{"id":6502,"date":"2021-10-27T20:45:47","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T20:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/?p=6502"},"modified":"2021-10-27T20:47:28","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T20:47:28","slug":"dave-krugers-story-stories-from-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/dave-krugers-story-stories-from-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Kruger’s Story – Stories from Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"
What comes to mind when you hear the name Luther Springs?\u00a0Ms Sarah\u2019s cookies,\u00a0craft,\u00a0meaningful worship?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
For many it\u2019s Pastor Dave Kruger!\u00a0From trekking a virgin forest near Hawthorne to visioning a site and ministry, to board leadership, to Grands Weekends, Dave\u2019s \u201cfingerprints\u201d are all over Luther Springs. Luther Springs has a special place in his heart. It\u2019s a life-long love of God\u2019s Creation; and the joy found in bringing others to know and love the same God. Where best for this to happen than in God\u2019s Creation at Luther Springs.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Pastor Kruger\u2019s love for Lutheran Outdoor Ministries began with a childhood love of the outdoors. \u201cI grew up on a family farm in eastern Iowa and\u00a0hated\u00a0leaving the farm to become a “city kid” when Dad quit farming, commuted to Wartburg Seminary, and was ordained.\u00a0At age 6 I drove a team of horses and led the horse that pulled hay from the hay wagon up into the barn\u2019s loft.\u00a0Dad bought a tractor and by age 8, I drove it for harrowing and discing, even plowing the last year on the farm. All that time, with my Collie, Trixie, I rounded up purebred Angus cattle from the rugged, lower pasture and brought them up to the barnyard when Dad needed them.\u00a0I fed hogs and milked the cow.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
A love of the outdoors followed Dave to God\u2019s call to full-time service in the Church. He was ordained in 1962 by the Illinois Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America. His role in Luther Springs was shaped by calls as pastor\/developer of Prince of Peace, Loveland, Ohio; St. Luke\u2019s, Stevensville, Michigan; Lord of Life, Brighton, MI; and finally, Lord of Life, Plant City, FL in 1985.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
At Lord of Life, Brighton he discovered outdoor ministry.\u00a0His youth group spent a week each year at Michi-lu-ca. \u201cMy love of outdoor ministry began with Confirmation Camp at Michi-lu-ca\u201d, he says.\u00a0\u201cWe took young people every other year, combining 7th & 8th grade classes. Off years, I volunteered as Camp Chaplain.\u00a0Introducing inner city Detroit youth to rural outdoors was a pleasure, sometimes a challenge.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dave\u2019s call to Plant City, FL as pastor\/developer also brought a surprise. \u201cAfter all the years of outdoor ministry at Michi-lu-ca, I was surprised to find no Outdoor Ministry program in the Synod and no camp when I arrived in 1985. I became one of the founders of Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Florida (LOMF) and Luther Springs.\u00a0We stayed in tents.\u00a0The bathhouse was the only permanent structure.\u00a0We had programs around campfires.\u00a0I shook my head in disbelief with the arrival of four single-wide mobile homes that became Kinports Center.\u00a0I worked with others to purchase the Luther Springs site, build the Morgan Village cabins, the Kuehner Center and other housing, improve the devotional sites, improve and\/or create trails, and expand programming for all ages.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In 2010 Pastor Dick Hafer and Margo Walbolt introduced Dave and his wife, Debby, to the opportunity to bring grandchildren to experience God\u2019s abundant love in God\u2019s Creation at Luther Springs. \u201cWith support from Pastor Dick and Margo,\u201d Dave recalls, \u201cDebby and I began hosting Grands Weekends, inviting grandparents to bring grandchildren to Luther Springs to enjoy camp activities. We usually took five or six of our \u201cgrands\u201d each year. In August 2011 we had seven for a camp weekend at our home because the Luther Springs weekend was cancelled. Thankfully, Grands Weekend at Luther Springs resumed in November 2011.\u201d This popular family faith-sharing opportunity found its way to NovusWay\u2019s other ministry sites and is available at various times of the year.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Dave and Debby\u2019s activity in God\u2019s creation and Luther Springs is limited now.\u00a0But their support of this ministry is not. These days the two find joy in their regular monthly support of Luther Springs, a support that\u2019s unending. Luther Springs is in their legacy plan. Looking back over a life-long love of God\u2019s Creation and Lutheran outdoor ministries, Dave confesses: \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have it any other way. It’s been a journey and a ministry of personal growth and adventure shared with many others who believe in the personal and spiritual blessings of outdoor ministry.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
We thank God for each of you who, like Dave and Debby, support God\u2019s work of changing lives and forming faith in people of all ages at NovusWay\u2019s four ministry sites, Luther Springs, Lutheridge, Lutherock and Lutheranch.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
To learn more about ways you can support camp<\/a>, contact Senior Development Officer, Rev Jan Setzler at jsetzler@novusway.org<\/a> or 864-942-2974.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
You may print and use this story in your congregation by clicking here .<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What comes to mind when you hear the name Luther Springs?\u00a0Ms Sarah\u2019s cookies,\u00a0craft,\u00a0meaningful worship? For many it\u2019s Pastor Dave Kruger!\u00a0From trekking a virgin forest near Hawthorne to visioning a site and ministry, to board leadership, to Grands Weekends, Dave\u2019s \u201cfingerprints\u201d are all over Luther Springs. Luther Springs has a special place in his heart. It\u2019s… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,28,44,33,31,35,30,32,22],"tags":[],"featured_image":{"full":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-scaled.jpg",2560,1656,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-300x194.jpg",300,194,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-768x497.jpg",768,497,true],"large":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-1024x662.jpg",1024,662,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-1536x993.jpg",1536,993,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-2048x1324.jpg",2048,1324,true],"news-post-feat-image":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-623x403.jpg",623,403,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-125x125.jpg",125,125,true]},"acf":[],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Krugers.GrandsWknd-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6502"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6502"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6510,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6502\/revisions\/6510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novusway.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}