June 3 was no typical day at Luther Seminary. Early that morning, about 100 Bible camp counselors gathered at Luther, all wearing vibrant camp T-shirts emblazoned with logos and witty slogans. They came from their various Lutheran camps in order to learn more about the impact they have as camp counselors. Circling their way through the Olson Campus Center atrium, counselors gathered information about Luther Seminary, selected which workshops they wished to attend and grabbed a free LS water bottle before moving into the chapel.
Counselors started the day with the first of two lectures given jointly by Eric Barreto and Michael Chan on the importance of reading the Bible with camp youth. About the lecture, Ana Guenther of Good Earth Village said, “This was my first time at Luther Seminary’s Camp Day. The opening discussion was really great to remember that everyone reads and interprets the Bible differently. It’s important to keep that in mind when we read with our campers.”
Each counselor also attended two of the five faculty-led workshops, covering various topics including the person of Jesus, engaging theologically with youth and ministering to youth in a digital age. Counselors appreciated the opportunity to learn about such diverse topics. Trina Exe of Good Earth Village said, “I really enjoyed the session learning about incorporating technology into biblical teaching.” Rachel Ericson of Luther Pointe said, “It was great to learn about what it means to be a Lutheran and the stories behind the rituals in our tradition.” The goal of these sessions is to help counselors think deeply about the faith and experiences of both themselves and their campers. In addition to cultivating knowledge, students were afforded opportunities to strengthen their relationships with each other and with God through a community meal and a closing worship service.
Camp Day 2015 was another successful installment in a Luther Seminary tradition. Since it began in 2009, it has brought more than 1,000 college-age staff from many Bible camps to the seminary. For more about Camp Day, visit us online.
To see photos from Camp Day, check out our Flickr page.