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The annual Work Weekend brings volunteers together to clean, paint, rake, build and prepare the buildings for the coming summer season. Please note that due to the 100th Anniversary Kick-Off Celebration on May 29 we are hosting two opening weekends. This weekend will be from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch.
Please contact the Camp Office for further information.
We will finish up the traditional work projects that are needed to open Camp for the season. On Sunday we will have the 100th Anniversary Kick-Off Celebration. The weekend will be from Friday dinner through Monday breakfast.
Please contact the Camp Office for further information.
Like to golf? What about cycling or hiking? Just want to enjoy wine tasting and see the sights? This adult retreat is for you. You will have many opportunities to be active and to rest on the shores of Lake Michigan. We will organize golf outings and direct you to some of the best cycling (road and trail) and hiking in Northwest Michigan – all within 20 minutes of Camp. Each evening we will meet for fellowship, dinner and a Bible study.
This retreat was previously named the Golf & The Gospel retreat.
Building the Perfect Body!
Throughout his letter to the Ephesians Paul consistently refers to the church as the Body of Christ. In this in-depth study through the book of Ephesians we will learn what it means to be united as believers, to use our gifts as a part of the church, to put aside division for the sake of the Gospel and its mission, and to become the perfect Body of Christ!
Rev. Mark Schulz has been involved in Lutheran ministry since his graduation from Concordia College in River Forest, IL, in 1980. He was a junior high teacher, youth leader, and athletic director for twelve years before attending Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Following seminary, he has served three different congregations as pastor, including 20 years as Senior Pastor of Trinity in Lisle, IL.
In addition to his undergraduate and seminary education Mark has a degree in communications from the University of Illinois and is a graduate of the Pastoral Leadership Institute. He is passionate about leadership in the church – especially as it relates to keeping the church focused on its mission. When he is not “on the clock” at church you are likely to find him spending time with his family: wife Betty and son Christian. Or you might find him engaged in two of his favorite pursuits, golfing and cheering for Chicago sports teams, win or lose!
Life-Changing Wisdom from 1922
How did people emerge from a pandemic and World War to start a bold venture like Camp Arcadia in 1922? What Christ-centered wisdom from that era might inspire you to venture boldly into your future with faith and daring action? Join Rev. Michael Newman to see how Scripture and history refresh and renew you to meet your challenges today.
Rev. Michael Newman is president of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. His latest book is Getting Through Grief: Eight Biblical Gifts for Living with Loss. It is available in both adult and youth versions. You can find all of Rev. Newman’s books at www.mnewman.org.
Loving People: The Hardest Task, Highest Calling, and Greatest Apologetic
Loving others well is not easy. Yet, as God’s people we are called to tackle this difficulty head on, loving others – especially the most dysfunctional among us – as best we can. Join Matt as he examines the most difficult types of relationships and shares not only how Christ equips us to do the hard work of loving well, but how loving others is the greatest possible apologetic to a cynical and divided world.
Rev. Matt Popovits is the Senior Pastor at St. Mark Houston in Houston, Texas. Matt is also the host of “What Matters Most” Radio and the “Make It Simple” Podcast. He’s the author of Tough Call and a forthcoming book with 1517.org. For more, head to mattpopovits.com.
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Next 100 Years!
We will explore the songs of Scripture and the hymns of our Lutheran tradition while being mindful of the importance of Camp songs. So, in other words we will take a look at the hits of the past, the songs of the present and imagine what the tunes of the future will look like. We will do lots of singing!
Rev. Ron Glusenkamp is currently serving as the interim senior pastor at Desert Hills Lutheran Church in Green Valley, Arizona. In addition to that he is working as a yeastologist and Pretzel Pastor.
Peter Mayer is a singer, songwriter and musician who has toured for years with his own band and also as lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffet. Those years of playing have taken him to many stages, countries, churches, and living rooms. Peter was born in India where his father was a missionary.
Have You Ever Seen a Noun Walk and Talk?
Christian nouns do! The grammar of the Holy Spirit is active. He nudges us, teaches us, and sometimes pulls us into verbalizing our faith. We will explore the ways our stories of faith 1) talk the talk—witnessing verbally; and, 2) walk the walk—through love and service. And yes, Monique will sing!
Rev. Dr. John Arthur Nunes is an author and a Lutheran pastor. He has served as the president of Concordia College New York and as the President and CEO of Lutheran World Relief.
Monique Nunes serves as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coach and as a Student Support Specialist for Concordia University Irvine, California. Monique is known for incorporating her gift of sacred music into teaching and presenting.
John and Monique are based in New York. They have six children and twelve grandchildren.
