If you are looking for a peaceful spot to experience the great outdoors of Southwest Virginia, you can’t beat Hungry Mother Lutheran Camp & Retreat Center. Hungry Mother, located in Marion, Va., is one of the Virginia Synod’s eight Lutheran Partners in Mission.

The camp is under the new leadership of Chris Stevens who became the camp’s Executive Director in late April. So that the Synod could get to know the camp and Chris a little better, we decided to ask him a few questions so that he could introduce himself:

Q: Chris, what were you doing before you became the Executive Director of Hungry Mother Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center?
Meet Chris Stevens, the new Camp Director of Hungry Mother, and his wife Leslie. Along with running Hungry Mother, they also have a small farm near Marion, Va. 

Chris Stevens: Actually, I was semi-retired. My wife Leslie and I moved here about 3 years ago so we are fairly new to the area. We had left Florida after about 35 years there. I’ve got a feeling that God’s hand was in this whole process. When I look back, I’m not even sure what led me to Southwest Virginia.

Prior to getting this job, my days here were filled with replacing a few boards on the barn or maybe running some more fence. Those were my big issues. I was basically just living on our small farm with our goats, chickens, and bees. I was on the Board of Directors for the camp because I had been asked by the former camp director, who was a fellow member of Ebenezer Lutheran. I thought I would help out with my carpentry skills because I noticed that there were some buildings that needed attention.

When the camp director’s resignation came in, I decided to help out and keep things going. At the mention of another fellow board member, I applied for the job and I ended up getting it. Here I am; 3 months ago I was officially named the Executive Director for the Hungry Mother Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center. Don’t let that Executive Director part fool you, I still clean the bathrooms after guests leave and get the camp ready for the next group.

 

Q:What can you tell us about Hungry Mother Lutheran Camp?

Chris Stevens: When I was just a board member and volunteer, I knew we had summer camps and a few events, but other than that I really thought of it as a rental facility. As I began to meet some of the guests and the campers that come here, I’ve begun to find out how special of a place this is to people. I have had repeat guests since our season opened and some people have been coming here for decades. There are people who are now in their 40s who came to camp here and tell me that they still treasure those memories. I started looking at it a little differently. It’s not just a rental facility, it’s not a hotel where people just check in and check out. It really is a special place where people come and they leave a part of themselves and take away some great memories. I really view this place as a gospel light.

 

Q:That sounds wonderful! How can someone take advantage of all that Hungry Mother has to offer?

Chris Stevens:We are a multi-purpose facility. We have some of our own programmed events that we schedule throughout the year, including our week of summer camp that is coming up. On the other hand we are a rental facility, we have a pavilion available. For example, we have a parish here that every 5th  Sunday they have their joint worship service at camp. We also have a cabin that sleep 8 that is perfect for small groups or retreats. We have the bunk house and a dining hall. Those are the facilities where most of our youth group activities take place, although I have had family reunion groups that have wanted to rent those spaces.
You can go on our website and follow the link to rentals. There will be a form that you can download with all the price information and there is an availability calendar attached with that, and you can always just give me a call.

 

Q: What have been some of your favorite moments at Hungry Mother?

Chris Stevens: My very first event at the camp was a Narcotics Anonymous event. I was told that the group comes every Memorial Day and every Labor Day but no one really knew what they did. I decided to stick around and see who the group was and in doing so I met the man who ran the Marion Survivors Group for the area Narcotics Anonymous. He explained to me that this was the highlight of the year where everyone comes with their families. They are able to spend time together and share their experience with addiction. They lift each other up and have worship services. Since then I have made it my point to meet and greet every single group who comes through. I have just been amazed by all the people I have met.

 

Q: What does the partnership with the Virginia Synod mean for Hungry Mother?

Chris Stevens:  The partnership with the Synod is probably Hungry Mother’s life blood. I wouldn’t want to say it in any less of a meaningful way. With the Lutheran Partners in Mission and the United Lutheran Appeal, I would really wonder if I would be having this conversation had we not had the support from the Synod. The Synod was the originating body that started the camp in the first place, our whole existence derives from the Synod.

When our mission statement talks about coming to Hungry Mother for Completeness of mind, body, and soul, I just think that every soul needs that kind of experience. We have that here. We can offer that here. Because we are a part of the Lutheran Synod here, a lot of what we do depends on the support that we get from the Lutherans in Virginia. Everyone desires the completeness that is found in God’s creation, why not come to the beauty that is found in Southwest Virginia?