06/06/2026
"On the Fourth of July of 2025" by Carolyn Draper, Director of Camps at Lutherhill Ministries
On the Fourth of July in 2025, I received several panicked texts from friends checking on my well-being. I was confused at first, and then I read the news. We were on our way home from family camp at Lutherhill. Like many parents, my heart ached imagining what the parents of Camp Mystic’s girls were going through. Like many people who have been counselors at summer camp, my heart broke for the young people working at that camp. Why would anyone want to work at a summer camp, let alone send their child, when such tragedies are possible?
I grieved for those whose lives were lost, for those left without their loved ones, and for so many others outside of camp who lost lives and homes or were left with a future laced with trauma. I grieved for those who love summer camp and now question that love. I grieved for the many other camps that would face another very hard year if they planned to continue operating, and for those whose trust is now broken, possibly beyond repair.
Read more at https://gulfcoastsynod.org/gulf-connections/2026/05/23/on-the-fourth-of-july-of-2025/.
