By Dani Hatfield, Director of Marketing
When Pr. Wayne and Trudie Jarvis arrived in Nebraska in 1979, Carol Joy Holling Camp looked very different than it does today.
There were no retreat centers, no cabins or yurts, and no soaring zip lines across the lake. That first summer, 338 campers stayed in tents, tipis, and covered wagons while a staff of just 13 people worked together to launch a new chapter of Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries.
Wayne saw something special in the rolling hills outside of Ashland. He often spoke of the site’s “fabulous potential” to serve the people of Nebraska, and he dedicated himself to helping build that vision from the ground up.
This spring, NLOM honored Pr. Wayne and Trudie with the Faith Award at the 2026 Heart of Camp Gala, recognizing the lasting impact of their leadership, vision, and faithful service.
Before coming to Nebraska, the Jarvises had already spent 14 years serving Lutheran Outdoor Ministry programs in Texas and the Pacific Northwest. But the opportunity to help shape an entirely new camp ministry was something they simply could not pass up.
“They both believed deeply in the power of outdoor ministry,” their son Dave Jarvis shared during the Gala tribute video. “They saw this as a great opportunity to share all that they knew with a brand new community.”
The Jarvises were instrumental in establishing the culture and foundation of camp during those early years. Wayne oversaw programming and operations while Trudie managed food service and hospitality.
“The early years were great, but they were not easy,” Dave shared. “My parents made a lot of personal sacrifices for the ministry. We used to say they could stretch a nickel farther than anybody else.”
Still, they approached every challenge with faith and determination. Their goal was never simply to operate a camp. They wanted to create what Dave described as “a safe and sacred place” where campers, staff, congregations, and church leaders could encounter the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
That vision continues to shape camp today.
Many longtime camp traditions trace back to those earliest years under the Jarvis family’s leadership: from the village system still used in summer camp programming to the beloved “cuppies.”
While the facilities and programs have evolved over the decades, the heart of camp remains the same: a place where people can belong, grow in faith, and experience community in a setting apart from everyday life.
The impact of camp ministry also extended deeply into the Jarvis family itself.
Dave Jarvis served on summer staff and worked as Program Director during Carol Joy Holling Camp’s first two summers. It was during his second summer, the summer of 1980, that he met his wife, Nellie, while they served on staff together.
Years later, Dave would continue the family’s outdoor ministry legacy when he became Executive Director of Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Colorado, serving there from 1989 to 2025. Looking back, he credits those formative summers at Carol Joy Holling Camp with helping prepare him for a lifetime in ministry.
“Camp became part of the DNA of our family.” – Dave Jarvis
Today, more than four decades after Wayne and Trudie first arrived in Nebraska, the ministry they helped establish continues to positively impact thousands of lives each year through summer camps, retreats, outdoor education, and faith formation experiences.
Their legacy lives on not only in the physical spaces at camp, but also in the countless campers and staff members who have discovered faith, friendship, belonging, and purpose there.
As Dave reflected during the Gala, Pr. Wayne and Trudie never sought recognition for their work. “They did it out of faith and out of love—for the ministry and for the people they served.”
And because of that faithful foundation, generations continue to experience the life-impacting power of camp ministry today.
