 Our mission is to support the ministry of proclaiming and confessing Jesus Christ by nourishing the spiritual growth of those we serve, strengthening their service in Christ's name. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30 |
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Bridges to
our own
Horseback Outreach Program
Over the last 10 years the horseback outreach program at Lutheran Island Camp has grown to represent nearly 18% of our total summer program. The horseback program has brought hundreds of young men and women to camp who might otherwise have attended a secular camp. This has been a significant outreach tool for youth to learn more about their Lord and Savior at the same time that they are enjoying God's creation.
We have developed a plan to assure that our Horseback Outreach will continue well into the future. We think it will be best implemented at Christ Serve Ranch, but we do have back-up plans in place if the property is not purchased.
In order for this plan to work, we will need support and prayers. (see below) We will also need horses, tack, supplies, and lots of campers.
Question and Answer:
| Isn't liability going to be expensive? | We've checked this out thoroughly. It makes no difference whether we own the horses or rent them. The liability is the same and so is the insurance cost which is about $70 per horse per year. |
| Where will you get the horses? | Some of them we will buy. We hope that others will come from families who have a horse that they no longer use. Often families have a horse that is almost a part of the family and they don't want to sell it even after their children have left for school. Our Horse Outreach Program will provide an excellent place to donate your family horse. Donations are also tax deductible, if properly handled. |
| Where will you be riding? | We hope that we will have Christ Serve Ranch purchased, if not we plan to ride at a site near Perham. Christ Serve Ranch will provide nearly 7-8 miles of trails and is just a few miles from Glendalough State Park. |
| What will you do with the horses in the off-season? | We already have several people who have offered to let us board the horses at their farms. Some have offered this at no cost, others want the feed covered. It is not hard to find people who love to care for horses. |
Donate a horse:
Do you have a horse or two in your family? Perhaps you've had them for a while and now the kids are gone, but you can't bear to just sell them. We can give them a great home where they can be a tools to help kids understand more about nature, responsibility, and God's love. We do reserve the right to return your horse or to sell it if we do not think it will work for our program. Donations can only be recognized for tax purposes if the horse is permanently given to the camp
Adopt-a-horse:
You can sponsor one of our horses for as little as $100 a month. Or if $50 is what you can afford, do a half sponsorship. This is a wonderful opportunity to involve young people in the care of horses. We need sponsors for up to 20 horses. Click here to download a brochure.
Here are some ways that you can build the bridges to our own horseback outreach program.
Volunteer Opportunities
| Volunteer Riders in off season | Volunteers to keep horses |
| Equipment volunteers | Grooming volunteers |
| Volunteers to load and move feed | Volunteers to shovel used feed |
| Trail makers | Fence and corral builders |
| Transport volunteers |
Needs List
| Horses (please ask) | Saddles & Chest straps | Bridles and bits |
| Helmets | pitch forks, shovels, buckets | Saddle Blankets |
| Horse Hay | Straw | Corrals & fences |
| Horse trailer 4-6 horse, 5th wheel | Truck | Horse drawn hay wagon |
| Trailer to haul hay, 5th wheel | Ropes, lunge lines, | Harness |
| halters, lead ropes |
Programs to register for:
| Adult Horse | Tenderfoot Horse Program |
| Voyageur/Teen Trek Horse Programs | Family Weeks (horseback will be an activity) |
| Hay rides | All camps (horseback will be an activity |
Financial Support
| Adopt-a-horse program | Unrestricted gifts |
| Thrivent GivingPlus | Restricted gifts for horses, feed, etc |
| Pledge to purchase Christ Serve Ranch | |
Support to date (2007-12-03)
| Item | Donor/Sponsor |
| Two saddles and bridles | Bill and Judy Schultz |
| Sponsorship of a horse | Rev Mark and Allison Moldenhauer family |
| Sponsorship of a horse | Tom and Jen O'Neill |
| Donated use of horse | Marvin and Mary Swyter |
| Donated use of horse | John Swyter |
| Donated use of horse | Anonymous |
| Sponsorship of a horse | John and Teri Norman Family |
| Sponsorship of a horse | available |
| Sponsorship of a horse | available |
| Donation of horse trailer | Randy LaVoie |
| Donaltion of 4 horses |
Paige Kawasai |
| Donation of 20+ horses | Vickie Wendland. A special thank you to Vickie for her tremendous support of our horse program. Her gift helped us tremendously. |
| Donation of a horse | Brian and Deb Brogard |
| Donation of a horse | Tim and Heidi Studer |