The purpose of this organization is to teach the skills and appreciation of camping to youth and adults in a primitive setting.
The Star Lake site is one square mile of pristine beauty that includes all of one lake, parts of three others, and a wonderful beach and swimming area. Campers experience awe as they are immersed in this setting of lakes, trees, trails, outdoor activities, and a group camping experience. As they reflect upon the beauty here and their experiences with one another, campers come to a deeper understanding of what this means for them as they live each day.
Campers live in the woods in “family groups” of ten to fifteen campers and two or three counselors. The group is responsible for all their own camp chores, such as cooking their food over a fire, washing dishes after meals, cutting firewood, and maintaining their campsite. By working together campers learn about serving one another firsthand.
Mornings each family group is involved in a wide variety of activities such as hiking to a bog, improving their camp site, or group building games at our TAC course (Low Ropes Course.)Afternoons the entire camp spends on the beach. Evenings are dedicated to camp-wide activities such as campfires, hikes, and games. During each week most groups take a one day canoe trip down the nearby paddle-friendly Pine River.
Senior high campers register as Service Staff and are on site for two weeks. During the morning they do camp chores in the kitchen and woods. They are also on the beach in the afternoon, with their own adventure programming during the evenings.
The Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church decided to cease operating the camp after the 2012 camping season. A group of dedicated volunteers has formed Star Lake Camp, Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation, that will operate the camp. The new leadership will not be associated with the United Methodist Church.
In this new age of Star Lake the camp will be offering a wide range of opportunities for groups to come and develop programming that uses this natural setting as a teaching tool.