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| Mike (left of center, back row) and Nadine “Dee Dee” Ogden (center, middle row), the honorees at the second annual Camp Fancy Gala, are pictured with many camp friends made throughout their 40+ years serving at Camp Penn. |
Words of deep appreciation for all who came and generously supported SUSUMC Camp and Retreat Ministry at our Second Camp Fancy Gala. Your time and gifts were so very much appreciated. A special thanks to our honorees Mike and Dee Dee Ogden for their years of leadership and inspiration among young people seeking a deeper connection with God and the way of love.
Join us in celebrating that our donors and sponsors surpassed the Camp Fancy Gala goal and raised over $36,000 in ministry support and scholarships! This money directly supports the mission and ministry of our beloved Camp and Retreat Ministry.
We offer our deepest gratitude to our event sponsors: Aldersgate UMC (Mechanicsburg); Beaver Memorial UMC (Lewisburg); Calvary UMC (Harrisburg); Cardinal Cree; First UMC (Mechanicsburg); Graham Company; Hess, Hanna & Associates; and Strock Enterprises, Inc.
Nadine (or “Dee Dee” as her family and camp family call her) heard her call to be a camp counselor in her teens, but that call wasn’t realized until her early 20’s when she and Mike were invited in 1978 to counsel at a High School camp at Camp Penn. The couple was newly married at the time with no children.
Mike went to camp with Dee Dee in 1979 and the couple soon realized that their gifts complimented one another as a team; Dee Dee called them the “right and left brain.” They continued to be counselors or Deans in High School and Elementary Camps until 2022, having raised their 4 children and some grandchildren at camp.
When Mike wasn’t at camp he worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers, retiring after 36 years. After retiring he worked as Risk Management &; Safety Director for the Harrisburg Diocese for 9 years. He retired a second time and continues to serve through various church and Conference committees.
Dee Dee worked at home full time and was involved in church and her children’s school life, including about 20 years on the church staff and then employed by her School District for 15 years. Dee Dee discovered Moms in Prayer International in 1997 and continues in that ministry, praying for her children and grandchildren and their schools. She serves the ministry as the PA State Roster Manager.
Mike and Dee Dee will tell all who ask that they don’t know a more valuable time invested for the Lord than the camp week. They witnessed as God transformed hundreds of lives, including their own and their children’s.
Dee Dee writes, “We have been honored to serve beside Deans and counselors of the highest degree of faith, integrity, creativity and of course crazy fun, using their gifts as the Body of Christ to make disciples—SO many disciples—who are now scattered throughout the world continuing God’s work! God is amazing!”
Thank you again for your continued support of SUSUMC Camp and Retreat Ministry as we partner together Building Authentic Connections in Christ, Community, and Creation. If you would like to make a donation please click here.
