Living Water Ministries • Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan Partners
With Living Water Ministries

The mission of the EDOMI Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is to provide resources and support that build up, strengthen, renew, and celebrate the power and presence of youth and young adults and those who work with them. To that end, our diocesan summer program continues to grow and expand in an effort to explore and maximize exciting opportunities for all youth and young adults in our congregations. This year I am pleased to announce that we are launching a new partnership with the Lutherans through Living Water Ministries, a shared mission of the Lower Michigan ELCA Synods. Living Water Ministries is the umbrella organization that operates two residential camps and conference centers and we will begin our partnership this year with opportunities to use both facilities, Michi-Lu-Ca Camp and Conference center in Fairview, Michigan and Stony Lake Lutheran Camp in New Era, Michigan.

Through this intentional partnership we will be welcomed into their full offering of seven weeks of exciting residential camp programs, employment and leadership development opportunities, year-round retreat programs and facilities as well as options for private rentals by congregations and/or individuals. The main program offerings for our youth this summer will be at Michi-Lu-Ca which is set on 360 acres of beautiful land with 4 miles of nature trails, 4 lakes, offers swimming, canoeing, horseback riding at a local ranch, high and low ropes courses, 2 outdoor chapels and 8 playfields.

Additionally we are invited into contracting their traveling day camp staff to come into our congregations to work with us to offer programs in our own neighborhoods. This is an exciting resource and one that meets a need we have heard through our conversations around the diocese.

We are very excited about this model of partnership as yet one more example of how we can live into our Full Communion relationship with our ELCA brothers and sisters. We expect this to be the beginning of a long, rich, exciting, and mutually transformative partnership for us all.

Please join me in welcoming Dan Smith, Executive Director of Living Water Ministries, and his staff as new partners in ministry as together we seek to serve Christ in all persons.

The Rt. Rev’d Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr.
Tenth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan