Resource Staff

Stump the Pastor
Attempting to “answer” the multitude of camper, counselor, and everybody else’s questions about God, the Bible, ministry, life, and more.

Staff Meeting Devotions
Ask about assisting with staff meeting devotions or closing staff communion at week’s end.

Leading Worship (or parts of it)
Alpha (our morning worship) and various evening worships and campfires can often use a pastor’s touch.

Bible Encounter
Hang out with a cabin group during the week for Bible Encounter and together explore the Bible’s take on our summer theme.

Trading Post
Our camp store. Volunteers help run the Trading Post every afternoon and evening: serve sno-cones, beverages, ice cream, popcorn and other store stuff; mark campers’ Trading Post cards (their store “money”,) create and set up “theme” days in the Trading Post.

Arts and Crafts
Our Arts and Crafts coordinator would love a hand teaching crafts! Got a favorite? Bring your own supplies and help campers with various crafts.

Discovery Centers
A variety of one-hour activities for campers to choose from, led by staff and volunteers. Check out Discovering Discovery Centers.

Omegas
Time right before bed when cabin groups settle down to sleep: candlelit story time, soft guitar singing, or quiet sharing. Bring a favorite night-time story book to share.

Camp Photographer
Be our camp photographer and help document a week of summer camp.

All Camp Activities
Help out with a water carnival, a special “Luther Inn” meal, or an all-camp game. Activities vary from week to week. Creativity, new ideas, set up and clean up are always needed.

Villages
Treehouse Village and Castaway Camp are always looking for special visitors to lead activities, tell stories, join meals, or bring a new idea.

Belaying
Keep kids safe on the climbing tower and high ropes course! Don’t know how to belay? We’ll teach you!

Service Projects
Help lead simple camper projects around camp, giving them a sense of significant ownership of their camp and program.

Essential to keeping our camp community efficient, harmonious, healthy and clean!

Dish Crew
We’re always looking for extra hands to help with Kitchen Party (KP). Ask our food service director, assistant cooks, or support staff where you can jump in. Helping campers reset tables is also a great teaching opportunity.

Kitchen Help
Help prepare food for people with allergies or help prepare the supplemental food campers brought along.

Dining Room Help
It takes many hands to re-set our dining hall for over 200 people three times a day.

Bathrooms
150-200 campers and staff using our bathrooms…need we say more?

Laundry Room
What a huge blessing to us, someone watching over our new commercial laundry to keep the machines going.

Maintenance/Grounds Keeping
There are always maintenance projects to be done at camp: flower beds to weed and plant, grass to be watered, things to be built, fixed, torn down, or replaced.

Lost and Found
Help organize the amazing amount of stuff that gets left behind at camp.

Make Coffee
Just like it sounds!

Health Care Assistant
Our Health Care Manager could always use a hand, distributing camper meds, tending wounded knees, or maybe even running a camper to the doctor.

Horse/Ranch Help
It’s our four-footed “staff” that horses make Shoshone Creek Ranch possible, and your helping hands show them some love back. We always need help caring for our stock, pastures, and stables.

Registration Fee: $75

Fee covers application processing and required federal & state criminal background checks.

You must register at least 2 weeks prior to your arrival at camp. Lutherhaven Ministries will determine your eligibility for Resource Staff based on your application and space availability. Application fee is refunded if space is unavailable.

Register today!

The Fine Print Details

In order to facilitate federal background checks for all volunteers working with children, we must have your completed application, $75 registration fee, and references on file two weeks prior to your volunteer service.

All Lutherhaven volunteers 18 and older have their names submitted for a National Sex Offender and Criminal Background file check. If you have a current (within one year) background check in your personal files, you may submit a copy with your application. All volunteers must attend a mandatory orientation/training session at the beginning of their volunteer service; new Resource Staff undergo a 24-hour probationary period prior to working with children under the age of 18.

Limited space available each week.

Please, dogs are not allowed!

We’re thrilled to offer family and group camps this coming summer, alongside our traditional summer youth camps. We’re convinced this will fill a much needed niche for families and groups from around the northwest. To do this means maximizing the use of the Lutherhaven Pinecrest Lodge Retreat Center–the “RC”. Housing in the RC will be very limited, and Resource staff housed there will share rooms with other Resource Staff.

If you have or have access to an RV, tent camper, or tent, our campgrounds are available to you. Electricity and water are available for RVs and campers, and the beach bath house is nearby.

From arts and crafts, to games in the ball field, Resource Staff help lead fun activities while summer camp counselors partake in their morning meetings or take their daily break!

All Staff

• Be a mentoring role model and significant adult friend to summer and year-round staff.
• Serve where asked within the framework of camp’s weekly schedule.
• Volunteer an average of 6 + hours per day, Sunday – Friday (other daily schedules available)
• Be supportive of all camp, staff and volunteer policies and practices.
• Be responsible for supervising your family members if they accompany you to camp.
• Serve counselors, campers, year-round staff, parents, volunteers and others without assuming responsibility of making policy or procedural decisions.
• Bring your experience, expertise, imagination and enthusiasm to the camp in alignment with your capabilities, talents, passions and heart.
• Consider your time at camp an opportunity to offer your service on behalf of a very special ministry.
• Enjoy a great week!

Pastors and Full-Time Church Workers

We can apprise your congregation and church leaders of your critical Bible camp volunteer service, so they are less likely to insist you use vacation time during your camp stay.

