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Making a difference for a child
Makes a difference in your life. Cabin leaders (counselors), lifeguards,
head chef, sous chef, kitchen assistants, health officer (nursing student, EMT, RN), maintenance staff … there are many paid experiences at Camp Concordia! Summer ministry staff receive 1-2 weeks of training including CPR & lifeguard certification (dependent on skills), housing and meals. You can build your resume while working a tremendously rewarding, incredibly challenging, and almost always life changing job. Have questions? Don't wait! Call Craig or Mary today at 616-754-3785. Dates of Employment
What is your goal? If you choose to be trained as a deep or shallow water lifeguard, and certify, you will receive additional weekly salary.
Salary
How Do I Apply?
Camp Concordia uses the NLOMA Summer Staff Profile. When you fill out the summer staff profile, select Camp Concordia as your 1st choice camp. We will contact you for an interview as soon as we receive your profile. Contact Dr. Craig "Doc" Oldenburg, Camp Concordia's Executive Director if you get stuck or have more questions.
It's never too late to apply. The earlier you apply the better, but give us a call - we often have last minute openings. 
Frequently Asked Questions
100% Worth It! We won’t kid you — working at camp can be emotionally and physically challenging, but it’s totally worth it! The long term rewards of a camp job are many. You’re investing your time in other people, building kids up, developing their self esteem, proving your work ethic, building a social network, and maybe even getting a head start on your career with an internship or resumé builder. Who will train me? Dr. Craig Oldenburg (Executive Director) and Mary Oldenburg (Assistant Director) have earned their Bachelor's degrees in education. Both are certified as Director's of Christian Education (DCE's) in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and Craig received his Masters Degree in Family Life Ministry and Doctorate of Ministry. Together, they have over 75 years of experience working with children, youth, young adults and families. Their experiences have been in schools, colleges, camps, and churches. You will be training and learning from experienced professionals in the field. Come with a willing heart to learn and you will be touched as you make a positive difference in the life of a child. What does FREE room and board consist of? Your room is a bed in one of our bunk house style cabins. You may be assigned to a different cabin depending on the housing needs for campers, but you will always have a place to stay. Board is 3 meals a day, including weekends (and occasional staff snacks). Staff with "limited" diets will need to supplement their meals. What are the hours worked? This is a tricky question to answer. Working at a camp is more of a lifestyle than working a job. The reality of camp is that you are spending time with campers and you are responsible for their well being the entire time they are with you. Where else can you develop your skills to build a resume with hands on leadership training? Where else can you make a positive difference in the life of a child at the same time? So, you may be serving in the kitchen, sharing stories with campers at the cabin, leading games or swimming in beautiful Half-Mile Lake, tubing with campers behind a speedboat, riding horses while you encourage campers on their horses, leading songs during worship on the beach or in the woods, eating, sleeping, hiking the trails helping kids discover nature, cleaning bathrooms, teaching kids how to canoe, sail, or kayak and more throughout your work time. The straight numbers answer is that you work up to 23 hours a day, 6 days a week (there is sleep time - knowing that a camper could tap you on the shoulder for an emergency). Program staff rally around the Cabin Leaders to make sure they get a good hour off each full day to get a good shower, rest, etc. The truth of the matter is, you work a lot and you do put in a lot of hours, but this paid experience is one that advances your career, builds your resume and develops your skills. The experience is rewarding and life changing. Trust us, the time will fly by! Do I work weekends? Staff agree to work 2 weekends throughout the summer. In the application process, you may request specific weekends off. The work schedule will be finalized and made available during staff training to provide as many staff the dates they have requested. What’s the weather like? Summers in central Michigan are incredible. June is typically in the 60’s and 70’s with chances of rain. July is in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s with a lot of sunshine to enhance your Chaco tan lines. What is the closest city? The closest city to Camp Concordia is Greenville, which is 10 miles away. This is a quaint town of about 9,000 people with the Flat River running through it, a network of bike trails and even a couple of challenging mountain bike trails. Also, Grand Rapids, MI (pop. 200,000) is about 45 minutes away. This is a prosperous and growing city. What does a typical week of camp look like? Typically, campers arrive on a Sunday afternoon and they leave after lunch on Friday. Weekend campers often arrive on Friday evening and leave after worship on Sunday morning. Your week, depending on your skills, could be helping to lead worship, teaching swim lessons, driving a boat for kids who are tubing, working on trails, creating and directing new games, teaching canoeing, facilitating challenge course, washing dishes, belaying the zip line, making pizza, eating, mopping the dining room, building a campfire, reading the Bible, leading Bible Adventures, playing guitar, leading songs, laughing with kids, sleeping, snacking during break, mowing the lawn, leading a hike and camping out under the stars. Important Links
Application REquirements
Positions STILL Available for 2023
- Position Openings still Available for 2023 (Click for Ministry Position descriptions)
What I owe to [the Inklings] is incalculable. Is there any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire? - C. S. Lewis, remembering his encouraging friendships 
Working at Camp Concordia has proven to be an extremely rewarding opportunity for me. The honor to help bring Christ to all of the campers was a very fulfilling experience. Throughout the summer, I witnessed my campers learning and growing in their faith. Not only was I able to teach the campers about how their faith applies to their life, but the campers also taught me so much about myself. I had the opportunity to gain experience as a Christian and as a person. My experience at Camp Concordia gave me the chance to learn numerous new skills that I will be able to use outside of camp. Goldfish (Luke Minnick - Bethany College Indiana) 
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As a Cabin Leader at Camp Concordia, I not only had the opportunity to see and facilitate growth in my campers, but I also got to grow myself. Over the summer, sharing Jesus became much more comfortable than it ever has been. I went to a public high school, so my faith was supposed to be kept quiet there, it got to the point where I had very little faith altogether. Over the summer this changed. My faith became a central part of my life because of the environment of camp. Furthermore, my professional skills increased. I learned how to communicate with others, and how to problem solve in order to accomplish my goals. My time at camp truly helped me to develop skills and a mindset which will be beneficial to my life outside of camp. Qu (Abby Yakimow - Concordia University Wisconsin) 
Camp Concordia summers never disappoint me. This summer (2022) I had the opportunity to be the Program Coordinator as well as the waterfront director. These jobs have given me so many skills that I could take with me in the future. I am studying to be a Director of Christian Education someday and this summer helped me grow tremendously in my leading skills. Most importantly I grew closer to Jesus. Camp has and will always hold a special place in my heart. Tallowah (Chloe Dahn - Concordia University Nebraska) 
Pastor Craig Bickel, Immanuel, Grand Rapids |
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Camp Concordia
13400 Pinewood St. NE Gowen, MI 49326 Office: 616.754.3785 General Inquiries: office@campconcordia.org |
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National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association
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