From the Director...
Thank you for accepting the call to serve as staff with Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota at Outlaw Ranch (OR) and Atlantic Mountain Ranch (AMR) this summer. Together, we will share the mission to welcome all to explore and experience Christ’s love in community and creation.
Jerry Manlove, former Outlaw and Atlantic Mountain Ranch Director, said of camping ministry,
“The most important element in illustrating and living out the Gospel is the staff. We are the bringers of the good news….We don’t preach from rowboats, we’ve got Corinthians and Colossians confused, and some of us think that the book of Jude includes the lyrics to an old Beatles song….Where do we spend our time? What time?! We’re up to our ears in campers! We’re busy getting food ready! We’re catching horses, controlling finger-painting, leading hikes, planning canoe trips, pushing little kids on the swings, cleaning bathrooms, paying light bills, and dancing with grandmas! We’re eating, working, loving, praying, and rejoicing with God’s people. Knowingly or not, we are sharing the Gospel….We are the most powerful and least indentified part of the telling of the good news. You and me: our presence, our words and actions. What fragile vessels God has entrusted with God’s great message. We are imperfect, vulnerable, sinners, and saints. Full of good and bad emotions, ego-centered, quick to cut with our tongues, we are sinful and unclean. So how on earth are we going to be examples of the Gospel to the people who come to camp week after week? How will we show Jesus to all these people? We just come.”
Manlove, Jerry and Kettl, Mary. (1996) A Common Book of Camping: Reflections and Learnings on Outdoor Ministries. p. 21-23.
You are good news! Many of our campers have been waiting all year just to come to camp to meet you. Sure, they will play outside, have fun and do silly things, but you truly are the best part of camp. You make it fun, you make it welcoming, and you show them that Jesus loves them and will never let them go. At camp, we celebrate the beauty of the earth, the joy of life together, and the promise of God’s unconditional love through Jesus Christ. My seminary professor Rev. Kelly Fryer said of the Christian church, “We have something to offer the world today, and the world needs what we have to give.” Thank you for offering all you have to give this summer – just yourself.PLEASE READ ALL THE ENCLOSED INFORMATION THOROUGHLY.
This mailing includes most everything you need to know to come to camp this summer. Most of your questions will be answered here. Keep it together, and bring all the handouts with you to put in the staff notebook you will receive at Staff Training. If you have further questions, please call or e-mail me, Pastor Molly Sasser-Goehner (605-673-4040 or molly@losd.org).
In Christ,
Rev. Molly Sasser-Goehner