The Book of Job & The Mystery of Suffering
Believers of all times and places have struggled with the mystery of suffering. If God loves us so much, why does He let bad things happen to us? The Old Testament book of Job has 42 chapters devoted to answering that critical question. Yet, many Christians know little to nothing about the book. These lectures will dig deeply into Job’s story and all that it teaches us as we face life’s struggles today.
Rev. Scott Christenson serves as the Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church & School in Orange, California.
Songs of Summer Remix
Whether sitting on your back deck, cruising down the highway with the windows down, or hitting the beach—what would the hot days of summer be like without great music? Thankfully our amazing God also recognizes the need for a good tune to set the tone for life’s moments. He’s even inspired 150 top hits (Psalms) that form a perfect background track for real life. Get ready to pump up the volume on your relationship with Jesus!
Rev. Marc Schwichtenberg serves as Lead Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church & School in Rochester, Michigan.
Bob Unger is the Director of Worship and Music Ministry at Resurrection Lutheran Church and Schools in Cary, North Carolina.
The Cure of Mercy: Hope in an Anxious Age
Come for a week of bedtime stories, something to help us sleep a bit more soundly in our startlingly anxious age. Anxiety is natural and quite real, but it often leads to needless pain because it submerges us so deeply into worry and fear. Jesus offers us another Way through life by telling us stories of mercy that calm us, encourage us, and draw us back into Hope.
Rev. Dr. Scott Bruzek has been Senior Pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton, Illinois for 25 years. His preaching, teaching, and writing have focused on the beauty and rhythm of the sacramental life that orbits Christ.
Rev. Dr. Arthur Just has been on the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, since 1984 as a Professor of Exegetical Theology. He teaches New Testament, liturgics, homiletics, catechetics, and pastoral theology. He also serves the Office of International Mission as Associate Executive Director overseeing global theological education. Dr. Just’s doctoral thesis, The Ongoing Feast: Table Fellowship and Eschatology at Emmaus, and his two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke for the Concordia Commentary are published. He has also published several other works including the Lukan volume for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Visitation, and Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service. He is currently working on a book entitled Open Eyes in the Breaking of the Bread: Stories of Conversion.
Kevin Hildebrand is Cantor at Concordia Seminary and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN.
Cosmopolitan Christianity: Embracing the World, Finding Jesus in the Process
We live in a world defined by diversity and difference. How can Christians not only lean into the miscellany of the modern, globalized world, but embrace and enjoy it? Digging into Scripture, Christian history, and contemporary stories from across global Christianity, Chitwood helps followers of Jesus find their identity in the unrest and recapture a cosmopolitan sense of wonder and neighbor-love in a messy world.
Rev. Dr. Ken Chitwood is a religion scholar, newswriter, and pastor affiliated with the Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies at Freie Universität Berlin and the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s “Engaged Spirituality” project. Ken is the author of The Muslims of Latin America and the Caribbean and numerous articles with publications like Christianity Today and Religion News Service.
Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus
What would it be like for modern Christians to sit down beside Jesus as he explained the Bible to them? What were some of the techniques and approaches to the Scriptures in the first-century Galilee and what if we used those approaches today? Imagine the life-changing insights that might emerge. Dr. Chad will use selected portions of Scripture to expose how a Hebraic perspective allows us to read the Bible again for the first time.
Dr. Chad Yeshayahu Foster is the Lead Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Macomb, MI. Not only is Dr. Foster an ordained minister in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, but he has also received rabbinical ordination.
Dr. Foster has studied in England, France, and Israel, including the Yeshivat Kol HaTor and the Israel Bible Center in Ramat Gan. Not only is Dr. Foster an ordained minister in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, but he has also received rabbinical ordination. The combination of being both Christian and Jewish; of being both a pastor and a rabbi; of being both trained in Chrstian seminaries and by Orthodox Jewish rabbis; has produced a unique worldview and an ability to have conversations and build bridges.
Rev. Dr. Paul Maier is a bestselling author of fiction & nonfiction and retired Professor of History at Western Michigan University.
Resilient Faith // Finding Strength in Weakness
Do tougher times make tougher people? It’s hard to say. One thing we do know is that tough times require resilience. We haven’t all been in the same boat these past two years, but we’ve all been in the same storm. And our faith is not immune to the damage wrought by the storm. How can we find strength from Christ in moments of struggle, doubt, and weakness?
Rev. Gabe Kasper is Lead Pastor of University Lutheran Chapel in Ann Arbor, MI.
Will there be life after the death of “Christian America”?
