Camp & Retreat Ministry Staff
303 Mulberry Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-3179 | Phone: 717.766.7441 | Fax: 717.766.5976
Rev. Kevin Witt
Director, Age Level Ministry /
Beloved Community Ministry / Camp & Retreat Ministry
kwitt@susumc.org
My most recent position was the National Camp and Retreat Ministry Director with the General Board of Discipleship of the UMC. For more than 20 years, I have been serving in this capacity to provide consultations, training, networking to support and strengthen the missional effectiveness of staff, volunteers, and boards who lead camp and retreat ministries across the United Methodist connection as well as ecumenically. The focus of this ministry has been establishing Christian discipleship pathways and nurturing persons for growing spiritual leadership.
My ministry as a pastor prior to entering camp and retreat ministry along with serving on Conference staff has inspired me to deeply value the alignment of Camp and Retreat Ministry with the vision and priorities of local churches and the conference. Camp and Retreat Ministries in its full expression is highly collaborative in the recognition that lifelong discipleship pathways must be connected so that the camp and retreat experiences build upon and are integrated with congregations and other extension ministries. The combination of Camp and Retreat Ministry and Discipleship in my new position here in the Susquehanna Conference fits extremely well with my own calling and gifts.
I am committed to lifelong learning which includes a variety of passions, such as working with Hispanic Latino ministries, nurturing persons for spiritual leadership, and guiding wilderness adventure and fly fishing excursions that focus on deepening faith and connections with God. I have written numerous resources including co-authoring two books – Twists of Faith: Ministry with Youth at the Turning Points of Their Lives and The Retreat Leader’s Manual. I also served on the design team to help create the current United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministry Certification in collaboration with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministry Association.
Patricia "Tricia" Frye
Administrative Assistant
pfrye@susumc.org
I have always enjoyed camping, whether with my family growing up, going to scout camp or church camp. I grew up in Palmyra, so I attended church camp in Mt Gretna. I loved spending time in the great outdoors, making new friends, cooking over a fire, all the crafts and activities that went hand in hand with going to camp.
As an adult, I still love the great outdoors, whether it is working in my flowerbeds or walking through the woods. My husband and I enjoy camping, though we have graduated to cabins and rv's instead of tent camping. Some times we travel with our children and grandchildren, who also love exploring in the woods. We love to travel and explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things. We still enjoy cooking over a fire, though nowadays, it is sometimes a BBQ grill rather than a campfire. And I still enjoy crafts, and have tried my hand at ceramics, and stained glass creations to name a few.
My husband and I are active in our church, where I serve as chairperson of the Leadership Council and where we are involved in numerous children's ministries and outreach ministries. One of our favorite adventures was the week that we spent at Red Bird with a group from our church.
Center Directors
Camp Penn
Samuel "Sam" Richardson
camppenn@susumc.org
814.558.4817 or 717.762.2693
My Experience with Camp & Retreat Ministry:
I love camp! I grew up going to camp at Wesley Woods in the Western Pennsylvania Conference and joined the summer staff there in college. I really fell in love with camp and the shared experience of temporary Christian community during my years on summer staff. I joined the full-time staff at Wesley Woods after graduating from Edinboro University in 2012 and spent four years there as the Program and Marketing Director. In 2016 my wife, Sara, and I founded Camp to Camp and had the opportunity to travel the country working with and learning from a diverse community of outdoor ministries.
My favorite things about being involved in Camp & Retreat Ministry are:
Inviting people into the community that we have at camp! Camp is one of the rare places where we can be exactly who we are without the pressures of the world to get in the way.
Things I like to do with my family:
We are travelers! Our little family is Sara and I and our dogs Peyton and Mabel. We love to hop in the car and head toward a new destination. We are good at getting lost, but sometimes that's more fun.
Things I like to do in my free time:
Adventure! Whether it's a day in the outdoors, traveling, or time on my motorcycle, I'm always seeking something to focus my mind.
Greene Hills
Charlie Renner
greenehillscamp@susumc.org
814.669.4212
My Experience with Camp & Retreat Ministry: My earliest memories of Camp & Retreat ministry are of winter youth retreats at Mount Asbury. These were great times of fellowship, food, and digging deep into God's word. During my college days, I felt God's calling to pursue a full-time career in Christian Camp ministry. I served on summer staff at Greene Hills Camp and at Mount Asbury, where I met my future wife, Joanna. The Lord called me back to Greene Hills, in my new role as Site Director, in January 2011. Since then, it has been a blessing to be a part of an amazing ministry at an amazing place.
My favorite things about being involved in Camp & Retreat Ministry are: seeing and feeling the presence of God's love and grace in others (campers, guests, staff), working outdoors in God's beautiful creation, and having an extraordinarily wide range of job duties and tasks. My days as a Site Director are never boring or mundane!
Things I like to do with my family: My wife Joanna, and I have been married for 8+ years. We live at Greene Hills with our son Caleb and daughter Grace. We enjoy spending time at our church (Church of the Good Shepherd in Tyrone), participating in activities such as small group Bible Studies, VBS, pot-luck meals, and family game night. We also enjoy hiking, finding new playgrounds to explore with the kids, visiting the beach, and camping.
Things I like to do in my free time: Life tends to keep me pretty busy, but whenever I have free time, I enjoy hiking in the woods, fishing, hunting, and spending time at our family cabin in Tioga County. I also enjoy playing guitar and singing, preferably somewhere near a campfire.
Mount Asbury
Patty Weidman
mountasbury@susumc.org
717.486.3827
My Experience with Camp & Retreat Ministry:
Growing up in the Eastern Conference I first fell in love with the camp & retreat ministry at the age of 11 going to Camp Innabah. Each summer it was the place I felt the closest to God and the most comfortable to be myself. As I got older and aged out of certain camps, I first became a volunteer Counselor in Leadership Training (CILT) then after graduation became an official staff member. Being part of that community and acceptance was the most amazing gift. I was on staff at Innabah for 5 years and during that time I got to experience camp not just in the summer but year-round with retreats. During this time, I discovered that I was not being led to be a teacher, as I had originally thought, but into the world of Recreation, with the goal to be a Christian Camp Director. It was a very curvy career path, that many times I did not always understand the direction, but God was developing my skills so that I would be able to come to Mount Asbury. It has been an amazing journey and I am so honored to be the Center Director here.
My favorite things about being involved in Camp & Retreat Ministry are:
I love the people who visit, being able to create a sacred space for them and getting to know everyone. And getting to build campfires is always fun.
Things I like to do with my family:
I love spending time with my family playing disc golf, going to parks, swimming, picking flowers, baking cookies, and teaching my kids fun things about nature.
Things I like to do in my free time:
I love to read, although now it is more audio books, sewing, watching movies, taking walks, and playing games.
Wesley Forest
TayLavor (TayLa) Fugate
wesleyforest@susumc.org
570.922.1348
I deeply believe camp has made every part of me better. It’s helped me learn to slow down, take test, and be WITH that which is around me, all of creation! It’s strengthened my spiritual well-being, my connection with the created, and the creator.
Camping is an incredibly unique experience that invites people out of their comfort zone to be challenged and grow in their faith and spirituality.
Her hope is to bring love and support to all the amazing things Wesley Forest is and all that’s already taking place. She plans to put her best self forward in the form of ideas and passions that may help Wesley Forest grow and expand for the better.
In her free time, you can always find TayLavor painting, playing & writing music, at an open mic or a local music show, or out on the water with her pup Zero. She & Zero are overjoyed about heading west to Wesley Forest and can’t wait to meet you and your loved ones!