Meet the Staff: Darren Duncalfe

Darren is our Executive Director at Charis. Get to know him better through this exclusive interview! ​

How did you end up @Charis, Darren?
I started this role part time interim in the summer of 2011 while still serving as pastor at Ridgeview Church in Kelowna B.C.  Over the next three plus years I became very familiar with the Highway through hell (Coquihalla highway and connector) as I commuted between Kelowna and the camp.  In the spring of 2015 my wife Cynthia and I arrived with 4/5 children and took residence on site. Chilliwack became home for our family.  It was tough leaving family (our oldest daughter and Cynthia’s parents) and friends behind in Kelowna. 

What do you Love about Camp?
What I love about camp is having a place where people can break out of their routine with the physical, mental and spiritual margin that allows for significant encounters with God. 

Favorite Memory?
I have so many favorite moments it is hard to choose only one.  The one that will always stands out is after a very difficult season of struggle at the camp, we revised a number of things in an attempt to make it more affordable and accessible, including drastically reducing the cost of our camps.  On the day of Huzzah camp registration Cynthia and I were driving up the hill towards camp when we saw cars lined up along the side of the road all the way down the hill.  My instant reaction was, “Oh no! What went wrong now!” Cynthia beamed back it me, “nothing is wrong, this is what it looks like when camp is full!”  I am glad we are improving our registration process each year, but I will always remember the joyful buzz as parents waited (a very long time) to hand off their children to camp staff.  Many of those parents expressed gratitude because they had not been able to afford to send their kids to camp in the past.              
 
Tell us about Life @Home
With five kids we have had no shortage of life in our home.  Thankfully, most of the drama has come because our oldest enjoys acting and theater.  Late night League of Legends became part of my life thanks to my second born.  Music abounds as a shared passion with our third child and there is now someone to watch hockey with thanks to child four.  Child five brought a much needed male perspective into the house (after four girls).  It’s good to have someone to sit and grow impatient with when at the mall…  Cynthia and I love our evenings out together, and going for drives to explore beautiful places.  We all love lakes, rivers, streams and the ocean.  I love mountains and trees and God’s infinite creativity. I also enjoy cooking and most sports. I struggle a bit with soccer, not because of the game, but because of the ridiculous flopping!
 
Lastly, what are some FUN FACTS about yourself that you'd like to share?

• Charis is the fourth camp I have served:  Okanagan Family Camp at Gardom Lake B.C.; Beartooth Mountain Christian Ranch in Montana and Deer Valley Meadows Camp in Central Alberta.
• I have been the speaker at each of our regular sponsored camps: Sparks; Huzzah; Teen and Family camp.
• I made it on the national news by being trapped with twelve others on an elevator for an hour and a half at Missions Fest!
•  I am the youngest of eight children.
• I was pastor to one of the camp founders (Ewald Lieske 101 years young) while at Ridgeview Church in Kelowna.
• Our oldest daughter was named for the koine greek word for grace. The same word the camp is named for “χάρις”. I did my final greek study paper based on the deeply meaningful biblical concept of God’s grace.

​Thank you for the sneak peak into your life, Darren! And thank you for all you do to serve Charis Camp & Conference Centre!!!

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Why the rest of the Team thinks Darren is so Great:
Darren is a Pastor to the core; wherever he goes, he cares and invests in those around him. He is a passionate man after God's heart. Darren has the ability to see giftings in individuals and find opportunities to release them into those areas.  He is an encourager. He has a huge heart for the Church & a love for his staff.

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