Summer 2010 Family Camp
Resource Leaders and Artist-in-Residence
July 4-9, 2010
Dick Jorgensen
“Speaking the Truth in Love: Constructive Communication in Family, Church, and Community”
Using the Bible, some good books, a bit of humor, and our own experiences, we will explore how words have power to hurt or heal, and how God’s word is the model for all human speech. Pastor Jorgensen says, “Disagreement is normal even in healthy families, and the first major conflict in the Christian community is described openly in the pages of the New Testament. How do we communicate love in times of joy and of anger? What are our children learning from their chief godparents – that is, their parents? How can we be ‘one in Christ’ in the church if we don’t agree on everything? But our week will be about more than disagreement! We’ll talk about laughter and eating and poetry and growing together in faith and family.”
Dick Jorgensen is senior pastor of First English Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minnesota. He has also served parishes in Minneapolis and Anchorage, Alaska. Dick and his wife, Caryl, a teacher and musician, are “old Outlaws,” having served on staff during seminary years. They have two grown daughters. Dick is the author of Reading With Dad, published by Tristan Publishing, and is currently working on a book on how parents can accompany their children on the journey from baptism to confirmation.
Hans Peterson
Born and raised in Alaska, Hans began his life in the Midwest at Luther College. He has toured with a musical group to West Africa, worked as a youth director/worship leader in Stewartville, MN, and served homeless men in a Catholic Worker House of Hospitality in Duluth. Hans' passion for the church as a welcoming place and his love for music led him to United Seminary in the Twin Cities where he completed a master’s degree in theology and the arts. As a singer/songwriter, he ventures out as a solo artist and with the Dakota Road band, playing both piano and acoustic guitar. Home is now in Jordan, MN, where he teaches both K-6th music and private lessons three days a week at St. John the Baptist Catholic School. Hans lives with his spouse, Heidi, on her family's farm where they are caring for their two boys, Nelson and Simon, as well as Grandma Ruth. When he is not leading people in song, he might be weeding the garden, picking berries, tapping sugar maples, or harvesting hazelnuts. In all that he does, Hans prays and works for a world where all people…all creation is seen as sacred.
July 11-16, 2010 - Full Week
Kris Linner
“Ordinary to Extraordinary”
Exploring the life and teachings of Jesus with others can be fun, engaging and life-giving, especially in the casual setting of Outlaw Ranch. Together we will explore the biblical stories of how Jesus called, loved, and taught ordinary people, which transformed them into extraordinary disciples. As we delve into Jesus’ interaction with his disciples, we will also look at the disciples’ response to Jesus. Sometimes the disciples were slow to catch on to who Jesus was and what he was about and at other times there was no stopping them. Through conversations about the transformation of Jesus’ disciples, we will look at how Jesus calls, loves, teaches and transforms us from ordinary people into extraordinary disciples.
Kris Linner is an ELCA pastor serving as Pastor of Care Ministries at Trinity Lutheran Church in her hometown of Stillwater, Minnesota. Most of her ministry has been spent working as a chaplain with a focus on caring for people who are dying and grieving. Educating people about grief is a passion for Kris. She has been a national speaker on grief and served as an adjunct professor at Luther Seminary, teaching a course on Grief Ministry. Kris is author of two books, My Brother Dave: Living Through a Loved One’s Death and Women and the Word. For 15 years, Family Camp at Outlaw Ranch has been an important part of the life of Kris, her husband Michael, and daughters Greta and Tina.
James Hersch
James has a rare mixture of straight-forward musical talent, humor and sensitivity that allows him to create songs that speak to what is common in all of us.
James, a native Minnesotan, has eight album credits to his name and has been nominated National NACA Coffeehouse Entertainer of the Year several times as well as a finalist at the international Kerrville Folk Festival. James and his 'REACH' program received the 1997 Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity from the National Association for Campus Activities.
July 18-23, 2010
Greg Johnson
“Celebration of Discipline”
Richard Foster’s classic, The Celebration of Discipline, gives both title and direction to our week of conversation. The subtitle to this book, “the path to spiritual growth,” explores the role of Christian discipline in the enhancement of mind, body and soul. Of this journey Foster invites, “God intends the Disciples of the spiritual life to be for ordinary human beings: people who have jobs, who care for children, who wash dishes and mow lawns. In fact, the Disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors.”
Drawing upon scripture and the great personages of faith from past centuries, Foster’s writing will provide a wonderful platform from which we will share our faith stories in relationship to all ten spiritual disciplines. Johnson advises, “Order the book, read it before you come if you have time, be ready to go deep with others.”
Pastor Greg Johnson returns for a fifth summer as a resource pastor at Outlaw Ranch. Now serving in his eleventh year at Trinity Lutheran in Tea, SD, he brings to us a love for the Black Hills, decades of involvement with bible camping and an insistence that faith work be something that “people can use when they go home.”
