About Camp Okoboji
In 1939, several pastors and lay persons of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod investigated the purchase of the 20-year old YWCA Camp on West Lake Okoboji. In 1940, their investigations paid off, and the 29-acre Camp was purchased for $15,000 in the name of the Iowa West Walther League Summer Camp Association. Now, years later as we celebrate the blessings God has given us, we realize what an influence the Camp has had on the hundreds of thousands of people who have crossed its bridge.
Mr. Ted Wolfram served as the first Camp Manager. His first task was to prepare the Camp for its dedication. All cabins were repaired and painted dark brown with white trim, as they remain today. Over 1,000 people turned out for the dedication on June 2, 1940.
As the Board of Governors was meeting on December 7, 1941, and discussing an administration building, a call came in to inform them of the bombing at Pearl Harbor. The meeting was immediately adjourned.
During World War II, the Board of Governors at Camp Okoboji proposed the use of the Camp as a boarding facility for the United States Army to support the pilot training program in Milford. This proposal was never activated, as other sites were utilized.
In 1951, no one showed up for the Annual Meeting–the invitation and announcement was supposed to appear in the District Pages of The Lutheran Witness, but because of the railroad strike, the magazine wasn’t delivered!
In 1952, plans to proceed with the Chapel project were underway. Memorial Chapel was built at 120 feet long with a 400 person seating capacity. It was used for worship and as a gathering facility for all Camp events until its last service on August 29, 1976.
New buildings and facilities were constantly being planned and constructed, from the time of purchase until the present time as we continue to update the Camp.
In 1947, the recreation hall (basement) under the Dining Hall was constructed, with dedication in 1953. The Dining Hall floor was raised 3 feet, with the intent to get the entire building off the slope. After it was raised, a basement was constructed under it.
In 1952, the Crafts Building was built, and in 1955, construction of the New Store (now Deuteronomy) cost $2,000.
Between 1958 and 1959, Weber (a multi-unit facility) was built and dedicated. It was named in honor of the Reverend A.C. Weber from Hartley, IA, who gave much preliminary direction toward the purchase of the Camp.
Memorial Hall (now Joppa Hall) was built in the winter of 1966-67.
Blue print plans for the new multi-purpose facility began in the early 1970s. The Christian Life Center was built from those thoughts, though not the original plans, and dedicated on June 19, 1977, under Manager Mark Wehrspann.
Breezy Point cabin (now Ecclesiastes) and property was purchased in 1976, and the Hansen House (now Exodus) was moved onto Camp’s property in 1982.
The new Marflow, Meyer, Immanuel, and Lake View (now Numbers) cabins have all been built since 1990.
Genesis cabin was donated by the Jensen Family in 2001.
Leviticus was built in 2009 and replaced the old Mt. Vernon cabin.
The Family Center (3-season picnic shelter) was built in 2015-2016.
The Discover Center was built in 2016-2017 and replaced the old Crafts building.
New year round Samuel cabin replaced the summer Samuel rental in winter 2018-2019.
Dorm Cabins are being converted to 3 season dorms, adding showers and AC/Heating units.
Camp’s largest group facility, Bats Roost (now Bethel Retreat Center), was completed in 1992 and has a 96-person sleeping capacity. An original Bats Roost burned in 1968. It was replaced with a 36-bed dormitory–this section is the anchor unit for the present facility.
Camp Okoboji has been blessed with dedicated service by volunteers and staff for all of its 79 years of existence. The residence on Camp for the full-time Maintenance Position is named the Juhl House (now Solomon) in honor of Mr. Wilbur Juhl, who served as the Camp Manager for 20 years. This cabin is now available as a Family Ministry rental.
Mrs. Dora Seegers was honored in 1974 for her 25 years of service to Camp Okoboji as cook in the Dining Hall Kitchen.
Ms. Ginny DeWall served Camp Okoboji as the Dining Hall Hostess and Head of Housekeeping, with 48 consecutive summers spent at the Camp. Ginny passed away in February of 2004. In 1996, the Dining Hall was re-dedicated as the Ginny DeWall Dining Hall in honor of her many years of service.
Many changes have taken place at Camp Okoboji since its dedication in 1940. The Camp now operates year-round, with very few weekend dates left open in the months of fall, winter, and spring. Families, gatherings, congregation boards and auxiliaries, congregation groups, business meetings, and weddings are just a few of the events that are held in the Camp’s facilities. The winter sleeping capacity is approximately 290, using Bethel Retreat Center, Joppa Hall and thirteen winterized housekeeping units.
