| New New New!!! |
What’s one thing many of you love about Luther Village? Something that makes us unique? It’s something that we want to bring to our winter life in Winnipeg! It is church on the beach! How on earth can we do that? You’ll have to come check it out and see for yourself!
We are inviting all our campers to warm up your winter with worship in the same style as we have “beach worship” at LV! Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington St. Winnipeg (where our winter camp office is) has graciously agreed to let us use their building once a month for this. We will bring in guest pastors to preach (just like at camp), we will celebrate communion (just like at camp), we will sing lots of camp songs with guitars (just like at camp) and we will share our LV style hospitality and ministry throughout this contemporary service (just like at camp)...and we may have some other surprises as part of our worship!
Mark these dates...it’s the 4th Sunday (not the last) of January, February, March and April:
January 22, February 26, March 25, April 22
Time: 6:30 PM
Bring along your family, friends and neighbours to join our camp-style worship, led by staff. An offering will be collected to support the ministry of Luther Village. Snack will follow the service...not in the Dining Hall but, downstairs! Please join us in this new venture of Luther Village. See you there! (Maybe you’ll want to leave your shoes at the door and pretend you can feel the sand in your toes...)
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| Want to Work at Camp in 2012? |
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Applications for the 2012 season along with the job postings and their descriptions are now available on our website www.luthervillage.ca. Two, 3, 4 & 6 month positions available. Applications are due February 28; interviews taking place early March with hiring complete by March 21. Consider working at camp in 2012!
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| Maintenance Coordinator |
We are looking to fill some of our head positions at Luther Village for this upcoming season, one is that of Maintenance Coordinator. It is one that allows you to work in the great outdoors; is challenging and rewarding; two maintenance assistants work with you; the variety of work is amazing so you will never get bored!
This position, head of our Maintenance/property department and is for approximately 6-6.5 months, beginning mid-April (weather permitting). The detailed job description is on our website (job description); room & board included with salary which is dependent on experience.
Send your resume & letter by February 28, to Kim Scherger, Executive Director via email, fax or mail. |
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| Come and Get Them |
| 2012 Brochures available December 15, 2012. They will be mailed out December 14 and available on our website. Check them out and watch for what’s new, including new early bird registration discounts for youth camps, Women’s retreat and our new “Fall in Love With Luther Village” bus day trip for seniors! |
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| Kim's Korner |
In one incredible moment the whole world changed when Jesus came to earth as a baby boy! Max Lucado tells this beautiful Christmas story in his amazing story-telling way – something for the whole family to read (One Incredible Moment: Celebrating the Majesty of the Manger). He examines how one unbelievable moment forever altered the lives of every person who has ever lived...from Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men to those of us living now! It is extraordinary...the birth of this tiny baby has had an incredible impact on our lives.
I like to think that at Luther Village, experiencing life at camp can forever alter and change peoples’ lives...not quite the same way Jesus birth did, but children and adults alike have had incredible moments that change their lives at LV. Hearing God’s voice whispering through the wind in the trees, hearing God’s roar through storms over the lake, hearing God’s laughter through music & singing, laughter and conversation all over camp, watching the wondrous joy on our campers’ faces (yes adults too!), sighing with wonderment of the beauty of a picturesque sunset over Dogtooth Lake...unbelievable moments.
Lucado reminds us in this story that we shouldn’t limit the hope of the manger to Christmastime. He tells us the joy of Christ is simple, comforting, festive, holy...and timeless! Part of our ministry at camp is to spread the news of that hope of the manger through actions and words in our ministry. Our staff work hard to show this hope in many simple, holy and different ways throughout the season at camp...and they do an amazing job of it! |
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I ask for your gift of prayer this Christmas season and always for Luther Village. In one incredible moment of prayer – for safety, for ministry, for the staff, for financial gifts, for incredible and continued holy moments - you can support LV!
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
Merry Christmas & many blessings to you and your family in 2012!
