Ambassadors!

I have been spending a portion of time recently looking into the Lutherlyn Ambassador Program.  This program has existed informally from the time Lutherlyn began in the 1940's.  The term "Lutherlyn Ambassador" has been found in some old documents I found when rummaging through our piles of archives. But it wasn't until 1987 when the Ambassador Program was formalized and a training weekend was established to gather the ambassadors together annually.

From there Ambassadors have been an integral part of many congregations through Western PA.  Thanks to their dedication to camp and desire to share opportunities available through the ministry of Lutherlyn, many new people have experienced the "Life-Changing Adventure in Faith" found here.

When coming back to Lutherlyn in January, an Ambassador training day was scheduled in the calendar for early February.  I was informed that the Ambassador program might need some direct attention.  In doing some research on the subject I came to find that the program had reached a plateau in terms of growth and effectiveness.  Many Ambassadors were not in contact with Lutherlyn and therefore were not receiving updated news and information.  Some ambassadors roles appeared to only be the one to make sure that the direct mailers we send to the churches find there way to the church bulletin board.

From these discoveries it was decided that the annual training weekend be scrapped and a season of retooling the program be initiated with the goal of starting fresh in 2013.

Some goals have been set to assure that the retooled Ambassador Program will raise its rate of effectiveness and awareness of Lutherlyn will increase proportionately.

First, the Ambassador Program needs a more defined presence among the plethora of programs already occurring at Lutherlyn.  It was determined that there was a need for branding.  Thanks to our media intern, Jon Miller, an Ambassador Program logo was designed.  In addition to the logo a webpage was added to the website to promote program.  Thus the Ambassador Webpage was designed and made live.

 Next, a roll call was needed to re-establish lines of communication with past ambassadors and reach out to new and interested ambassadors and congregations.  Outdated lists of past ambassadors and potential individuals were all that were available.  E-mails and letters were sent asking for contact information updates.  To date, the response has been promising!

Now, a close look is being made into the Ambassador manual given and used for the training weekend.  This revision of the manual will hopefully help the Ambassador Program obtain tools that will enable them to be an effective representative of Lutherlyn to their home congregations.  Ideas are being bounced around with the intention to give the program a focus and provide empowerment to promote Lutherlyn practically.

This season of retooling will hopefully result in equipped Ambassadors in tune with the pulse of Lutherlyn being sent out into congregations to establish, strengthen, and reconnect relationships for the benefit of God's Kingdom.

If you have been an ambassador in the past or would like to take part as a new Ambassador, please visit the Ambassador Webpage to complete the form at the bottom of the page.