New to LOM

Welcome to LOM!

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM) is the association of camps, retreat centers, and conference centers affiliated with the ELCA. Individual Members are all of our organizations’ board members and year-round staff and individual donors to LOM who are not currently serving as staff or board members of LOM organizations. The services and resources of LOM are available to all our member organizations and individual members. LOM is all about outdoor ministry leaders helping and supporting each other so outdoor ministry continues to be strong and vibrant everywhere throughout the ELCA. Make sure you let us know at any time if we can help connect you with people or resources. We definitely want to stay connected with you! A great place to start is by signing up for the LOM Newsletter. Head over to our homepage, www.lomnetwork.org, and scroll to the bottom to find the sign up! This will ensure that you get all other relevant LOM communications throughout the year.

 

In order to welcome you into the organization, we want to provide some resources that will be helpful as you transition into your new role. Feel free to reach out to our executive director, Don Johnson, director@lomnetwork.org 603-848- 9904 or your territory coordinator if you have any questions!

 

LOM Territories

LOM is divided into four territories in the US. These territories each have a coordinator to facilitate communication, and some territories hold annual or semi-annual gatherings. We encourage you to contact Don Johnson, LOM executive director, and your territory coordinator, to let them know you are new to your position with an LOM member organization. The territories are:

  • The West (WA, MT, OR, ID, WY, CA, NV, UT, CO, AZ, NM, TX, AK, HI) Territory Coordinator – Margie Fiedler, executive director, Flathead (MT) margie@flbc.net
  • The West-Midwest (ND, SD, MN, NE, KS, MO, OK), the South Central (AR, LA, TX) Territory Coordinator – Dave Holtz, executive director, Luther Crest (MN) execdir@LutherCrest.org
  • The East-Midwest (IA, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH, KY, TN) Territory Coordinator – Jeff Bluhm, executive director, Lutherdale (WI) jeff@lutherdale.org
  • The East (VT, NH, ME, NY, PA, MA, RI, CT, NJ, DE, MD, DC, WV, VA, NC, SC, MS, AL, GA, FL, LA, PR) Territory Coordinator – Sarah Lefler, executive director, Mar-Lu-Ridge (MD)  sarah@mar-lu-ridge.org

Officially, Lutheran camps in Canada are not organization members of LOM because by definition the members of LOM are the outdoor ministry organizations affiliated with the ELCA, and the ELCA does not extend into Canada. The ministries of the Lutheran camps in Canada are, however, so similar to all of ours in LOM, that we feel it’s natural for us to share the same website. You can see which camps are included in each territory on our find a site page: https://www.lomnetwork.org/sites/.

 

LOM Board & Committees

The Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Board of Directors is responsible for managing the affairs of the organization, defining the mission and vision statements of the organization for review and approval by the membership, and relating to the ELCA churchwide organization. LOM has several committees which help us do the work of LOM, including the following committees: Curriculum, Development, Diversity, Education, LTE, Nominating, Recognition, and the Strategic Planning Task Force. To learn more about the board and our committees, visit https://www.lomnetwork.org/about-us/board-and-committees/.

 

LOM Events

LOM hosts several annual events. The LOM Leadership Training Event (LTE) is professional development for outdoor ministry leaders.  The purpose of the LTE is to provide an entry-level educational opportunity for outdoor ministry professionals. Many of our new LOM members benefit from attending the LTE in their first few years; there you can meet your new colleagues in person and get specific support for your new position. The LOM Annual Conference is a gathering of LOM members and features continuing education, networking, fellowship, and time for renewal. The annual conference is the perfect time to connect with old friends, meet new partners in ministry, share ideas and get excited about all the opportunities that our work in Lutheran Outdoor Ministries has to offer. You can learn more about these two events and other LOM endorsed events here: https://www.lomnetwork.org/events/.

 

Churchwide Connections

As a member of LOM, you are a part of a larger community of members and our ministry partners. All of the member organizations of LOM are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Below are some ministry partnerships that may be helpful to you in your new position.

  • The ELCA International Camp Counselor Program
    • This program partners with camps and international congregations to facilitate international staff. The program is planned to resume for summer 2022. You can contact Kaleb Sutherland (sutherland@elca.org) at the churchwide office for more information.
  • Young Adults in Global Mission
    • The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program invites ELCA young adults ages 21-29 into a transformative, year-long journey in international service. Many camp staff go on to be YAGMs and vice versa.
  • ELCA Youth Gathering
    • Every three years, 30,000 high school youth and their adult leaders from across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America gather for a week of faith formation known as the ELCA Youth Gathering. During the years that the Youth Gathering takes place, the LOM Curriculum and the Youth Gathering share a common theme.
  • Portico Benefit Services
    • Portico is the ELCA health insurance and benefits organization that provides benefits to pastors, deacons, and employees of the ELCA, its synods, congregations, and related institutions. Some LOM camps provide employee benefits through Portico.
  • Find a complete list of LOM Ministry Partner Members at https://www.lomnetwork.org/ministry-partners/

 

Business Members

Organizations with services, resources, or products which are of value to LOM or its member organizations. Find a complete list of LOM Business Members at https://www.lomnetwork.org/business-members/.

 

Vendor Discounts

LOM has partnered with three other denominations to provide special members-only pricing on products used by our camps and retreat centers. The companies and organizations that provide a special discount or value-added bonus to the members of LOM can be found here https://www.lomnetwork.org/partners/vendor-discounts/.