March 30, 2026
The NovusWay Board met March 5-7, 2026 at Lutheridge. The board, staff, and committee members who attended continue to enjoy a sense of hope and enthusiasm for our ministry’s direction, and for the work done as we continue to address the larger challenges of a sustainable financial future and declining church membership facing camps.
While on campus, Van Van Horne, Executive Director for Lutheridge and Lutherock, took us on a quick tour of places where change and improvements are happening at Lutheridge, including the new NovusWay offices (formerly Beam Cottage), which our NovusWay Staff will move into over the next few weeks. Lauri SoJourner, CEO, reports that the NovusWay staff is excited about the welcoming environment of the building, which is set up so that staff will have a greater ability to collaborate with one another. We saw other improvements, including the Pioneer A camper area, the pickleball/ basketball courts, and the rooms that have been renovated in Kohnjoy so far. The tour was a great start to a very positive weekend of working on items that are important to ministry at all of our camps.
During our Friday morning session, CEO Lauri SoJourner shared updates about all our sites, the status of registration for Summer and Hosted Ministry, and staffing processes. We also received a very exciting report from Pastors Drew and Sara Yoos about the bRidge program. What a gift to the church this program is, with a curriculum that embraces church at camp, congregation, and home! Churches who would like to deepen their ministries with families are welcome to call and discuss the program with Drew and Sara about signing up to be one of our bRidge congregations.
On Friday afternoon, the board conducted the annual review of our CEO, and overall, after only a short period of time, the Board is very happy with how we are moving forward with Lauri’s leadership. We reviewed feedback from direct-report staff, the staff satisfaction survey, and board member reviews. With this input, we finalized 2026 goals for the CEO. We were glad for positive and constructive feedback, excellent input from the CEO, and helpful comments from those who were part of the process.
The remaining afternoon agenda items included a review of actions by the board since our previous in-person meeting before receiving reports from the morning’s committee meetings. The Governance, Finance, Property, and Planning and Review Committees brought several actions to the table including adopting some new policies and procedures, approving the 2026-2027 slate of officers, and approving the Hosted Ministry fee schedule for 2027. During this time, the Finance Committee shared their review of the most recent and annual financial reports, which show the ministry ending the year in the black for the second year in a row. They also shared key points of their discussion with the auditor about 2024’s finalized audit report. During committee reports, we also spent a great deal of time discussing the value of our staff, and our commitment to bringing their pay levels to living wage status or better, as well as potential and exciting improvements at our sites.
We are excited about the improvements we saw at Lutheridge, and discussed some of the upcoming changes that can happen thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters through the 75th Anniversary Campaign. We were blessed to be able to discuss the work of the Luther Springs Planning Team and a generous donation that will help make the possibility of a new cabin a reality. We are also grateful that FEMA work continues at Lutherock, and hopeful about the search for a program director for that site.
The afternoon session ended with a long and interesting discussion, led by CEO Lauri SoJourner, of what the future may hold. This conversation was informed by the podcast from Sacred Playgrounds: Getting Ahead of the Camp Enrollment Cliff. The podcast presented some insight into demographics and changes in culture that intersect and create a challenge for camps as they strive to provide ministry for youth and children. It was a conversation that highlighted many of our existing concerns, but still pointed us forward with hope.
On Saturday morning, we recognized board members whose terms will end June 30, 2026 – Charles Bridgers, Ranaté Patrick, and Rev. Bill Trexler. We received a report from Nathan Gragg, Chief Development Officer, and discussed the creation of a development team to support that work on behalf of our ministry.
This was the first meeting for new Board member Meredith Shuford, who joins as the North Carolina lay member. The Board is in the process of filling 3 Board vacancies with new members who will start July 1. Finally, beginning July 1, 2026, your new Executive Committee offers will be Pastor Jason Lee, President; Pastor Amanda Highben, Vice President; Pastor Steve Troisi, Treasurer; Floyd Self, Secretary, and Craig Nelius, At Large. These transitions in membership and leadership are a part of continuing to ensure that the Board is including different voices while also developing leadership for the long term.
Our board is excited about the future, and are grateful for the opportunity to serve Lutheridge, Lutherock, and Luther Springs. We look forward to seeing you at camp, and hope you will join us in supporting our ministries through generosity and participation.
NovusWay 2026 Budget Narrative
The NovusWay Board
Ranaté Patrick, President
Rev. Jason Lee, Vice President
Kami Kinard, Secretary
Rev. Steve Troisi, Treasurer
Charles Bridgers
Rev. Bruce Edwards
Rev. Amanda Highben
Deacon Jerry Johnson
Rev. Matt Henning
Rev. Ginger Littman-Koon
Craig Nelius
Floyd Self
Meredith Shuford
Dr. Keri Smith
Rev. William B. (Bill) Trexler
Bishop Ginny Aebischer
Bishop Emily Hartner
Bishop Kevin Strickland
Bishop Pedro Suarez
and Lauri SoJourner, CEO, ex officio member