Kim Scherger, Executive Director |
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| Best Gift For Kids? Send Them to Summer Camp! |
I was recently directed by alumni Dave Bragg (‘03/’04) to a great article by Mr. Russell Roeder from PennLive.com. Mr Roeder explains what he feels is the best gift for kids...and I agree. Many of you know I’ve worked in our LV outdoor ministry for a “few” years and am pretty much a big supporter of camp and how good it is for ones’ soul.
Best Gift For Kids
By Russell Roeder, (PennLive.com; November 30, 2011; used with permission)
I think every parent should figure out a way to get their kid to a sleep away summer camp. They should go for at least a week (two would be better), and certainly before the child turns 12.
Kids need to get out from under their parents’ wings to spread their own. Whether it’s soccer or baseball or dance lessons or music instruction or karate, our kids spend nearly every waking hour of every day being transported from one highly supervised activity to the next.
As parents, we’ve come to believe that all these structured activities somehow serve the dual purposes of building character and learning about focus and teamwork.
To some extent this is certainly true, but what parents don’t consider is the simple fact that the highly structured and hypercompetitive nature of these activities stifles the most precious and promising elements of childhood: creativity and the joyful freedom to explore, experiment, stumble, recover and succeed on their own terms, and without the unspoken but omnipresent pressure to please us — their parents.
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Disagree if you want, but I am pretty sure that if you’re honest you’ll admit that by the time they are 10, every kid has a fairly well-established place in the pecking order of the classroom and school yard. For the 10 percent of kids who are the combination of gregarious, athletic, good looking, funny and smart, this is wonderful. The other 90 percent face the uncertainties of how and where they are going to fit into the increasingly stressful social order.
As well-meaning parents, we do everything we possibly can to get our kids into a better and more competitive position in the social chain by signing them up for all those highly structured activities that we assume will give them a sense of success and bolster their self-esteem.
The problem is that I just don’t think you can manufacture self-esteem in kids. It is a personal discovery. And the more we as parents do to fill their days and structure their lives, the less time and opportunity they have to themselves to find it on their own.
What kids need is a place where they can learn about themselves without the continuous doting eye and well-intentioned judgment of their parents. They need to feel the weird and beautiful exhilaration that comes when you realize you are a stranger among strangers in a safe place and have nothing to lose or prove. You get to discover and be who you really are — not who your schoolmates, teachers and parents expect — or hope you will be.
It doesn’t matter if you’re especially good at soccer or dance or karate. What matters is that you’re willing to cooperate in a group of your peers, find ways to have fun and solve problems and care about the people you are living with. When these are the things that matter, growth and genuine self-esteem follow.
I started going to a summer camp when I was 9. I finished as that camp’s program director when I was 21. It taught me honesty, caring, respect and responsibility. It gave me confidence I never would have discovered in the classroom, school yard or even in the loving home I was blessed to have. It gave me lifelong friendships that have continued to this day (I’m 58). It provided a basis for a long and successful career in the health care industry.
Most importantly, it taught me that collaboration is a more effective way to achieve success than competition. I cite this as the most important lesson of camp because our country is in trouble. We need less competition and more collaboration. We need to get our kids to camp because we need a generation of leaders and citizens who are interested in solving complex problems — not just winning battles.
Christmas is coming. I bet your kid (or grandkids or nieces/nephews) already has a house full of laptops, video game equipment and smartphones. Consider giving them the gift of freedom and discovery. Send your kid to camp next summer.
Russell Roeder of Mechanicsburg is the president of Skipstone Consulting.
P.S. Now consider giving your kids/grandkids the best gift this Christmas! |
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| Outdoor Education at LV in 2012 |
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Have you booked your schools Outdoor Ed time out at camp? Call the office to hear about what’s offered and our great rates! Some dates available in June and Sept 2012. |
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| M*A*S*H |
| M*A*S*H is coming to Luther Village! Our new “Mega Awesome Sleeping Huts” will be used during our youth and possibly family camps! These new 14 x 16 x 9 foot, prospector style canvas tents with aluminum frames were donated by Brian Keen and we have some exciting plans for them! A permanent out-trip remote camping location will be created to be used during our youth camps – so all our kids can experience sleeping in the wilderness! And so family campers won’t feel left out, they can be used one night by individual families too! Watch/ask for details when you get to camp! |
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| Canoe Believe? |
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We are bringing back our teen canoe trip for those 13-17 years of age only. This is a 5 day, 70 km canoe trip throughout the lake systems of NW Ontario. Canoeing and swimming experience a necessity. Join our experienced leaders/lifeguard for this amazing, faith-talk adventure!
