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CHARIS CONNECT

Meet the Staff: Marty Bennett

11/26/2018

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Marty is the Director of Discipleship at Charis Camp. Unique. Powerful. Learn more below!
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Hi Marty! What do you do @ Charis?
I am the Director of Discipleship. My job is to spiritually care for camp staff and volunteers, help develop a discipleship culture and arrange for the recruitment and hiring of all program staff for all camp and conference events. I have been at Charis since 2016.

What do you like about your work?
I love that I get to work from my heart and be creative and flexible in how I approach the different objectives.  I love that Camp is a place where people hear from God and I get to be a witness of Him changing lives! Seeing people grow in their gifts and relationship with God is so much fun!

What about life @ home, what does that look like?
My favorite times at home are dinnertime & the kids bedtime. I love food. I also love slowing down and hearing about everyone’s day.  Bedtime seems to be a special time where windows of opportunity open into my boys hearts. My wife and love of my life, Krista, and I have almost been married 20 years. I have 2 boys, Tucker (12) and Riley (9).  I love that they are good friends and I love spending special time with each one of them.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I like reading, NHL Hockey fantasy, swimming and driving slow with my deep thoughts.   I enjoy building things with wood, alone in my garage. I also enjoy playing hockey and watching my boys play soccer and scootering at the local skatepark.


FUN FACTS
  • I like to push people’s buttons.
  • I have been a Youth Pastor for 17 years and ordained with the EMCC (Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada) for 11 years.
  • I like to marry people. By this I mean performing weddings, but don’t ask cuz I’m busy:)
  • I don’t like fishing but I take my oldest son because he loves it. I have no interest in catching anything...fish are disgusting to touch.
  • I like to travel. I’ve been to Russia, Holland and Sweden for hockey. In Russia I was dangerously close to a violent riot. I almost moved to Sweden to play hockey but married Krista and became a Pastor instead because my heart just wasn’t in it enough to make a career out of it!

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Why the team thinks Marty is so Awesome:
We love Marty's openness and determination. He has an amazing heart for young people. Marty's desire is not only to  have people love Jesus, but grow in knowing and walking with Him. Marty is a dichotomy of extreme ridiculousness (so funny) and incredible depth (so insightful)...a perfect mix for young people. He is always willing to lend a hand, teach you how to protect yourself in a knife fight and make you laugh. He is just great to work with and an awesome guy to know!

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Meet the Staff: Clarinda Herfst

11/19/2018

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Clarinda is our Assistant Director of Business Administration at Charis Camp & Conference Centre. 
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Clarinda, what is your role @ Charis these days?
I take care of all the accounts receivable and payable, payroll, month end and anything to do with finances at the camp.  It’s kind of boring to describe but I love it.

How did you end up at Charis?
It all started with my husband Rick working here doing maintenance and telling me there was need in the kitchen. I didn’t know anything about camp at that point!  I started working here in the kitchen in 2010 with Morris Jalbert and Dan Wedel. The quote in those days was “try not to freak out” because something always seemed to go wrong. In 2012 Darren Duncalfe was helping out in the office and he asked me if I was interested in working in the office. I said yes, as long as I could keep driving my bus.  The camp was really struggling with maybe a booking a week so I sat in the office and prayed for more bookings. Summer camps only had 20-30 people in each. What a change in 6 years….we have to turn groups away and our Summer Camps have wait lists.

I love the community here, building relationships and I know this is where God wants me to be.  


Tell us about some of your favorite moments at Charis so far!
So many good memories here it can't be just one.
  • It still really stands out to me that Dan Wedel made a huge sign in the kitchen for me that said “Try Not To Freak Out" and it hung in the kitchen for many years!!!
  • The time Dan showed up with a frozen turkey at 11 am and we had to serve turkey dinner at 5 PM.
  • The way that Morris drank everyone's coffee while working in the kitchen.
  • When a certain young lady started showing up to "study" in Brian's office.
  • When we had a small FIRE in the dining hall while 150 people were eating breakfast and we had to evacuate them and cook an entire new meal and then  all the staff sat outside and and had timmies and had the best time together!!
  • The first time our camps sold out and we saw the lineup of people for registration and you just wanted to tear up but there was no time.
  • The time Cristal and I had a girl day for all the female cabin leaders and just spend time with them.
  • Every year when the Charis Adult Retreat is here new memories are made and they're one of my fave groups.
  • Also I so fondly remember how excited Genevieve was about all the plants she had planted and had growing in her little green space and she drove me around the camp in the gator to show me everything.
  • Oh, and I can't forget the time Brian made me a pink camp t shirt!!!  ​     
    I love that everyday when you get to work you just never know what could happen!!!

