(s) Day Camp (Aug 5-6) Mini-Pioneer Base Camp Mini-Junior Base Camp Buffalo Gap Adventure Tour de Crème (Intermediates and Senior High) REGISTER ON-LINE! GO TO www.campmountluther.org Please note: if you register on-line, you still need to get a health form filled out and signed by a doctor. You can also get a list of items to bring to camp on our website. CAMP MOUNT LUTHER 355 Mt. Luther Lane Mifflinburg, PA 17844 Phone: (570) 922-1587 Fax: (570) 922-1118 E-Mail: cml@campmountluther.org