An Invitation to Engage
At Camp Wapo, Ox Lake and Wilderness Canoe Base, we take seriously the task of sharing God’s love with campers and guests through building relationships and creating community. We have the unique joy of engaging with others as we explore faith, sing praises, create art shop masterpieces, jump into the lake, and play games. Our goal is for each camper and guest of any age, to depart camp knowing they are loved by God, and cared for by our team and their cabinmates.
We delight in the opportunities to invite people to come away to camp. Jesus knew the power of personal invitations and the Bible is full of wonderful examples of how he often extended them:
- Rest “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
- See “Come, he replied,’ and you will see.” John 1:39
- Drink “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 7:37
- Dine “Come and have breakfast.” John 21:12
- Take up the Cross “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Matthew 16:24
- Renewal “Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
In all these examples, Jesus’s call is genuine, and it is personal. You and I are called into a personal relationship with our Savior and we are called into community with others.
This summer our sites and programs are packed with powerful and meaningful engagement opportunities:
- Parents, grandparents, and church staff inviting and encouraging kids to attend camp.
- New cabin friendships are forged by bravely sharing and trusting each other.
- People discovering how strong and capable they are when they work together as a team on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters.
- Generous donors giving freely of their resources in order that ministry can be shared for generations to come.
- Volunteers inviting others to come along and see how they can serve others.
- Young adults answering the call to serve on camp staff for a summer.
Finally, this invitation for you to join me in supporting this ministry with your gift today. Join the multitude of friends who share financial resources, time, and talents to support a camping organization that is making a difference in thousands of lives each year.
Your gift will serve as a powerful example of God’s love for the campers that we are preparing for this summer. Click here to make your gift today!
Gratefully,
Heather Eggert
Executive Director
2023 Impact Report
The 2023 Impact Report has just been released! It was a year of of meaningful ministry and transformational camp experiences, that is for sure. From celebrating 75 years of Camp Wapo to sending nearly 100 guided canoe trips into the Boundary Waters – there is so much to be thankful for. Literally…thousands of lives were impacted by a camp experience at Camp Wapo, Ox Lake and Wilderness Canoe Base. We are so grateful and eagerly look ahead to 2024.
Summer Registration for all 2024 programs is now open and many sessions are filling fast. Don’t miss your opportunity to send your camper or bring you whole family!
Click here to read the 2023 Impact Report
Click here to register for a 2024 program
All the Stars
This year marks 75 years of outdoor ministry at Camp Wapo and 66 years at Wilderness Canoe Base. We are deeply grateful for everyone who has had a part in making these sites meaningful to so many, and for sharing the light of the Gospel with the next generation. The summer staff have arrived at Wapo and Wilderness Canoe Base and they are just beginning to uncover the many blessings a summer at camp holds.
For 75 years camp has been inspiring faith in the wonder of community and creation. Just think of the tremendous impact on the lives of every individual that has experienced camp here. The echoes of songs sung around the campfire, the millions of prayers lifted in every imaginable and creative way, the stillness of a morning paddle on a calm lake, the shriek of laughter while playing Capture the Flag, the spiritual centering that happens at First Word, Last Word and everything in between. As a supporter of Camp Wapo, Wilderness Canoe Base, and Ox Lake we invite you to join us in honoring the rich history of this outdoor ministry with your contribution this year.
In celebration of the important work of camp and developing leaders, and to spark generosity, a close friend of camp and generous donor has given us a $50,000 gift for a matching challenge. Your gift today will ensure a superior quality camp experience for everyone at Camp Wapo, Ox Lake and Wilderness Canoe Base. How can you help us reach this $50,000 challenge goal?
This summer’s Bible study theme is “All the Stars,” inspired by Isaiah 40:26. Campers will be exploring how, as a child of God, each of us has been beautifully and wonderfully made. Like all the stars in the sky, we are called by name and cannot be lost. No matter where we are in life, we belong to God.
We will be honoring all gift challenge donors with a wall of stars at Camp Wapo. We’ll include your name or the name of someone you’d like to give in honor or memory of…maybe someone who has inspired your faith!
Thank you for your consideration and generosity! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see our progress.
An inheritance will become a lasting legacy
Dave Assmus has a lifelong connection to Wilderness Canoe Base (WCB). Now, thanks to some intentional and thoughtful planning, he will be turning a plot of pastureland in South Dakota into a lasting legacy for the camp that has had a significant impact on his life.
“I’m grateful to be able to have an impact on a place that’s so meaningful to me, and that will extend beyond my lifetime,” Dave says. While the gift may seem complex at first, the result will be a significant gift to create an endowment fund providing annual revenue for the ministry of Wilderness Canoe Base.
Working with an advisor from the ELCA Foundation, Dave and his spouse Ruth created a Charitable Remainder Unitrust from the proceeds of the sale of land he inherited from his parents. That trust will provide annual income to the Assmuses through their lifetimes, then will benefit their children for a set number of years, after which the trust will be transferred to Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp Inc., designated to benefit Wilderness Canoe Base.
“We truly appreciate Dave and Ruth’s vision and desire to make this amazing commitment to future Wilderness campers and staff!” says Nate Berkas, WCB Director. “This gift will impact Wilderness Canoe Base for generations to come! Even thinking about that is hard to comprehend, but so exciting!”
By sharing their story with you, Dave and Ruth hope to inspire other friends of Wilderness to consider similar legacy gifts. These can range from a simple bequest (naming the organization in your will) to a more structured gift like theirs. “This gift took some time, but it wasn’t difficult to set up,” Dave says. He emphasizes that “it’s important to start planning now for what you want your legacy to be!”
Executive Director, Heather Eggert adds, “We are deeply grateful to Dave and Ruth, not only for this legacy, but for a lifetime of friendship, philanthropy, and dedication to outdoor ministry. We also appreciate the partnership and expertise provided by the ELCA Foundation to structure this gift in a way that will benefit both the family and Wilderness Canoe Base. It’s beyond any gift we could have imagined.”
If you have questions or would like more information about ways to make a legacy gift to Camp Wapo, Ox Lake or Wilderness Canoe Base, please reach out to our director of donor engagement, Gay Gonnerman, gayg@campwapo.org or 715-883-0411.