Paul Tietjen
Paul Tietjen has been sharing music with congregations, camps, and youth events all over the United States for the past 14 years. Formerly a youth director, he is currently a musician and graphic designer who lives in Minneapolis, MN, with his wife and two children. Paul’s favorite part about music ministry is the people that he meets as he travels.
Check out Paul at www.myspace.com/paultietjen
July 25-30, 2010
Nathanael Lizarazo and Barbara Wangsness
“Cross-Cultural and Global Mission in the 21st Century: Opportunity and Challenge!”
Challenging yet exciting mission possibilities confront the Lutheran Church in the 21st century! In a world growing increasingly smaller and interconnected, understanding cross-cultural and global realities represents both a challenge and an unprecedented opportunity. Together during the week, we will explore mission challenges and opportunities among our Native American and Latino neighbors, among African refugee communities, and global ministry needs with a focus on Colombia. Come, share, and learn.
Natanael Lizarazo was born in the Andean mountains of Colombia. Thanks to the sacrifices of his family and the assistance of the Lutheran Church of Colombia, he is the only one in his family to complete an education. Natanael served as a teacher and pastor in Colombia before going to Wartburg Seminary to further his theological education. At Wartburg, he and Barbara Wangsness met and were later married. They have one daughter, Alicia, age 20. Together, Natanael and Barbara have developed cross-cultural and cross-denominational ministries on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, served a congregation in Minnesota, served as ELCA missionaries to Colombia, and established a foundation to provide education, evangelism initiatives, loans, and leadership development among poor and displaced people in Colombia. They currently serve at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.
Tangled Blue
Joel & Aimee have a unique sound that incorporates two-part vocals, Latin and electronic percussion, as well as acoustic and electronic guitars. Their music was created largely in front of audiences, so it is designed to engage the listener. Hearing these troubadours in concert with their infectious melodies is an experience the listener won’t soon forget.
August 1-6, 2010
Bishop Dave Zellmer and Anna Madsen
"Easter, Hope, and Discipleship.”
Bishop David Zellmer and Anna Madsen team up again, this time to think
through Easter in ordinary Christian life. The promise of life can
affect our most common interactions, and even the uncommon ones.
Come consider with them the possibilities for stewarding hope and
freedom in the light of the empty tomb.
Bishop David B. Zellmer has served congregations across South Dakota for more than a quarter of a century. A graduate of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, Zellmer was ordained in 1981 and began his ministry in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Wherever he has served, he has earned a reputation for reaching out to the community as a whole, not just to Lutheran congregations, and for his presence in both civic and religious arenas.
Anna Madsen is Director of OMG: Center for Theological Conversation; writer; wife to Reynold Nesiba, professor of Economics at Augustana College; and mom to Karl (8) and Else (6). Before that, she taught on the religion faculty at Augustana; received a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology in Regensburg, Germany; and served as a pastor in Badger, South Dakota, from 1996 to 1999. She earned her M.Div. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and her B.A. from St. Olaf in 1991 with a degree in English.
Dakota Road
For over 20 years Dakota Road has been sharing original songs of faith that connect deeply with the struggles and hopes of both our local and global families. Larry Olson and Karol Baer will be doing what they do best at family camp: creating music and sharing stories that bring people together. They have a passion for justice, a vision for the church and neighborhood as welcoming places and a heartfelt belief that everyone has something to offer the community and the world.
August 8-13, 2010
Margie Fiedler and Kathy Hunstad
“Living the Joy of Abundant Life Amidst the Tension of Life’s Demands”
Spending time at Outlaw Ranch allows us to slow down a bit. Together we’ll explore what Christ means in John 10:10b, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” How do we care for the earth, those we love, strangers and ourselves? What are the voices of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ in our lives? How do we find balance and joy amidst the tensions of life? As we explore what these questions and more mean for our lives, we’ll engage in a variety of ways through conversation, Bible study, activities and fun.
Kathy Hunstad has been Director of Youth Ministry for 21 years at Trinity Lutheran Church and she teaches a class related to Church Professions each semester at Concordia College, both in Moorhead, Minnesota. She is married to David and has 3 children, Ellie, Nels, and Bjorn.
Margie P. Fiedler serves the church as Associate Vice President of Marketing for the ELCA’s Mission Investment Fund (MIF), serving the six synods in Region 1. Stewardship, youth, camping, hospitality, and global mission, are among her passions. She has also served as Associate to the Bishop, EWA-ID Synod for nine years, focusing on estate gift planning, and has worked in camping for over 20 years, including as Executive Director for Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, Lutherhaven, Idaho, and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio. Margie has written curriculum for Augsburg Fortress, and likes to hike, ski, canoe, read, travel, bake, and be with her husband Al, son Jesse, 17, and daughter Mica, 10.
The River's Voice
The River's Voice is comprised of Trish and Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, independent musicians and leaders from Strawberry Point, Iowa. Trish is a spiritual director, trained in St. Paul, and currently directing her own training program, Spirations Institute for Interspiritual Formation. Richard is a publisher of post-modern worship songs, liturgist and worship leader at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This will be their 10th summer at Outlaw.