We appear to be living through the death throes of “Christian America,” a centuries-old vision of this nation as one with a unique role and destiny in God’s plan. What, now, should we make of that vision and its many legacies in our national life? Is its impending doom best understood as a calamity, an opportunity, or something else altogether? Are we headed straight for wilderness? What might it mean to find God there too?
Dr. Heath W. Carter is an associate professor of American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. His latest book project, entitled On Earth as it is in Heaven: Social Christians and the Fight to End American Inequality, will be published by Oxford University Press.
Unambitious Ambition: Leading Quiet Lives of Faith
We live in a world that is rife with selfish ambition and the ceaseless desire to get ahead. The Scriptures offer an alternative vision: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). During our week together we’ll contemplate this “unambitious ambition” and see how leading quiet lives of faith in Christ can bring deeper peace and satisfaction.
Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Arcadia, Michigan. He is also author of the book Preaching by Heart, and co-host with Chip May of the podcast “Campfire Conversations.”
The Wisdom and Hilarity of Humility
“The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility,” wrote TS Eliot, paraphrasing Proverbs 31. Yet humility is not a quality that gets much airtime in our social media-driven age, even among Christians. During our week together, and in tandem with Pastor Tinetti’s presentations, we’ll explore the Bible’s understanding of humility, where it comes from, the way it shapes our lives with Christ, and how it informs our love of God and neighbor. We will also look at the link between this much-needed virtue and the balm of laughter.
David Zahl is the director of Mockingbird Ministries, co-host of the “Mockingcast,” and author of Seculosity and Low Anthropology. He also serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, VA, where he lives with his wife and three boys.
Wrestling with God: Seeking Blessing in Difficult Biblical Texts
Martin Luther described struggles with hard biblical texts as wrestling matches like ancient Jacob’s with the mysterious night stranger. He refused to let go until he received God’s promised blessing. We will join the practice of this lifelong struggle, beginning with the story of a woman who approached Jesus with the same attitude, the woman whom Jesus called a dog with no claim on his time or gifts.
Rev. Dr. Fred Niedner taught biblical studies in Valparaiso University’s Theology Department for 40 years and currently serves as Senior Research Professor.
Limping with God: Jacob and the Life of Discipleship
Following Jesus feels like limping after God, as Jacob did after his wrestling match with the Lord. We hobble our way through life, beset by weakness. Our discipleship is a messy business. But that’s okay. We follow a Lord who doesn’t pick the pious but calls sinners. In these presentations, we will delve into Jacob’s life, and God’s work in his life, to see how it mirrors Christ’s work in our own.
Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence at 1517. He is the author of The Christ Key and co-host of the podcast, “40 Minutes in the Old Testament.”
Cost: See Rates Retreat Code: LH
The Lutherhostel retreat will begin Saturday afternoon with our first meal at 6 p.m.. The retreat will conclude after lunch on Thursday.
Being Simul – Life as a Sinner/Saint
If we are already new creations in Christ, children of God in Baptism, why is the Christian life so difficult? The answer lies in one paradoxical little word: Simul. Martin Luther, following the book of Galatians, described the Christian life as being “simul justus et peccator,” at the same time righteous and sinful, saint and sinner. We’ll explore what “being simul” means for the Christian life of repentance, faith, prayer, worship, and service.
Rev. William Cwirla is retired from congregational ministry after 30 years of service at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights. He now resides in Port Angeles, WA with his wife Karen, enjoying woodworking, bread making, gardening, and the beauties of creation.
In addition to parish ministry, Rev. Cwirla has served as president of Higher Things, and is a frequent speaker and published author on a variety of topics including science, worship, preaching, prayer, and culture. He is a regular contributor to Dare to Be Lutheran, a magazine for Lutheran youth and Logia Forum. He is the co-host Bill & Ted Watch Movies (billandtedmovies.com), a podcast about movies and culture.
Lutheran Principles of Biblical Interpretation
God’s Word is a unified whole. Being able to apply distinct principles of Biblical interpretation is imperative for us to truly understand the scope and intent of God’s holy revelation. The mosaic of salvation history comes into marvelous view as we employ these principles properly. All theology is Christology, God has no plan “B”, what God demands God provides – these shorthand maxims and others will be discussed and their value highlighted. The result is delightful clarity.
Rev. Wiley Smith is the Pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Redlands, CA and the Co-Founder of the Southern California Catechism Convocation.
cost: See Rates
From Eden to Elfland: Imagination in Christian Thought and Practice
Something about the Christian faith has cultivated creativity and ignited the imagination of countless people through the centuries. From poets to theologians, art critics to fantasy novelists, followers of Christ have used their imaginations to express the beautiful truths of God and His creation. In this study we shall examine the privileged place of imagination in Christian thought and practice, and discover ways to praise God through the use of our own imaginations.
