Lakeside Bible Retreat
Lakeside Bible Retreat 2027
Rediscovering the Joy of Discovery
An inductive Bible study week with Dr. Paul Cross, on the shore of Lake Carlos.
August 8–13, 2027
Adults of all ages
All denominations welcome
Book included
Free for active seminarians
Dates
August 8–13, 2027
Sunday supper to Friday lunch
Where
Mount Carmel Ministries
Alexandria, MN, on Lake Carlos
Teacher
Dr. Paul Cross
Music: Patsy Baglien
Cost
Standard Lakeside Bible Retreat pricing, from $460 per person
$300 deposit holds your place
Includes
Lodging, meals, and your copy of the book
Seminarians
Free for active seminary students
The Week
Learn to read the Bible for yourself
Paul Cross teaches the inductive method step by step: observe what the text says, work out what it means, and take it home. Each day you learn one skill in the morning and put it to work on the text that afternoon.
Mount Carmel was built in 1938 as the summer home of the Lutheran Bible Institute's Bible classes. This week returns to that purpose.
The method is the one LBI teacher Oletta Wald set out in The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study. Teaching, nightly worship, music, and fellowship on the shores of Lake Carlos, open to adults of all ages, denominations, and backgrounds.
An afternoon by the lake.
The book is on us
Every participant receives a copy of The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study by Oletta Wald, included with registration. Bring a Bible you can mark up and a notebook.
Your Teacher
Dr. Paul Cross
Dr. Cross is a retired pastor whose doctoral work focused on the teaching of preaching. He brings decades of pulpit experience to a week of instruction, practice, and conversation about reading Scripture closely and well.
He also teaches Mount Carmel's Preaching Intensive for seminary students, January 10 to 15, 2027.
If you have studied the Bible for years
You will recognize the LBI method, and you may have learned it from Oletta Wald herself. Come and work it again with Paul, with free time by the lake in between.
If you are a young adult or seminarian
This is a week of hands-on training in a method you will use for the rest of your ministry. Active seminary students attend free. Bring your Bible, a notebook, and questions. No prior training needed.
Schedule
A week at a glance
Preliminary draft. Times and activities are still being worked out with Dr. Cross. Expect changes. The full schedule and details are coming soon.
8
Sun
Check-in 3:00 · Supper 5:30 · Orientation 6:30 · Worship 7:00 · Opening session with Paul 7:45 to 8:45 · Canteen and campfire
9–12
Mon to Thu
Morning Prayer 7:30 · Breakfast 7:45 · Morning Praise 8:30 · Teaching with Paul 9:00 to noon, coffee at 10:15 · Lunch · Afternoon activity · Teaching with Paul 3:00 to 5:00 · Supper 5:30 · Worship 7:00 with a guest preacher · Canteen and campfire
13
Fri
Morning Prayer 7:30 · Breakfast 7:45 · Closing session 9:00 to 11:00 · Closing celebration and group photo 11:30 · Lunch, then safe travels
Afternoons: rest, then dig back in
Mornings are with Paul in the chapel. After lunch the afternoon is yours until 3:00, with a different activity each day. Then Paul picks the teaching back up from 3:00 to 5:00.
Mon
Pontoon rides and the camp store
Tue
Watercolor painting with Tim Baglien
Wed
Outing to Legacy of the Lakes Museum
Thu
Pickleball, beach, and the saunas
Activities are a draft and will change.
Life at Camp
Rest, eat, repeat
Meals and lodging
• Three meals a day in the Lodge dining room, Sunday supper through Friday lunch.
• Coffee, cereal, bread, and peanut butter out around the clock.
• New cabins on the Lakeside Ridge and North Ridge, plus Lodge rooms and RV sites. Register early if you want a specific cabin.
Afternoons and evenings
• Nightly worship with a guest preacher, then canteen and campfire with music from Patsy Baglien.
• Pontoon rides, beach, pickleball, disc golf, two saunas, and the camp store.
• Fifteen minutes north of Alexandria. About two hours from Minneapolis or Fargo.
Inside one of the new cabins.
Sign up
Ready for a week in the Word?
Register online for August 8–13, 2027. One registration covers the whole week: lodging, meals, and the book. A $300 deposit holds your place. Active seminary students attend free; email the office and we will set up your registration.
Proclaimer Congregation members: ask about your discount. Questions? Call (320) 846-2744 or email office@mountcarmelministries.com.