Men in Mission organization and Gloria from her work in the Synod office under former Bishops David Donges and Herman Yoos.

“Attending” and “Participating” in church

However, it’s the realization that important ministry happens outside the physical walls of a church that initially introduced Heber and Gloria to the South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers over 45 years ago.

“We have both been active in the church all our lives,” shared Heber. “While we were in living in Texas, we had the good fortune of being charter members of a mission congregation – which is really the greatest church experience we’ve ever had. That’s when I learned the difference between attending church and participating in church. But still, most of our participation was limited to just being within that congregation.”

“When we moved back to South Carolina, I was approached by a neighboring pastor who said they were looking for someone to lead the local Lutheran Men’s conference. I knew that the organization had a winter retreat at Camp Kinard, but I had never been. I thought, ‘If I’m going to be a conference president, I guess I should go’. I had also gotten some information about attending a board meeting after the retreat…and I didn’t even know I was supposed to be on the statewide Lutheran Men’s board!”

Heber ended up staying for the entire retreat at Camp Kinard and shared that the one thing he’ll never forget was how enthused the elder members of the board were about work being done in mission congregations across the state.

“Having just come from a mission congregation, that really resonated with me. That retreat in 1979 at Camp Kinard laid the seeds for me to realize and see that Church is a lot more than just Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cameron – that important ministry continues to happen outside the walls of each congregation.”

A Place to Retreat

“To me, Camp Kinard has always been a place to rest, to meditate, and just be away from the world, shared Gloria. “I think it’s so important for everyone, especially the youth of today, to have a place to ‘retreat’ from the craziness going on around them.”

“We both talk about how we got our starts in Lutheran Men in Mission and the Women of the ELCA organizations at Camp Kinard,” shared Heber, “but it was at Coastal Retreat that we’ve built some of the longest lasting relationships that we’ve had within our larger church family.”

“Experiences at Camp Kinard with the churchwide women was where I also received training in leadership,” shared Gloria, “which eventually lead me to becoming mayor in Cameron. I never would have dreamed I could have done something like that without those past experiences there.”

Why we support the South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers

“We support SCLRC’s ministry because we realize the lasting value of church camps, the building of relationships there, and how so many of our church leaders have discerned their calls at special places like this. It’s something we both think is so important.” Along with countless others, Heber and Gloria have also dreamed for many years for Camp Kinard to have a designated chapel as a place set aside for worship. “At the present time, I know that dream is becoming a reality,” said Gloria, “and I can be a part of bringing the campaign project to completion!!”

“I think everyone ought to urge their congregations to take more advantage of the opportunities that are there at the South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers,” shared Heber. “This is an important ministry within the SC Synod and I think it’s equally important to finally get a chapel built here, too!”