Newspaper Page Text
July 13, 2022
Page 7A
/Reporter
Camp Kaleo welcomes new director
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Luke Foster has what
might be considered a
dream job, and he ac
knowledges that he had
thought of it as his dream
job long before it became
his reality. He manages
a 318-acre campground
with a 29-acre lake sur
rounded by miles of
walking trails through
hardwood forests and
other amenities, like a
beautiful swimming pool
and a ropes course, and he
lives onsite.
Hundreds of children,
young adults and older
adults come to his camp
ground each year to revive
themselves spiritually and
physically in Gods natural
setting. Foster works with
a camp staff that he enjoys
and values, from the
youth leaders to the camp
cooks.
Foster accepted the posi
tion of director at Camp
Kaleo on Old Zebulon
Road in Monroe County
on Sept. 1,2021. He could
hardly have been more
prepared for the posi
tion, having worked at
Kaleo for four summers
as a youth leader and then
as a student minister at
nearby Maynard Baptist
Church for a year. He also
returned to Kaleo as a
weekend facilitator in the
intervals and helped with
Spring training and with
building the ropes course.
Foster worked as Event
Coordinator of Shocco
Springs Baptist Confer
ence Center in Talladega
for the last eight years.
Shocco Springs is operat
ed by the Georgia Baptist
Mission Board as is Kaleo.
He has written Christian
fiction novels and stories
for children. Foster met
his wife, Melody, at Shoc
co Springs in 2015. They
were married in the fall
of 2018 and will welcome
their first child home to
Kaleo this September.
Foster is taking the reins
as Kaleos director from
Mike Flowers, who had
been the camps direc
tor for 19 years. Foster
said Flowers has been
his friend and mentor
for years and officiated at
his wedding. Foster said
he knows Kaleo “like the
back of my hand” and
knows most of the staff.
Fosters responsibilities
are different at Kaleo from
what they were at Shocco
Springs, which has a ca
pacity of 1,200 overnight
guests compared to about
190 at Kaleo. There would
be 7-10 different groups
at Shocco Springs at the
same time, whereas there
are normally only one or
two groups at Kaleo at a
given time. There were
five event coordinators
at Shocco Springs who
alternated responsibility
for a given week, whereas
he is the only director at
Kaleo.
Foster said he is learning
different aspects of his job
as well as navigating the
return of activities after
the pandemic. He said day
camps and church group
bookings have returned to
near pre-pandemic levels,
but overnight camp has
been slower to return. He
said most of the overnight
campers now come from
the Forsyth and Macon
area. He hopes to see
more campers return
from around the state
because he has seen what
an impact the overnight
program can have, espe
cially on youth.
“It’s one of the things
we do best,” said Forster.
“I want to be sure we are
utilizing all that we have.”
Foster grew up in north
Georgia, in Fannin Coun
ty, attended Young Harris
College, transferred to
University of Georgia
and earned his Bachelors
degree. His mother still
lives in Fannin County;
his father passed away
last year. His wife’s family
lives in the Oxford, Ala.
and Mobile, Ala. areas. He
and his wife are eagerly
awaiting the arrival of
baby Charley, predicted
for Sept. 19.
“This is a good place
for him to grow up,” said
Foster.
Melody is a photogra
pher and videographer
and has a kiosk at the
Makers Mart next to
the Old Mill Market in
Forsyth. Foster said he
feels the leaders of For
syth and Monroe County
are doing their jobs well
as evidenced by how the
community is thriving. He
said he enjoyed the over
view of the community he
got when he participated
in the Board of Educa
tion’s summer camp fair
last spring.
Foster said it is impor
tant for Kaleo to keep a
strong relationship with
Monroe County. School
groups continue to use
the camp, like the end of
the year celebration for
Monroe County Middle
School. Kaleo is operated
by the Georgia Baptist
Mission Board and ad
heres to Baptist theology,
but the camp welcomes
others. Since Foster has
been at Kaleo there have
been Wesleyan, Presbyte
rian and Apostolic groups,
for example. At Shocco
Springs he had opportuni
ties to work with groups
of other cultures, includ
ing Korean, Hispanic,
Nigerian and Kenyan.
Day camps bring 50-60
campers to Kaleo each
day, many of whom don’t
have a church back
ground. One of Foster’s
jobs is to recruit the 25
summer staffers, which
involves speaking at col
leges. He has two summer
missionaries from Baptist
Collegiate Ministries
(BCM) this summer and
wants to continue a rela
tionship with BCM.
Summer staffers take
on new names while at
camp, and many staffers
know Foster as “Finn,” his
camp name. He said his
heart is in the front lines
of ministry, but as director
he must step back and let
others fulfill much of this
mission.
“It’s tougher in some
ways than I expected, but
it’s been good,” said Fos
ter. “A lot of doors have
opened. I know He wants
me to be here.”
Foster has designed
a new logo for Kaleo,
based on Encounter-
Grow-Share. He said it is
wonderful when campers
encounter Christ at Kaleo,
but staff is also there to
help them grow and deal
with whatever is hap
pening in their lives and
also to help them be able
to share their faith and
strength with others.
“It’s what Kaleo has al
ways been about, but were
putting it out there as
what we do,” said Foster.
“Were about life change
and growth.”
Camp Kaleo was estab
lished in 1986. “Kaleo” is
from a Greek word mean
ing “called ones.”
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