“This ministry gives us an opportunity to make a connection between our church and new neighbors,” says Pastor John Futterer. “We have a responsibility to get outside of our walls, and Lutheridge is helping us do that.”
John serves at Kimball Memorial Lutheran Church in Kannapolis, North Carolina. For many years, Kimball has had a close relationship with a local elementary school, supporting teachers and students at the school through special projects during the year. More recently, leaders at the church started to wonder if there was a way to provide a week at camp to some of the students.
“Our relationship with the school was an important way for the congregation to be involved in the community,” says John, “and a natural extension of our school relationships would be to bring children to Lutheridge.” After lots of conversations with teachers and staff from the school and informational meetings with parents, Kimball registered and brought their first group in the summer of 2018. Since then, the program has grown.
“It was a hard sell the first year and the families were reluctant,” says Jodie Hott, one of the leaders of Kimball’s camp ministry. “But families saw how much the kids loved their time at camp, and the word got out that this is a great experience to be a part of.” In 2024, Kimball brought 20 children from the local school to camp. They are making plans to bring another big group in 2025.
Jodie sees the way a week at Lutheridge makes an impact on children from the community. “Being at camp gives them sparks, ideas that they can bring home,” she says. “They use camp prayers for family mealtime. They share their highs and lows with their family. I’ve even had kids tell me that camp has made them think about their friendships differently. It shows them how they can be God’s hands and feet at home and at school.”
Kimball’s camp ministry has had a significant impact on the congregation too. “It’s made people in our church realize how important camp can be in the life of a child,” Jodie says. “Hearing stories from our week at camp helps people see what an important ministry this is to these families.”
John agrees and says, “These are new ways of us reaching out to the community. In a changing community we need to be a changing church. Camp has given us a great way to do that. I have loved Lutheridge since I started going in 1985. The impact it is having on our outreach ministry has made me grow to love Lutheridge even more.”
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