Last Monday through Friday I was in Baltimore for the annual Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Conference. I served on the LOM board from 2013-2018 and attended many conferences and board meetings. I stayed involved with the network, developing an education committee, and attended the first Great Gathering (many denominations working together for a joint conference at Lake Junaleska in 2019). Coming out of the pandemic, I received an LOM discount for the Certificate in Religious Fundraising in exchange for rebooting the LOM development committee, which I still serve on. I attended the LOM Conference in Minneapolis in 2021 because I wanted to connect with old friends and because the theme was Total Inclusion. In 2022 the conference was in Boise so I commuted. Last year I was either coming back from or in our companion synod during the conference, plus I was starting a new role.

In January I began serving on the Rhythms of Faith Advisory Team, looking at the relationship between camp, church, and home. We have three outdoor ministries in the NWIM Synod (Lutherhaven, Luther Heights, and Holden Village). Considering these two things, I decided to attend this year’s event. It was a joy to see old friends this November in Baltimore and meet new leaders. People expressed gratitude for a bishop spending a week with the group. I was able to connect with leaders from across the church (both churchwide staff and those who support the whole ELCA).

Mary Kay DuChene and Liz Eide from Leader Wise were are keynote speakers. Our synod uses Leader Wise for boundary trainings and psych evals for ministry candidates but I had never been to an in-person training. I loved their session on how we each deal with conflict and enjoyed getting to know these women over meals.

Most of our time was at the Maritime Conference Center but we spent the first full day at Christ Lutheran Church in Baltimore, next door to The Lutheran Center (home of Lutheran World Relief and Global Refuge). LWR helps Lutherans distribute quilts across the globe.

Next year Outdoor Ministry Connections (OMC) will again have a Great Gathering at Lake Junaleska.