From the Board of Directors:

God’s creative and gracious love is a gift of grace promised to all -- without limits and without exceptions. In response to our radically/wonderfully inclusive God, Calumet Lutheran Ministries is a place where all may encounter the joy and wonder of God’s great creation.

God creates people with great diversity including race, ability, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class. God takes on a body in Jesus Christ, and in so doing deems all bodies holy. Calumet celebrates our God-given diversity and affirms that every body is made in God’s image -- beautifully and wonderfully made. We honor, respect, celebrate, and foster diversity: valuing the gifts of each member of our community. We continually seek to build and expand our community through programs of outreach and partnership; and, we continually seek to build and expand our awareness of and knowledge about our siblings in Christ through continuing education and training.

Calumet confesses that racism, sexism, ableism, and homophobia/queerphobia are sins that divide God’s creation. We acknowledge the church’s role in perpetuating these sins, and we commit ourselves to removing them from our community. With our commitment to celebrate diversity, we likewise commit to welcome especially those whom society marginalizes. We acknowledge that this work is never complete, and we likewise commit to ongoing reexamination, education, and reformation for greater inclusion.

In that spirit, Calumet clearly and deliberately invites people of all genders and sexual identities and resolves itself to ensure their safety, well-being, and integrity.

Calumet specifically invites people of color and resolves itself to ensure their safety, well-being, and integrity.

Calumet invites people of all abilities and resolves itself to ensure their safety, well-being, and integrity. Calumet is a place where you can be yourself, and we delight in who you are.

Calumet is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) ministry. RIC is a designation Lutheran congregations and institutions receive after going through a thorough self-evaluation and self-examination. Though Calumet has been a welcoming landing spot for young adults for decades, it was important for Calumet to go through "The RIC Process." Calumet is one of the first camps in the ELCA to become an RIC camp/retreat center.

Every year, our Staff participates in training related to LGBTQIA+ inclusion.  

Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community is a matter of identity. It is no different than saying you are Lutheran or you are from New Hampshire. However, we understand that talking about what you do sexually is inappropriate regardless of sexual orientation. While we encourage everyone to be their authentic self, we also make sure our staff are educated on boundaries when it comes to certain areas of anyone’s personal life.

We believe pronouns and inclusive language are an important way to ensure everyone feels welcome and respected. Campers and staff share their pronouns during registration and the hiring process, and staff uniforms now include pronoun ID tags. Gender-neutral language is used across camp, including in cheers, songs, and updated signage, while living quarters and bathrooms have been renamed to exclude gender references. While we are flexible with living assignments and bathroom choices, safety, privacy, and inclusivity remain central to all decisions.