Wow, those are a lot of awesome memories!
What does life @Home look like for you?

I have 8 kids now and 2 beautiful grand-babies. Rick and I have been married 31 years. I was a baby when we got married.  Only two of our kids live at home now but everyone still drops in all the time. There were years where friends stayed with us and we had 3 kids packed into a bedroom...it's much quieter now.  In my free time I like playing with my grand-babies. We enjoy hiking, baking, playing games, having campfires and going camping with them! My kids just love coming home and hanging out together.

When I’m all alone I love to knit and do embroidery or curl up in bed and watch Netflix but that rarely happens.


FUN FACTS
  • Growing up I always just wanted to get married and be a mom. I never thought I’d work
  • I grew up in Holland. I moved to Edmonton in the middle of a snowstorm when I was 9 years old. It was the first time I had seen snow. None of us spoke English when we immigrated. I would love to visit Holland with Rick one day.
  • We moved to Chilliwack because there was a larger Dutch community here.
  • I have been bus driving for 25 years and used to bring all my kids with me in their car seats. I love it because of the kids; all my babies are on the bus!
  • I just went back to school for Bookkeeping and Accounting; never thought that would happen

Thank you for sharing so many memories, Clarinda! And thank you for crunching the numbers at Charis for the team!

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What the team thinks is awesome about Clarinda:
Clarinda has a great sense of humor and a  heart to see people connected to one another and to God. She  is thoughtful and is good at noticing important details. She is always up for some fun. Clarinda adds to the office with her smile, warm welcome,  love for Jesus, essential oils and another essential-coffee! 

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Meet the Staff: Tom Babcock

11/12/2018

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Tom is our Food Service Director at Charis. Learn more about the Red Seal Chef behind the awesome food here at camp!
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Tell us about your time @ Charis, Tom
I have been the Food Service Director since 2013! I am in charge of all of the food service including ordering, menus, hiring staff and quality and cost control. I chose camp ministry because there is nothing better than an environment that you can freely express your worship to God in and have a vocation at the same time!

My favorite moments are when I get a heartfelt appreciation from people. It increases my capacity for more blessing to pass through me. I truly want to do all my work to God's glory.


What does life @Home look like? 
Anita and I just celebrated our 32 wedding anniversary!!!  We have 2 kids; Dyanna is married and living in the USA and Matthew recently graduated and lives with us here.

I enjoy watching sports where we get to know players and their accomplishments. Some favorite teams are NFL Seahawks, NHL Oilers, WHL Seatle Thunderbirds, MLB Seatle Mariners and CFL Edmonton Eskimos.  I like to collect hockey jerseys both new and game worn (from all levels) with my son. I love networking and have learned to really appreciate everyone I come in contact with.


FUN FACTS
  • I wanted to be a policeman or a chef when I grew up. I used to play with my food and my mom told me not to- it’s the only time I never listened to my mom.
  • I come alive when I get to create food sensations
  • I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and played hockey for 13 years
  • I go to the States a lot to sports games and to visit my daughter
  • I was chasing a squirrel in the dining hall with a broom and tore a meniscus in my knee about 10 years ago at another camp. I learned to use a hockey stick not a broom.
  • ​I know greetings in 10 different languages. I love other cultures and cooking fusion.
Thank you for sharing, Tom. And thank you so much for how you serve and use your gifts to bless people through Charis Camp & Conference Centre!

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What the team likes about Tom (aka Tommy Grace):
Tom loves to create awesome food and he loves camp ministry. He has a great desire to do more than just cook, he wants to help make lasting memories for our guests. He is generous. Tom has a gift that makes people feel special and cared for with food. He goes over and above for dietary needs. His heart to bless people through the camp shines. To top it all off, we  love his homemade sambal!
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  • Home
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      • Overview
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      • Tabernacle
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      • Charis House Osoyoos
  • Our Camps and Retreats ▼
    • Summer 2021
    • Summer Staff >
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      • Work Crew Program
    • FAQ's >
      • What to Bring - Prospectors
      • What to Bring - Youth Weekend Retreats
      • What to Bring - Teen, Huzzah, and Sparks
  • Get Involved ▼
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