Consider bringing children, youth, or families from your church together the same summer week, as a way camp can have a greater impact on your congregation and ministry.

Parents of Children Attending Camp

If you have kids who are campers during your volunteer time, we ask you to take special care interacting with your camper.

• Try not to spend significant time with you child’s camper cabin.
• Don’t go out of your way to pay special attention to your child or their cabin mates.
• We hope all cabin groups have the same quality experience, whether or not a family member is on staff.
• If you are at camp to build relational time with your child, we have tremendous Family Camp programs throughout the year.

Serving on Resource Staff for a week on Camp Lutherhaven or Shoshone Mountain Retreat is hard work with long days, early mornings and late nights. Resource Staff volunteer an average of 6 or more hours per day, Sunday – Friday.

Resource Staff receive the following benefits:

• Free meals and lodging on a space availability basis for the Resource Staff and immediate family.
• When an accompanying spouse is not serving on Resource Staff, or when accompanying children are not attending summer camp, there is a charge of $15 per person per day for meals. Accompanying adults must complete a Voluntary Disclosure Statement.
• Resource Staff receive a credit of $125 per child to offset onsite summer camp fees, with a maximum credit of $200. If a couple serves as Resource Staff, both receive the credit. The credit applies to children and grand-children only; is not transferable to another camper; and must be credited during the same week as volunteer service.
• Resource Staff pay full price for children attending other camp weeks, or attending specialty, ranch or off-site camps.
• Volunteer Health Care Managers receive differing benefits, based on the licensed professional skills they bring to camp.

Things to Pack

Sleeping Bag and Pillow
Housing is shared; bathrooms may be down the hall or in your room; you will likely be in a bunk bed!

Sensible Clothes
Shorts, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, long pants. The nights may be cool; days may be HOT. A sweatshirt for evenings is welcome, or buy one in our Trading Post!

Closed Toed Shoes
Required in the kitchen and belaying.

Swimsuit
Modest one-piece.

Toiletries
Towels, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.

Sunscreen and Bug Repellent
For those hot days and cool summer nights.

Flashlight
Make sure to bring good batteries. A headlamp is a great plus.

Water Bottle
Or buy one in the Trading Post!

Camera
For all those lovely camper pictures!

Money
For the Trading Post.

Note: Bring any gear, equipment or supplies you might need to lead a Discovery Center!

Do Not Bring

• Valuables. Any thing of value should locked in your vehicle for the week. Lutherhaven Ministries will not be held responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Knives, guns or other weapons.
• Fireworks.
• Electronics and cell-phones must be kept out of camper areas. Thanks!

Resource Staff FAQ’s at Camp Lutherhaven and Shoshone Mountain Retreat

Got a question that’s not answered here? Contact us and we’ll add it to the list.

What do I get to do on Resource Staff?
So many amazing things! Resource Staff really help make camp happen! Volunteering an average of 6 or more hours each day, Sunday – Friday, you could end up helping in the kitchen, belaying, doing laundry, running the trading post, taking pictures, cleaning bathrooms, and a zillion other things. Don’t worry, we’ll teach you everything you need to know.

Who serves on Resource Staff in a typical week?
Usually, it’s a bunch of Pastors, youth workers, parents, grandparents, friends of camp, and past staff! All are welcome!

What is a Discovery Center?
A Discovery Center is an hour-long slot of time where campers can sign up for an activity of their choosing. There are two consecutive Discovery Centers every morning, which Junior Staff and Resource Staff usually lead- this is when counselors have staff meeting and then their hour off. A Discovery Center can be anything- the sky is the limit! See this list for a more in-depth explanation and list of ideas.

If my child is a camper the week I’m serving, how often will I see them?
As Resource Staff, you serve all over camp, and so it’s very likely you will run into your camper at random times during the day (especially mealtimes). Of course you’ll be excited to see each other, so smile and wave! Just keep in mind that campers have so much fun in their cabin groups with their counselor, we don’t want to distract them from that experience.

Where do I get to stay?
If there is room, you will stay in our new Retreat Center, a beautiful building right at the top of camp! If you can bring your own or a borrowed RV, tent or tent camper, that would be much appreciated.

What about my spouse or other family? Can they come?
You are welcome to bring family. Keep in mind that all adults (whether serving as Resource Staff or not) need to complete a background check. There is a fee of $110 per child for children not attending camp and for additional adults not on resource staff.

How’s the connectivity at camp? Can I use my cellphone or access the internet?
At Lutherhaven, wireless internet is available camp wide. Cell phone reception is spotty at Lutherhaven (Verizon only) and we encourage you not to use your phone in front of campers. At Shoshone Base Camp, there is no internet access or cell phone reception.

Will I be asked to lead worship, Bible Encounter, Campfire, or anything like that?
Not necessarily, but there are tons of opportunities for participation. You will have lots of opportunities to serve in ways that best match your skills and talents.

When should I arrive at camp?
We always need help with registration, so if you’d like to be a part of that, plan on arriving by 3pm on the Sunday of the week that you’re serving. Other than that, the “official” start of the week for Resource Staff is a Resource Staff meeting at 4:45 that same day. Definitely plan on being here for that.

What do I need to bring to camp?
In addition to the usual overnight stuff we’d love it if you brought any supplies you might need if you would like to lead a Discovery Center based on a particular skill or hobby of yours.

What about the Ranch? I want to work with horses!
Terrific! The Ranch needs you! Please contact us for more information regarding the ranch and its unique needs.