Life-Saving Community
Today, Pastor Judy Kincaid serves two rural churches near Menomonie, Wisconsin. She was pastor to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Escanaba, Michigan for seven years prior. Her first experience with Lutheran outdoor ministry was as a high schooler, when she “vacuumed acres of red carpet at church” to help earn her way from Omaha, NE to Rainbow Trail Camp in Colorado. Later, she would attend family camp at Luther Park in Wisconsin, but wasn’t sure about the experience initially. She recalls telling her family, “I’m probably not going to like [this week at camp], and if I hate it, we’re leaving.”
They didn’t leave, and the Christian community Judy found at family camp that summer would foreshadow the critical community which would make all the difference in her family’s life years later, at Fortune Lake.
In 2009, after completing her seminary studies and internship, Pr. Judy was looking for a summer job that involved ministry. When then Executive Director, Pr. Art Weiss gave her a call to be on staff, she said it was an answer to prayer. Judy and her three children would pack up, living at camp during the week, returning home on the weekends. It really was a positive experience for her children, she recalls, whose current love of playing guitar she traces back to their time at camp.
But then, as Judy was tending hurts and mending cuts as the Health Officer that summer, her marriage unexpectedly collapsed from underneath her. Suddenly going through a separation, in the midst of the summer beauty, Judy found she and her children grieving the unforeseen change that was upon them. That’s when the Chrisitan community at Fortune Lake surrounded, uplifted, and cared for them in ways that went above and beyond. Recalling that time, Pr. Judy says, “We needed the Holy Spirit and a little extra help to get through. Fortune Lake got my little family through the worst part of our lives.”
The love of Christ works through the community of Fortune Lake to change the lives of people of every age, sometimes in unexpected ways.
The impact of that summer on staff continues to bear fruit in Pastor Judy’s life and family. This summer, while she serves as Bible study leader for one of our Intergenerational weeks — both of her daughters will be serving on staff as counselors, and her two grandchildren will join her as campers. (Her son, Eli, also served on staff in 2015.)
“I’m not outdoorsy, not really skilled at any of those kind of things…but I love camp,” Pr. Judy says, “There should always be places like this for people.”
Your generosity toward Fortune Lake makes community like this possible, in ways unexpected, and sometimes, even life-saving.
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George went on to minister for decades, serving first in North Dakota before returning to his beloved northwoods where he served in Rapid River, Stonington, and Peshtigo. At the age of 95, he continues to study scripture each week with clergy in the Menominee Valley Conference.
Fortune Lake has been a part of my life for almost 40 years (YIKES!) and I look forward to 40 more! I started at Fortune Lake as a Villager, was a Venturer, High School Helper (now known as LIT), worked on staff, led and attended Synod Youth Council retreats…the list goes on and on.
Fortune Lake has a special place in my heart; it is one of my favorite place to be since I was a little kid. I have been coming to camp since 2002. I started my camp journey as a mini camper and grew and went through all the camp programs. I met wonderful people at camp, campers I have know since I was little, continuing to come back each summer, excited to see each other. I even worked with some of them on staff. I spent 5 wonderful summers working at camp, it was my first and favorite job. Being a counselor and giving my cabins the best experience is my favorite memory. Seeing campers come back each summer fills my heart with joy.
