Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry provides opportunities for Christ-centered spiritual growth, leadership development, and outreach in God’s great northwoods.

VLM Mission Statement

 

OUR MISSION IN ACTION

Campers and their parents, camp staff, and church staff share why camp is important to them. Witness how VLM lives out its mission in God's great northwoods!

OUR STORY

Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry invites you to experience an exceptional community at two unique sites!  Camp Hiawatha and Camp Vermilion offer traditional summer camp experiences, programmed day or weekend events, and comfortable spaces for your next retreat or family/friend gathering.  Looking for more adventure? We also offer guided trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  We provide the ideal combination of place and program for Christian community and personal renewal. We look forward to seeing you in God’s great northwoods!

Since the late 1950s, the Christ-centered programs of Camp Hiawatha and Camp Vermilion have welcomed people from all over.  Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, VLM shares God's abundant grace with all people.  

When the two camps merged to form Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry in 1990, it strengthened the churches and communities of Northeast Minnesota by providing one mission at two wonderfully different places for Outdoor Ministry.  Over the decades, both camps have developed deep roots in the local communities and have become centers of hospitality.  Today the sites, now owned by more than 80 congregations, offer time and space where kids can explore faith in the outdoors and where all people are welcomed as a neighbor.  

Camp Hiawatha and Camp Vermilion are situated on some of the best lakeshore in the country.  VLM seeks to educate ourselves and our community in an effort to sustain these lands.  We are called to be caretakers of Creation and know that we are part of the continued work by the Anishinaabe people, the families who invited others to the camps in the early days, and the churches that support them now.  VLM is actively researching both the celebrated and the tortured history of these lands and peoples with hopes of better understanding our shared history and in an effort to move forward together. 

CAMP HIAWATHA HISTORY

In 1956, with the need for an expanding, progressive Bible camping program and no place or space for it to take place, a committee was appointed by the Iron Range District of the Lutheran Church in America to seek adequate quarters for a three-week camping program. In 1957, after reviewing sites from Mille Lacs to Vermilion, east to Week Lake, Wisconsin, and the Hanging Horn Lake near Barnum, Minnesota, an offer was accepted on Camp Hiawatha.

In 1958, guided by the leadership of people like Pastor Ruben Johnson and Jim and Mary Bakke, Camp Hiawatha started its first full summer as a Bible Camp of the area Lutheran Churches. Owned by 26 Lutheran congregations in the region, the Bible Camp programs were offered for youth and families. 

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Camp Hiawatha saw some year-round upgrades to its facilities.  The addition of the Lindberg and Gloria Dei dormitories and the new Baldwin Commons dining area allowed the camp to warmly welcome both our campers and our neighbors all year long.  

  • In 1956, with the need for an expanding, progressive Bible camping program and no place or space for it to take place, a committee was appointed by the Iron Range District of the Lutheran Church in America to seek adequate quarters for a three-week camping program. The committee went into action late in 1956. Camps from Mille Lacs to Vermilion, east to Week Lake, Wisconsin, and the Hanging Horn Lake near Barnum, Minnesota were visited and considered. Several resorts and camps were for sale. In the Spring of 1957, a District meeting was held at First Lutheran Church in Hibbing and delegates voted to establish the Hiawatha Church Camp Corporation at this meeting. It was also agreed to lease Camp Hiawatha for the 1957 season with the lease cost to apply to the purchase price if bought. Some renovation and new equipment was necessary. Several Corporation meetings were held in rapid succession. An offer of $27,000 was made, with a small down payment and future payments to be made from assumed support of the Iron Range District congregations.

    In 1958, guided by the leadership of people like Pastor Reuben Johnson and Jim and Mary Bakke, Camp Hiawatha started its first full summer as a Bible Camp of the area Lutheran Churches. Owned by 26 Lutheran congregations in the region, the Bible Camp programs were offered for youth and families. Camp Hiawatha served as a base for churches to run thier own programs. The "Camp Dean" was usually filled by the pastor or a lay leader from the congregation and the camp was staffed by volunteers from the attending churches. In the 1980s, the model switched when the camp hired a permanent camp director and then hired college aged staff to run the summer program.

    In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Camp Hiawatha saw some year-round upgrades to its facilities. The addition of the Lindberg and Gloria Dei dormitories and the new Baldwin Commons dining area allowed the camp to warmly welcome both our campers and our neighbors all year long.

    Camp Hiawatha is known for its wonderful kid friendly facilities, large open ball field, and the crystal clear water and sandy beach of Deer Lake. In addition to introducing some of the youngest campers to a lifetime of camping, Camp Hiawatha offers popular Family Camps and our Rendezvous camp for Adults and their caregivers. A Hockey Camp was developed in the mid-1980s to offer youth hockey players the opportunity to hone their skills while having a Christ-centered Bible camp experience.

    Today, the camp is a year-round ministry that offers space for Christ-centered summer youth programs, specialty camps, family memories, and group retreat opportunities. It is the ideal place to introduce a child to camp for the first time and strives to find new ways to welcome all to the shores of Deer Lake in God's great northwoods.

