The Founder, Dr. Paul Patz
Northland Camp, formerly known as Northland Mission Camp, is the result of God's blessing on the life of Dr. Paul Patz (1911-2000) and his family. Born as the ninth of ten children into a life of poverty, Paul Patz trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at age 17. Paul would later recall developing a perplexing burden after his conversion. He felt God calling him into a ministry but was unsure what God could do through a poor farmer with only a third-grade education. As he pondered these things, he continued working the family farm through the dark days of the Great Depression.
Starting with the passion of a young farm boy, God has developed a ministry that has touched thousands of campers lives, trained hundreds of college graduates for ministry, and influenced many around the world. Beginning in 1948, Paul Patz developed a series of inventions that would revolutionize the farming industry and lead to his financial success. He eventually founded Patz Sales, Inc., which now has been consistently manufacturing quality farm machinery for over 57 years.
1958-1960
Paul Patz and his family founded Northland Mission Camp on December 31, 1958. While looking for a new avenue of giving, Dr. Patz was inspired by Mr. Kraft at a meeting in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Like Paul Patz, Mr. Kraft owned his own company. He spoke of God's blessing bestowed upon faithful givers who donate financially to godly ministries. As Mr. Patz listened, he decided to give more than he ever had from his company's profits! In a short time, he and others in his church in Pound, Wisconsin, paid off the mortgage of their church property. Then, at age 47, Mr. Patz established a camp fund in the winter of 1958. This fund increased during 1959, and property was purchased in 1960.
1961-1981
Northland Mission Camp was the name Mamie Patz, Dr. Patz' wife, chose to identify the new 1,200 acres of property in Dunbar, Wisconsin. During the summer of 1960, construction began on the first camp building and was completed in the Spring of 1961. That year, that building housed all campers and some staff. Each year brought more improvements. A boys' dorm was built in 1963. The interior of the Dining Hall was finished in 1964, and the finishing touches of the Dining Hall were made in 1965. The Recreation Hall (Rec Hall) was constructed in 1970 and housed two large rooms--a canteen and a bookstore. The large fireplace was added in 1971.
Northland Mission Camp was originally built to be used by various Baptist groups who could not find facilities large enough to meet their needs. The camp was rented to these organizations for several years. But as the Lord allowed, these groups were able to purchase their own facilities. As vacancies occurred and the need for more effective programming was evident, Northland Mission initiated its own program. The four oldest Patz children, all married by that time, had a large part in the organization and program. They helped in areas such as music, sports, crafts, and cooking. In 1967, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were hired as full-time camp managers and began the Northland Mission Camp program that we know today, with full-time counselors and staff. The Lord blessed greatly during those years. After many faithful years of service at Northland, the Petersons moved elsewhere; and Northland Camp hired a new camp director in January of 1982.
1982-2000
Dr. Marty Herron was a graduate of Bob Jones University and the Camp Director's Institute of THE WILDS. He and his wife Tami spent several years traveling throughout the US with a revival team before Marty accepted the position of Camp Director at Northland Camp & Conference Center in 1982. His love for the Lord was quickly sen in his burden for the camping minsitry. The Lord allowed Northland Camp to expand greatly under Marty's leadership. In 1999, Marty sensed God's call to the pastorate at Harvest Ministries on the island of Guam. He and his family set the standard for Northland Camp leadership through their devotion to the Lord and to the needs of His people.
2000-Present
Our current Camp Director, Steve Pettit, has been involved in camp ministry for more than 20 years. Although he holds the position of camp director, he still maintains his travel itinerary as a year-round evangelist. The difficult task of providing leadership for two thriving ministires is one that he does not take lightly! His many years of experience as the Staff Evangelist at Northland made him invaluable to our summer program in his current role as Camp Director. The Steve Pettit Evangelistic Association (www.spea.org) is responsible for publishing several God-honoring instrumental and vocal CDs, and Brother Steve is constantly in demand as an author and speaker. He is a gift from God to Northland Camp!
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Steve trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior at the age of 19 while a a freshman at the Citadel, a military college in South Carolina. After graduating from The Citadel in 1978, he enrolled at Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC) and graduated in 1980 with a master's degree in pastoral studies. After serving as youth pastor at First Baptist Church (Bridgeport, MI) for five years, he began traveling as an evangelist. He pursued a ministry in evangelism because he desired to preach the truth about Jesus Christ while encouraging the ministry in local churches.
In 1997, he received honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University, Northland Baptist Bible College, and Ambassador Baptist Bible College. In 1980 He married his lovely wife, Terry. They have four children: Rebecca, Rachel, Stephen, and Michael. They have been traveling as a family since 1985.
True to the Past, Expanding for the Future
Through much prayer, planning, and hard work, the camp has grown from 75 campers per week to as many as 500 campers per week. Because of our life-touching-life philosophy, we are passionate about seeing our staff and campers grow to become more like Jesus. To the glory of God, Northland Camp is accomplishing Dr. and Mrs. Patz's goal of reaching the hearts of young people for Jesus Christ.