Camp Okoboji now has a 9 member Board of Directors, consisting of three pastors, one commissioned minister, and five laypersons. Mr. Scott Ebel serves as Chairman of the Board. All members have been elected at the Annual Meeting which is always held on the first Saturday after Easter.
In 1988, the spouses of the board members created the Camp Okoboji Auxiliary. The Auxiliary completes several projects each year, with their large fund raising event being the annual Quilt Auction, which began in 1994.
Past and present Camp managers/directors:
Ted Wolfram (1940-1943)
Walt Boedeker (1944-1946)
Martin Kallsen (1947-1949)
Wilbur Juhl (1949-1969)
Fred Tanner (1969-1970)
John Oatman (1970)
Mark Wehrspann (1970-1979) first full-time, year-round manager
Jim McCrea (1980-1983)
Joe Fokken (1983-1988) title changed from manager to director
Reverend James Wolfram (interim manager in 1988)
Doug Kading (1988-2018)
Kirk Warnke (2018 – 2024)
Adam Hengeveld (2024-Present)
Statement of Belief
Camp Okoboji Lutheran Association (Camp Okoboji) is part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS or Synod). The LCMS is a mission-oriented and Bible-based denomination that confesses the historic, orthodox Christian faith in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a faith built on “the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God, who created all that exists; became man to suffer, die and rise again for the world’s redemption; and brings people to faith and new life through His Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – are coequal and coeternal, one God.
LCMS Recognized Service Organizations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod, and, although diverse in many ways, all hold to a shared confession of Jesus
Christ as taught in Holy Scripture. We believe without reservation that the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament are the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice. In addition, the Synod accepts without reservation the writings contained in the Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Believing in the authority of Holy Scriptures and that the Lutheran Confessions are a correct interpretation and presentation of biblical doctrine, our organizations agree to conform all their teaching and practice to the Scriptures and the Confessions.
The Synod “is not an ecclesiastical government, exercising legislative or coercive powers” (LCMS Constitution, Article VII) concerning its member ministries. However, the voluntary association of member ministries includes their agreement to respect and uphold (Bylaw 1.7.2.,1.8.1.) decisions (resolutions) made by the Synod in its national conventions regarding the understanding of the teachings of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions and practices that are consistent with such teaching. The Synod in convention is the “principle legislative assembly” of the LCMS (Bylaw 3.1.1.) and its resolutions and statements are the position of the Synod in matters of doctrine and life. The Constitution and Bylaws of the LCMS provide specific guidance for the implementation and supervision of the teaching and practice of its members (ministries and rostered church workers).
Ministries of the LCMS, while upholding teachings and practices that are consistent with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions and while honoring Synod convention resolutions, are self-governed and establish policies based on local circumstance and expediency. An LCMS ministry operates according to its own constitution and bylaws – which are required by the Synod Bylaws to be reviewed by the District through which the organization holds membership in the Synod and therein establishes an orderly way of making decisions and determines which individuals or entities in the ministry will have authority to act on behalf of the ministry in specific circumstances. The Constitution and Bylaws of Camp Okoboji Lutheran Association govern our decision-making and policies.
Statement on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality:
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Gen, 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that the term marriage has only one meaning: the lifelong union of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen. 2:18-25), a gift to be held in honor and kept pure (Heb. 13:4; 1 Thess. 4:2-5). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matt. 15:18-20; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Camp Okoboji as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Camp Okoboji constituents and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Camp Okoboji in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement of Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11).
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Camp Okoboji.
Statement of Final Authority for Matters of Faith and Conduct:
This is answered in paragraphs 2-4 above; the Bylaws of Camp Okoboji Lutheran Association state that ‘The business transactions and policies of this corporation shall be governed by a Board of nine (9) Directors’ (Article 3.1.1.) and the Board of Directors shall ‘set policies to continue the mission and ministry of Camp Okoboji’ (Article 3.8.2.G.).
Statement on the Sanctity of Human Life:
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Ps. 139).
A Special Note on Gender Identity and Sexuality
Some may wonder what our beliefs and policies are regarding gender identity and sexuality. We believe that God created man and woman, male and female, as distinct and complementary beings, designed to be in relationship with each other in reflection of the spiritual relationship that exists between Christ and His Church. As a result of this, we house campers according to birth sex and seek to help campers know their true identity in Christ. When conversations occur on these topics among other campers, we affirm what we believe with all campers participating. We want to meet all campers first and primarily with grace and compassion and remind them of the hope offered to them through Jesus and the truth found in God’s Word to live as we are called, not by our feelings. If these are areas you are concerned about for your camper, we encourage you to call our office for a personal conversation before their arrival at camp.