Ohio and Pennsylvania Bible Camps
By Beverly Enderlein ur Lord Jesus gave one of His most-loved promises when He said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Come back in time with me to the 1960s in northeastern Ohio and let me tell you about God’s beautiful work among Lutheran people who were hungry for a personal relationship with Him. To Midwestern families, a summer’s stay at Bible camp was a respected tradition which provided rest in a beautiful setting, the blessings of Bible study, evangelistic sermons, and gatherings for children and youths who hungered for God’s Word and rich Christian fellowship. Many Midwestern Lutherans were drawn to Deeper Life Camps through the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement (LEM) (see pages 4-5). God is not limited to location, and He brings revival 10 THE LUTHERAN AMBASSADOR
wherever He wills. The prayers of many earnest Christians were answered when LEM Evangelist J.O. Gisselquist was led to mentor a group of Christians in Ohio. After a midwinter Bible conference of solid Bible teaching, the newly formed Ohio committee of lay people1 planned their first Bible camp. They invited speakers2 who would direct campers to a personal faith in Jesus Christ. As they sensed God’s leading, they committed to the rental of one week in June 1962 at Camp Luther, North Kingsville, Ohio, a beautiful, forested site of 66 acres along Lake Erie. Approximately 100 campers attended—a good answer to prayer. Were these families hungry for the righteousness clearly found in God’s Word? Would God keep His promise of filling them with Himself? Yes. There was such a hungering for God’s Word in that camp setting that people surrendered to the gospel and testified of new
