John Vickery was hungry for community. Growing up in the Church, and with a pastor for a grandpa, he thought he knew what that looked like. It was choir. It was organ. It was “stand up and sit down” at the right times. It was at Lutherwood Camp and Retreat Center in Bellingham, Washington that his vision was expanded.
“I don’t remember a summer without Lutherwood,” recalled John as he shared stories of his parents first telling him he had to go to summer camp to the excitement of being a counselor-in-training. Over the years, “I saw what my counselors did for us, and I wanted to do that for others.” He witnessed a community built that, like liturgies and worship, “doesn’t have to be polished.”
Later, when the traditional college route wasn’t the direction he needed, John came back to camp. “I wasn’t going to school and was spinning my wheels. So, instead, I was immersed in camp, surrounded by people also experiencing transitions in life.” He joined the summer team from 2011-2015, eventually becoming a year-round staffer. “Lutherwood was a place of formation for me.”
John maintains that Lutherwood is an abiding presence in his life. It was at Lutherwood that he got married to his spouse, Kelsey, who he met while they were both on staff. To this day, he maintains deep, abiding friendships with other alumni from the shores of Lake Samish. He’s also overjoyed to pass camp to the next generation. “My daughter is headed to her first half-week of camp at Lutherhill [a sibling camp in Texas], and I am so excited to see her discover camp like I did.”
“Lutherwood changed what I thought it meant to be the Church,” he said.
From camp sessions to job opportunities, Lutherwood serves an important role in shaping youth and sharing Jesus each year. Visit camplutherwood.org for more info on getting involved.