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The Virginia Synod partners with 8 wonderful organizations who minister to people of all walks of life. In order to celebrate and bring awareness to these partnerships we will be highlighting one mission partner each month.
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The first day Kate Costa stepped on the grounds of Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp & Retreat Center was the first day of staff training for the summer of 2003, the summer after her freshman year of college.
“When I got there it was dark, I had no idea where I was going and I ended up in completely the wrong place, but I eventually found my way to where I was supposed to be,” she said.
She discovered later in life that Caroline Furnace was exactly where she was supposed to be during that summer and the one that followed. Her experiences as a camp counselor helped to shape her and prepare her for her current job–pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Culpeper, Va.
“They say you always learn best by teaching. At Caroline Furnace you are in a place where you have eight high school girls looking at you and asking why you believe what you believe. You are forced to provide answers for them and you have to be authentic because teenagers can see through a façade.”
Not only was Pastor Costa challenged to own her faith, she was also given the opportunity to develop spiritual disciplines.
“I think camp was one of the first places where I was able to claim discipleship practices on a long term basis,” she said. “When I was there we had TAG time, which was time alone with God. We were encouraged to spend an hour every day in prayer and meditation and reading scripture.”
Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center is located in Fort Valley, Va., about an hour from Harrisonburg, Va. The purpose of Caroline Furnace is to provide unforgettable faith experiences for children, teens, and adults through summer camps and weekend retreats.
At Caroline Furnace there are few spaces where you can find cell phone service and electronic games, computers, and iPods are not part of the daily routine at the camp. It is, quite simply, quiet. When campers come for a summer week or anyone comes for a weekend retreat, camp leadership encourages leaving the electronics at home.
Edgar’s first time going to camp was the summer after 1st grade and his little sister, Ruth, who is now 8, was only 5-years-old when she went to her first week of overnight camp.
Ten-year-old Edgar is much more mature than his age would suggest. He is already speaking in front of groups to share how much he has enjoyed his experiences at camp. As part of the Caroline Furnace Ambassador program he is required to speak two times during the year.
He has already talked to his Cub Scout den which meets at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.
Edgar and Ruth’s time at camp also filters into their lives at home in little ways even after the summer is over.
“We use all of the Caroline Furnace blessings at our meals,” their mother said.
When the siblings have friends come over to their house, Edgar and Ruth still help lead the family in a song-like prayer which includes hand motions. One of their favorites is sung to the tune of the superman theme song.
“It’s a great way for our kids to be visible in their faith in front of their friends,” she said.
Caroline Furnace seems to run in the blood. Edgar’s father, Mark Hartman was a camper himself and later became a counselor. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Lutheran camp.
Because of this long standing relationship between the camp and the Hartman family, both children grew up going to the annual work weekends at Caroline Furnace.
“Doing things like the work weekends was a great way to get the kids familiar with the place so when it came time for them to be campers it would make it easier for them to stay there for a week without us,” said Bobbie.
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| A couple volunteers hard at work at the 2013 spring Work Weekend |
The next work weekend at Caroline Furnace will be March 13- 15 and the Hartmans already have plans to be there.
“We worked on cleaning up the sukkah village from the summer last year and no doubt we will be preparing them for the summer this time because the school year is almost over, believe it or not,” Edgar said.
Edgar explained that the sukkah village is a section of camp where the older campers stay. The village is a short walk away from the central section of camp and the campers stay in one of the six rustic screened in cabins that have no electricity.
Caroline Furnace has had a major impact on the church leadership in Virginia. In the past decade alone, nearly a dozen former staffers were ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
So far, Edgar looks like he may be following in the footsteps of people like his dad and Kate Costa whose lives have been changed by Caroline Furnace. When Edgar was asked if would consider being a counselor when he was too old to be a camper, he didn’t hesitate with an answer.
“Yes, I’m thinking about being one because I just want people to learn more about God.”
To find out more about Caroline Furnace, go online to CarolineFurnace.org
