I recently returned from the Annual Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Conference at Zephyr Point on beautiful Lake Tahoe.  This is the second time we’ve held our annual conference jointly with the Presbyterian Camps and Conference Center Association.  Here are a few things I learned while sitting around tables at Zephyr Point and nearby towns:

The people who direct Camp Sawtooth, the Presbyterian camp in southern Idaho, live in Nampa and would like to start a community garden like Trinity’s garden.  Did we really need to go to Lake Tahoe to make that connection?

The Chautauqua Institution has a Lutheran House.

LOM has fabulous leaders from many generations.

One program professional told me the most important part of worship is the sermon.  He wants “to hear grace and what I should do.  Yes, I know that sounds contradictory.”

There is no magic floor plan for camp maintenance buildings; they need to be very contextual (this after sitting at the Maintenance and Landscaping conversation table for one noon meal).

I will never like dark beers, even if they supposedly taste like chocolate.  I’m sticking with light and wheat beers, thank you very much.

Sam’s Place in Zephyr Cove, NV has amazing pizza.

The kitchen staff at Zephyr Point really likes to serve artichokes.

Offsite programs/backpack and canoe trips are thriving at a few of our LOM sites.

There are a number of great Presbyterian camps in Canada.  Okay, I’m sure I knew this but I’d never met a director from one of those camps before.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful our North Dakota camps are.  After four years at Concordia College, Moorhead I will never visit those camps in the winter.

I’m looking forward to next year’s LOM Annual Conference in Wisconsin.