Ben is the type of guy who radiates positivity and love, and it shines through when you encounter him at Camp Asbury. A combination of the people, the camp’s ministry, and the physical place have shown him that he is a puzzle piece that fits perfectly into the landscape of Asbury. “I feel as home here as anywhere I’ve ever been. This place feels as natural as my breath. It’s in my stride. I feel steered, driven, and motivated just by the spirit of this place.”
Ben started with Asbury in 2009 as a counselor, eventually becoming a Program Director and Assistant Director before taking a hiatus from camp to return to his current position on the maintenance staff. He found that his Methodist heritage and faith were reaffirmed at camp, and his time spent at camp would form and shape many aspects of his life: his vocational work, spiritual life, and even his home life. “Here, faith is something that comes out every day. Being in a faith community like this allowed me to feel more comfortable talking about it with others and my family. It’s really shaped me as a husband and father. I feel more prepared to be a parent from this ministry and this job. Olivia and I are licensed foster parents, and through our foster care training, we did a lot of training for working with children, and I felt so much more prepared for that from being a counselor and from my faith growth.”
Reflecting on his work and experiences at camp, Ben is empowered by the importance of stewardship for the land and people that camp has instilled in him. “That is what’s steered me, to be a better steward of creation, and that’s something I can do here at nauseum. It’s our underlying mission. Being a part of something bigger is comforting to me, and that’s easy to do here.”
When Ben’s family grew, his priorities shifted, bringing him back to camp. “The atmosphere here is family first. You’re part of a family, but you’re also encouraged to love your family and make time for them. I’ve worked a lot of other jobs after here, and the experiences you have with co-workers, seeing the good and bad, the vulnerability, it’s unique to here. You are not measured by metrics and productivity here. As a staff member you are loved and cared for as much as you are loving and caring for your guests and campers. “
During this Season of Giving, we invite you to make a generous gift of $25, $100, $250, $500, or even $1000 or more to Camp Asbury to support our ongoing work of making camp accessible for campers who need stable figures like Ben in their lives. Thank you for sustaining and strengthening our work of transforming the lives of future campers in God’s amazing outdoors.