Camp Challenge is excited to announce the hiring of Nick Thomas to fill the open Assistant Director position. This is a huge addition for the camp and we are excited for the future with Nick on board.
Nick attended camp from a very young age, served as a volunteer for several years, served as a summer staffer, worked several years in a summer leadership role, and has now taken the next step to be a full-time camp employee. Nick is from Indianapolis and has attended Meridian Church of God since he was four years old.
Excitement surrounds our family as we begin our service at Camp Challenge! As kids attending Camp through our home churches of First Church of God (Vincennes) and Park Place Church of God (Connersville), we discovered that Camp was a special place. We continued volunteering as counselors during our years at Anderson University (Brian) and Purdue University (Maria).
After marrying in July of 2000, we stayed connected to Camp over the years while living in the Indianapolis area and attending Church at the Crossing, Crosspoint Church, and Chesterfield Community Church of God. Now, our kids Max (8) and Meryl (6) are old enough to experience Camp for themselves and (after hearing us talk about it so much!) are eager to live at Camp Challenge. They are even building Lego models of the grounds!
Maria and I are passionate about Camp Challenge because we believe that lives are changed and lifelong friendships are forged here. Many come to know Christ for the first time and many grow closer to Christ through the experience of its summer camps and retreat facilities. Perhaps the closeness to Christ is a result of removing ourselves from the fast-paced world around us. Perhaps it is the beautiful nature. Or, perhaps, it is because we are joining together with others to learn and grow. Whatever the reason, Camp Challenge is an amazing environment where one can grow in Christ and serve others in the name of Christ.
Maria and I would like to thank the Camp Challenge board of directors for their dedication and effort during this time of transition. The board serves, sacrificing personal and family time, because they believe in the mission of the camp. We also are greatly appreciative of the 20-year leadership of Ralph and Lyn Price. Our family wishes all the best to Ralph and Lyn as they look toward their next big adventure and we undertake ours!
Do you have a favorite Camp Challenge memory? We want to hear it! Post it here.
Last spring Ralph Price announced his intention to retire this fall after twenty camping seasons as the Executive Director of Camp Challenge. Ralph and Lyn committed a large portion of their lives to serve the youth of Indiana and made many sacrifices along the way.
Change can sometimes be hard, but with change comes opportunity. After a nationwide search that considered 32 applicants from 16 different states, the Camp Challenge Board of Directors has selected one of our own—Brian Klein—as our next Executive Director! His first official day on the job will be October 7th.
We were encouraged during the interview process to see the number of people who are passionate about the Christian camping experience. In Brian, however, we are getting a multi-talented individual who is not only passionate about Christian camping in general, but extremely passionate about Camp Challenge specifically. Brian and his wife Maria (Mahuron) have both been connected with Camp Challenge their entire lives as campers, donors, and volunteers.
We are so thankful for the faithful service of the Price family and are excited about the new possibilities the Klein family bring to camp.
