Lutherdale decided it was time to think bigger.
Welcome one and all to Lutherdale’s great hall, complete with high ceilings, a grand fireplace and a wall of windows.
When outdoor ministry met twenty-first century technology—and the changing expectations people have about time away from home—Lutherdale in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, saw an opportunity. By building a new, high-comfort adult center to replace one constructed in the 1970s, Lutherdale could enhance ministry to adult guests and become more user-friendly to a plugged-in world.
Forty miles southwest of Milwaukee, ELCA-affiliated Lutherdale began in 1944 as a camp organized by a group of pastors looking to start a place where people could be renewed in an outdoor setting. Now, replete with amenities not even imagined when the original rustic buildings were put into place more than 75 years ago, Lutherdale has matured into a year-round conference center that serves more than 10,000 people annually.
The new center was originally envisioned as a two-phase project, designed to allow part to be built with existing funds and completed at a later date when additional funds had been raised. However, after a successful capital campaign made the funds for phase one available, Lutherdale leaders realized the proposed two-phase project could be built all at once when a redesign achieved significant savings to the original plan. Completing the center in one step would result in more savings and keep disruption at the outdoor ministry site to a minimum. But where could they go to get the necessary loan?
Turning to the Mission Investment Fund for the balance, Lutherdale received a building loan and line of credit to help finance the recently completed center. “Securing a loan from MIF was the right decision,” says Jeff Bluhm, Lutherdale’s executive director. “We knew MIF from its previous building projects with camps and retreat centers, and keeping partnerships within the church helps others. MIF was very good and easy to work with.”
The new building allows Lutherdale to successfully attend to a growing ministry with adults—a ministry that has substantially increased in the past 10 years. “We actually serve more adult guests than youth,” says Bluhm, citing the aging population and older adults remaining more active as factors driving the change. The ELCA’s Mission Builders team assisted in the construction of the new building. “The new center is like a hotel,” Bluhm adds, complete with conference rooms designed to accommodate the latest audio/visual needs with flexibility to facilitate multiple functions, a generous hospitality area, fireplaces and numerous places within the complex to meet and relax. The main building is flanked by right and left wings with 10 guest rooms furnished with queen-sized beds, an additional twin bed, desks, refrigerators, private baths, a Google Home Mini and a secure Wi-Fi connection.
Importantly, the new center is only 50 yards from the dining hall. “The old center,” notes Bluhm, “was the building farthest from the dining hall, making it difficult for adults to access, especially in winter. The new building offers Lutherdale the ability to increase our ministry in a wonderful way,” not only year-round, but also from primarily weekends and retreats to increased everyday use.
For example, “Lutherdale has a long history of hosting quilters,” says Bluhm, indicating that quilters would be one of the first groups to use the center. “Quilters actually provided the first financial gift when plans for the new center were announced,” he says. Even the electrical outlets in the floor and numerous configurations for table setups were designed with quilters in mind.
But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many planned events have understandably been cancelled. While previous years saw about 10 adult travel ministry programs leaving from and returning to the camp annually, none were planned in 2020. This travel ministry program hosts groups of primarily retired adults on either day trips or longer-distance destination motorcoach tours. Participants leave their cars in the Lutherdale parking lot and leave the driving and vacation planning to others. With an itinerary—often designed by Lutherdale—of sight-seeing and special events along the way, the tours frequently travel to ELCA camps or other retreat locations with high-comfort adult centers in resort locations like Georgia and North and South Carolina. Other trip destinations have included Branson in Missouri and Mackinac Island in Michigan. With Lutherdale as the starting point for these trips, the newly built center offers more comfortable housing for the attendees, an updated setting for short programming and the opportunity to build a stronger sense of community among travel ministry participants.
Upcoming events are not the only ones affected by the pandemic. Lutherdale had to adapt to COVID-19 from the beginning of the outbreak. Closing in March 2020 when the pandemic started, Lutherdale immediately began planning for summer camp and was among 20 Lutheran outdoor ministries to host a summer session last year. And even though attendance was limited to only one-tenth of the usual numbers, participants declared it “the best ever,” according to Bluhm, and were grateful to take part. “All of the pandemic protocols were in place, and everyone stayed healthy. Lutheran Outdoor Ministries was especially helpful in planning to reopen.”
Embracing and meeting the fluctuating needs and expectations of all age groups has allowed Lutherdale, for over three-quarters of a century, to successfully negotiate change while at the same time remembering its beginnings. MIF is honored to be included as a faithful partner in building for the future.
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