Dear Wilderness Canoe Base alumni and supporters,
I write this letter with a sad, yet deeply grateful heart to let you know that I have accepted a congregational call to serve as the Lead Pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Monticello, MN. My last day as Site Director of Wilderness Canoe Base will be May 16th, so I will not be serving the camp this summer.
The vocational call of ministry on my life has been played out in many unique ways over the last few years. With my time at Wilderness Canoe Base in the summer and at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church in the winter I have found blessing in sharing my time with many people serving God. This new opportunity at Resurrection gives my family fewer transitions throughout the year, but more importantly, it gives me the opportunity to preach, teach and celebrate the sacraments in a congregational setting year round.
My time at Wilderness Canoe Base has been absolutely fantastic. I have served with terrific people through trials and tribulations and we have weathered them together. It was in those times of trial that I saw God do miracles. I have been privileged serving at Wilderness during the 50th Anniversary, the Cavity Lake Fire and the Ham Lake Fire. I have understood my life's work at Wilderness through the story of Nehemiah. The place we love had been destroyed by fire, yet it's rebuilding was certain. But it is not the Jerusalem wall or the buildings on the islands that are God's glory. Instead it's the artisans, the wood workers, the jewelers - the alumni, the swampers, the youth and the staff who really had no business building a wall or a cabin - but they did. God has renewed and refined Wilderness, the property, through the fire with new buildings but He has renewed and refined me by showing His faithfulness in the hearts of His disciples. Know that this summer will be no different than ones before. God will still be at work amongst you and the camp you oversee.
I am sad to leave this ministry and this community. God, through you, has shaped me immensely. God, through you, has shaped the church and her youth immensely. God, through you, has shaped the future of those islands. The support of friends, past camper and alumni that Wilderness thrives on has been a relational example of Grace I have been privileged to steward. You have impressed me with your celebrations of 50 years of ministry. You have humbled me with your outpouring when the Base was in peril. You have mourned the loss of a number of past staff as a large family of faith. You have supported new leadership and management with Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp. God will bring the right person to steward you love and passion for Wilderness. I fully trust God, I trust Wapogasset, I trust the staff who will carry on at Wilderness long into the future and I trust you. You are the hearts and souls that have been the fabric of ministry woven together over the years. You are a huge part of what makes the tapestry of Wilderness beautiful.
I am sad not to continue the journey with you, but God is good and He is faithful. The work of ministry at Wilderness will never be done, so going forward continue to put your hearts, your prayers, and your financial support to the tasks that lie ahead and trust the God who has brought this ministry 50 years and beyond.
With Deep Respect and Love,
Pastor Jedidiah Scharmer