CAMP VERMILION HISTORY

In the late 1950s, feeling the need for a Bible camp in the area, 44 Lutheran congregations came together to buy 168 acres on Wakemup Bay, on the south shore of Lake Vermilion that had been previously used as a private boy’s camp.

Since the early 60s, Camp Vermilion has served as a canoe base for Christ-centered guided canoe trips into what is now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

For decades, the trained and dedicated staff of the camp have opened up the wonder and majesty of God's great northwoods to people from all over the country. With the addition of some newer facilities in the 1970s and 80s, Camp Vermilion became a year-round destination for small groups to gather on the edge of the Boundary Waters. In the mid-2010s, the addition of Voyageurs Lodge has fully opened the site up for larger year-round groups, and safe, contemporary dining and trail shack spaces for our programs moving forward.

  • In the late 1950's, many Lutherans of the Lake Superior and Range Conference of the American Lutheran church, began to sense the need for a Bible camp in the area. In 1959, negotiations were completed for 44 Lutheran congregations to buy 168 acres on Wakemup Bay, on the south shore of Lake Vermilion for $72,000. The facility had been operated for many years as a private boy's camp. Melvin Bakk was hired as a part time manager, and pastors provided the program leadership. Originally the camp was named Lake Vermilion Lutheran Bible Camp. The name was changed back to Camp Vermilion, its original name when it was a private boy's camp, in 1969.

    Since the early 60s, Camp Vermilion has also served as a canoe base for Christ-centered guided canoe trips into what is now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. For decades, the trained and dedicated staff of the camp have opened up the wonder and majesty of God's great northwoods to people from all over the country.

    With the addition of some newer facilities in the 1970s and 80s, Camp Vermilion became a year-round destination for small groups to gather on the edge of the Boundary Waters. In the mid 2010s, the addition of Voyageurs Lodge has fully opened the site up for larger year-round groups, and safe, contemporary dining and trail shack spaces for our programs moving forward.

    Camp Vermilion is known for its rocky granite, edge-of-the-BWCAW, location and the beautiful Lake Vermilion Shoreline surrounded by tall cathedral pines. In addition to gathering campers and groups in the quiet woods for a time set apart, Camp Vermilion acts as a base camp for people to explore the world around them. Campers build up to our canoe tripping program through programs like our onsite Canoe Camps for all ages of youth.

    Today, the camp is a year-round ministry that offers space for Christ-centered summer youth programs, canoe experiences, new challenges, and group retreat opportunities. It is the ideal place to deepen faith and expand your horizons. Camp Vermilion welcomes all to the shores of Lake Vermilion in God's great northwoods.

OUR VALUES

During the summer of 2008, representatives of the VLM community met to develop the Core Values and continue work on the strategic plan of the organization. Those values most important to the ministry are summarized best by stating that at VLM we are rooted in being: People of the Word, Hospitable, Program, Safe, Partners, and Stewards.

People of the Word
With Christ as our core we move outward to the world. We live as a worshipping community that is washed daily in God’s Grace through the Word. We encounter that Word in scripture and prayer, in our experiences with one another and in creation, and as we proclaim Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Hospitable
We welcome all into our community with open arms. We honor our guests, staff and volunteers with a comfortable, clean and prepared place for them to stay during their journey. We treat every traveler as Christ.

Program
Our programs celebrate the gift of community that comes from the Holy Spirit. Our programs are intentional and rooted in faith. We explore our gifts and talents and encourage personal growth, joy in pure play and spiritual reflection. Through varied challenges and experiences, our programs offer fertile ground for the seeds of faith and personal development.

Safe
We train, prepare and manage our community so that those who spend time here are safe.  We hope that our community feels renewed not only in Spirit, but also in health and energy.  We review our facilities and policies to provide the safest community possible.  We want our participants to eat healthy, challenge themselves, and sleep well.  

Partners
Our community circle overlaps with many other circles.  We strive to partner with our local, regional and international communities.  Through the sharing of resources, ideas and expertise, we seek to learn as much about them as possible and incorporate their experience into ours.  We are Lutherans in the world and strive to welcome all groups to share in dialogue about what it means to be a neighbor. Meet our Member Congregations here.

Stewards
We live in a world of limited resources.  Our human, financial, energy and food resources are precious to us and we strive to do our best to limit our abuse of them.  We strive to renew our community and prepare them for service to others, to Creation, and to God. Learn more about our Camp Vermilion Forest Management project here.

 

GET TO KNOW US BETTER

The mission of VLM is supported by dedicated groups of individuals including year-round staff, a robust Board of Directors, and enthusiastic summer staff.

MEMBER CONGREGATIONS

Voyageurs Lutheran Ministries values the partnership with our member congregations.  Good things happen in both congregational settings and at camp - one is not better than the other.  Both settings play a key role in faith formation and we need each other in this partnership.  The partnership between church at camp is a wonderful circle that passes on faith and creates a new generation of disciples.

TELL YOUR CAMP STORY

Have you been to Camp Hiawatha or Camp Vermilion? Keep camp alive in your heart and inspire others with your experience. Short or long, we’d love to hear your camp story. Use the quick form below, we’re listening!

 …IN GOD’S GREAT NORTHWOODS