New Community Wins Award

Camp Mount Luther’s CaTALSYT faith community was recognized as this year’s Innovative Program Award winner for Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, a nationwide network of outdoor ministry organizations. CaTAYLYST launched in September and is a faith community designed and led by young adult volunteers.

CaTALYST seeks to form an intentional community that gathers in love and cultivates relationships in the way of Jesus. As a community, they seek to support and empower one another as they shape themselves and the world for the better. It features daily, weekly, and monthly engagement both in-person and online through Discord. These fellowship opportunities are centered on community building and faith development. They include dinner church, service projects and Bible study and game night online.

In accepting the award, Rev. James Vitale, associate director, said, “The connections we make with youth and young adults at summer camp are temporary. Campers and staff come together for a week or the summer and then go their separate ways. And yet we know campers and summer staff long to carry this community with them throughout the year. So, we asked ourselves, what if we could do just that? What if we could create a year-round faith community here at Camp Mount Luther? We are working with a team of young adult staff to develop this new community and already we are seeing the joy and excitement that comes with a new community centered on Jesus.