Rev. Adam Edward Carnehl is the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Randolph, NJ. He is also a trained spiritual director and former fellow of the Collegeville Institute at St John’s University and Abbey.
LLL Men’s Retreat
Moving from Dissatisfaction to Holy Discontent
We’re all aware the world is changing rapidly. Once shared cultural values seem to have evaporated. Churches are shrinking and dying. Young people are walking away from the faith at alarming rates. No one is happy about this. We’re dissatisfied. But, what if we changed that dissatisfaction with “the way things are” to a holy discontent for what God could do? During our time together we’ll explore practical ways we can move from a posture of dissatisfaction to a heart on fire with holy discontent.
Rev. Gabe Kasper is Lead Pastor of University Lutheran Chapel in Ann Arbor, MI.
Rev. Dr. Robert Kasper is the Assistant to the President of the Michigan District, LCMS, in Congregation Ministries & Ministry Support.
cost: See Rates retreat code: WR1
Women’s Retreat 1
Everyday Confessions & Learning How to Forgive
All of us feel the need to both confess and find forgiveness, although we often find ourselves looking for both in all the wrong places. This weekend, we will explore what to do when we find ourselves or see someone else in desperate need of forgiveness in the midst of a world full of distraction.
Kelsi Klembara works as the general editor for 1517’s online resources. She is the co-editor of Theology of the Cross: Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation & Reflections on its 28 Thesis and holds a Master’s degree in Reformation Studies from Concordia University, Irvine. She lives with her husband, Doug, and son, Otto, in Dallas, Texas.
cost: See Rates retreat code: WR2
Women’s Retreat 2
Pause. Breathe. Love.
How are you at taking intentional time to pause and be still? How long has it been since you have taken 3 deep breaths? Do you need reminding that you are loved completely and perfectly by your Heavenly Father and that you are called to love others well? We will explore these areas to help with focus during your time with God.
Amy Meyer lives in Madison with her husband Jeff who is the lead pastor at the Church, where she serves as the Connecting Lifestyles Coordinator. They have 4 daughters – and 4 grandchildren (2 girls and 2 boys). She is the author of Snapshots and Stories: Increasing Awareness of God’s Faithfulness Through the Practice of Journaling.
Arcadia Men’s Retreat
Tense: Dealing with Uncomfortable Tensions in Scripture
Many Christians know and wrestle with the major tensions of the Christian Scriptures: Jesus as fully God and fully Man, we are simultaneously saints and sinners, and so on. I will attempt to outline a few less obvious ones and demonstrate why they are so important in the lives of Christians–particularly Christian men.
Dr. Joel Oesch currently serves Concordia University Irvine in the capacities of Professor of Theology and Director of Graduate Studies for Christ College. A graduate of Yale University and Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Joel’s primary research interests include: Postmodernism, Technology and Transhumanism, and the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He has taught at CUI since 2012. Before his return to academia, Joel was the Director of Christian Education for congregations in Hawaii and Texas. He lives with his wife of 15 years, Tiffany, and four young children in Laguna Hills, California.
Click here for more information about the Arcadia Men’s Retreat
Planning Guide and Sample Schedule
Fall Confirmation Retreat 1
This Fall retreat is designed to be the perfect kick-off to the Confirmation year! Confirmands in 6th, 7th or 8th grade, along with their pastor and adult chaperones, will spend the weekend engaged in meaningful Bible study, group discussion, group-building, and fun camp-wide activities.
Rev. Andy Pronsati is Pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, MI.
Read about Fall Confirmation Retreats and how to register
FCR 2022 Informational Flyer
Fall Confirmation Retreat 2
This Fall retreat is designed to be the perfect kick-off to the Confirmation year! Confirmands in 6th, 7th or 8th grade, along with their pastor and adult chaperones, will spend the weekend engaged in meaningful Bible study, group discussion, group-building, and fun camp-wide activities.
Rev. Brian West is Senior Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Jenison, MI.
Read about Fall Confirmation Retreats and how to register
FCR 2022 Informational Flyer
Fall Confirmation Retreat 3
This Fall retreat is designed to be the perfect kick-off to the Confirmation year! Confirmands in 6th, 7th or 8th grade, along with their pastor and adult chaperones, will spend the weekend engaged in meaningful Bible study, group discussion, group-building, and fun camp-wide activities.
Rev. Brian Davies is Pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, IL.
Read about Fall Confirmation Retreats and how to register
FCR 2022 Informational Flyer
Close Up Camp
This volunteer weekend is when we close the Camp for winter. Come enjoy a weekend of work, fellowship and FREE ice cream! Please contact the camp office for further information.