Lutheran Island Camp & Retreat Center – Summer Camps
Christ Serve Ranch, 45011 230th St., Henning, MN 56551
About
Lutheran Island Camp & Retreat Center – Summer Camps offers activities such as archery, canoeing, hatchet throwing, gaga ball, swim time, campfires, cookouts, Bible studies, and canteen time. Campers may take part in all camp games, Water Olympics, arts and crafts, campfire devotions, song time, morning singing, ultimate frisbee, parachute games, and swimming. Some programs include caring for and riding a horse, cooking food over the fire, pitching a tent, building forts, doing experiments, family time, creating beautiful works of art, a canoe trip through the chain of lakes starting at East Battle Lake, and fishing on East Battle Lake.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Price: Family Camp pricing: 13 & up: $380/week or $80/night; 8-12: $325/week or $70/night; 3-7: $215/week or $45/night; 2 & under: No charge.
Beginner Horse Camp is for children who would like to learn to ride and includes learning about caring for and riding a horse, while Beginner Horse Camp Weekend is specifically for campers who have never ridden before and would like to learn. Intermediate Horse Camp is for children who have some experience riding and is suited for campers who have attended Beginner Horse Camp in the past, and Advanced Horse Camp is for experienced riders who can tack their horse by themselves, control their horse without help from the wrangler, have experience cantering or loping, and are ready to learn to gallop. Splash Camp keeps campers in the water all day and includes Lutheran Island Camp’s Water Olympics, and Weekend Survivor Camp at Christ Serve Ranch involves roughing it by learning to cook food over the fire, pitch a tent, and build forts. Science Camp weekend focuses on learning how to observe like a scientist and doing experiments, and Outpost Camp has campers stay in brand-new teepees at Christ Serve Ranch, cook their meals over the fire, and go on a canoe trip through the chain of lakes starting at East Battle Lake. Little Lambs and Sheep Camp is offered to parents and their children with a relaxed schedule focused on spending quality time together and learning about Jesus, and for this camp adults must be registered first before registering the child. Art Camp is led by trained art teacher Lynne Van Hale-White, and campers spend activity times creating beautiful works of art, with 2–3 hours each day expected for working on projects. Family Campers are largely in charge of their schedule and can choose activities such as ultimate frisbee or spending the whole day at the beach, and Weekend Fishing Camp allows participants to bring their own equipment or pay an extra $20 to receive equipment from Lutheran Island Camp to use for the weekend and take home.
Campers spend the week in age-appropriate cabin groups. The camp’s mission is to nourish the whole person for joyful, Christ-centered life and service, and it seeks to excel in connecting people to God’s Word, his creation, and one another by encouraging healthy relationships and fostering an environment of love, forgiveness, and celebration. The camp’s atmosphere is described as Christ-centered and action packed, with a wide range of activities and experiences that empower children to get out of their comfort zone and learn something new.
In 1949, Pastor R.L. Bode and a group of pastors worked to purchase the Island, then called “Bald Island,” for $15,500 so it could serve as a summer camp for youth, and the first summer youth camp on the Island was held in 1952. In its early years, the camp operated for about 10 weeks each summer and then closed down, and it now operates year-round and provides programs and services to hundreds of people every year. Lutheran Island Camp always welcomes involvement such as serving as a Camp ambassador in a local congregation, helping with projects on-site, donating quilts to the annual quilt auction, and supporting the camp through financial giving and prayers.
Last updated February 21, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Price: Family Camp pricing: 13 & up: $380/week or $80/night; 8-12: $325/week or $70/night; 3-7: $215/week or $45/night; 2 & under: No charge.
Beginner Horse Camp is for children who would like to learn to ride and includes learning about caring for and riding a horse, while Beginner Horse Camp Weekend is specifically for campers who have never ridden before and would like to learn. Intermediate Horse Camp is for children who have some experience riding and is suited for campers who have attended Beginner Horse Camp in the past, and Advanced Horse Camp is for experienced riders who can tack their horse by themselves, control their horse without help from the wrangler, have experience cantering or loping, and are ready to learn to gallop. Splash Camp keeps campers in the water all day and includes Lutheran Island Camp’s Water Olympics, and Weekend Survivor Camp at Christ Serve Ranch involves roughing it by learning to cook food over the fire, pitch a tent, and build forts. Science Camp weekend focuses on learning how to observe like a scientist and doing experiments, and Outpost Camp has campers stay in brand-new teepees at Christ Serve Ranch, cook their meals over the fire, and go on a canoe trip through the chain of lakes starting at East Battle Lake. Little Lambs and Sheep Camp is offered to parents and their children with a relaxed schedule focused on spending quality time together and learning about Jesus, and for this camp adults must be registered first before registering the child. Art Camp is led by trained art teacher Lynne Van Hale-White, and campers spend activity times creating beautiful works of art, with 2–3 hours each day expected for working on projects. Family Campers are largely in charge of their schedule and can choose activities such as ultimate frisbee or spending the whole day at the beach, and Weekend Fishing Camp allows participants to bring their own equipment or pay an extra $20 to receive equipment from Lutheran Island Camp to use for the weekend and take home.
Campers spend the week in age-appropriate cabin groups. The camp’s mission is to nourish the whole person for joyful, Christ-centered life and service, and it seeks to excel in connecting people to God’s Word, his creation, and one another by encouraging healthy relationships and fostering an environment of love, forgiveness, and celebration. The camp’s atmosphere is described as Christ-centered and action packed, with a wide range of activities and experiences that empower children to get out of their comfort zone and learn something new.
In 1949, Pastor R.L. Bode and a group of pastors worked to purchase the Island, then called “Bald Island,” for $15,500 so it could serve as a summer camp for youth, and the first summer youth camp on the Island was held in 1952. In its early years, the camp operated for about 10 weeks each summer and then closed down, and it now operates year-round and provides programs and services to hundreds of people every year. Lutheran Island Camp always welcomes involvement such as serving as a Camp ambassador in a local congregation, helping with projects on-site, donating quilts to the annual quilt auction, and supporting the camp through financial giving and prayers.
Last updated February 21, 2026.
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