Date: July 8-13. Limit: 12. Cost: $325 + HST |
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| Fundraising |
What we did:
Golf Tournament – On a September morning this fall, golfers in support of Luther Village had a fun time out on the course...then inside Harbour View Golf Complex for a “hi-tech” putting contest! Corporate sponsors & prize donators: Pratt’s Food Service, Greystone, Wojicik’s Funeral Home, Pioneer Fence, Assante, Standard Insurance, Winnipeg Blue Bombers & Arnold Brothers and our golfers raised $1700 on this morning. Thanks to everyone for organizing, supporting, donating and golfing!
Phoneathon – October 23, 24 & 30 were the dates of this annual fundraiser. There were 28 people who volunteered and made 722 connected phone calls to our supporters, and sent out the paperwork for this, our largest, annual fundraiser. If you haven’t donated yet and still want to, you can! Mail a cheque, call us with a credit card or donate online www.luthervillage.ca.
2011 donation tax receipts are issued for amounts given over $10, received by December 31, 2011. THANK YOU! A big thank you to Ken Day and the staff of ONBusiness for again letting us use OnBusiness space/phones for this event!
Dinner & Dance – Since 2003 we have held this lovely evening of gourmet food and live music to dance! It has always been an evening where a wonderful time is had by those attending; we’ve changed location to a beautiful hall, had wonderful dance/entertaining music, had DELICIOUS gourmet food created & served, added special beverages, had amazing prizes donated by businesses and individuals... and again on November 25, all those things happened! Our attendance was very low compared to other years but the level of community and fun among the guests was very high! THANK YOU to Chef Raymond Czayka, LV youth & young adult volunteers, Legacy, attendees & staff & board organizers!
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| What’s Coming Up in 2012 |
| Bud Spud & Steak – The date has been set so mark your new 2012 calendars now: Thursday March 1, 2012. This is earlier than in the past so watch for ticket sales in February...call/email us if you’d like to sell tickets or want to donate to our auction. It will be again at Tijuana Yacht Club, CanadInns, Polo Park. 6-9 PM, tickets $20. Join us for another fun-filled evening in support of LV! |
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| From the Camp Board |
Time is a gift given to us by God’s grace. How we use our time and organize it needs to be reflected in the value we place on how precious time is. It certainly fits into the “use it or lose” category in that once we waste or fritter time away, we can never get it back. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…) reminds us of the importance of using time to do all the things we need to do.
This is the beginning of a New Year, not only on January 1st, but now! The church year begins with the first Sunday in Advent and carries us through prayerful preparation for the birth of God’s son, and beyond. We need to prepare and plan for the meals, the gifts, the visitors and the joyful anticipation that lies ahead. We also need to ask for God’s guidance, support and yes, strength to organize and prepare.
Just like our preparations for Christmas, we are preparing for another new year at camp. This is a busy time planning, writing, deciding and doing for Luther Village. The work that is done now helps us be prepared for the new season in the spring. There is much to do! Our theme (Chosen) explores how we can live our faith and how everyone is selected to bring the good news to others. Deciding what must be fixed and what should be fixed at camp is ongoing. Preparing budgets, deciding on rates, promoting the opportunities to visit camp and using our time to ensure the Luther Village experience is as enriching as it has been takes work and preparation. We ask you to keep us in your prayers and minds and hearts as we prepare, not only for Christmas but also for a new year at camp.
To get all there is out of living, we must employ our time wisely, never being in too much of a hurry to stop and sip life, but never losing our sense of the enormous value of a minute. Robert Updegraff
Peace be with you,
Wayne Schultz, Chair |
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