After six years, Chris Harms will be moving on from the role of executive director at the Pembina Valley Bible Camp.
Larry Schroeder, Pembina Valley Camp Board Chair, said 'feeling a calling to move on,' Chris has taken on a position in Plum Coulee at the Harvest Church as a Family Life Pastor, however, will remain at the camp through the summer.
"We're grateful that he's staying in the ministry, that's where he should be, however, that left a vacancy at our bible camp," said Schroeder.
Schroeder said the board was 'blessed with several real quality candidates,' and after an exhaustive search, Terry Friesen has been appointed as the new executive director, effective in September.
A year and a half ago, Terry Friesen, former high school math and science teacher in Winkler, along with his wife Jill made a huge lifestyle change. Terry left his teaching job and they moved with his young family to the Pembina Valley to take on the role of Camp Manager at the Pembina Valley Bible Camp.
Schroeder noted Terry and Jill come with a dozen years of camp director experience out of Clear Lake where they led camp for an extended period of time.
"Terry's a visionary. And as Terry shares some of his vision for Pembina Valley Bible Camp, we (the camp board) align with where he's thinking, and he's aligning where we have been and we are going. We went through strategic planning not more than seven months ago and Terry happened to be a part of that because he was Camp Manager at the time, and so we're all on the same page moving forward."
Schroeder shared an important part of the process the board committed to as part of the hiring process.
"Terry has a passion for youth and for the way he cares for them, the way he listens to them, the way he can talk to them and relate to them. His wife Jill has huge strengths too, and we're hoping to capitalize on that. So it's really a blessing that if we look at the bigger picture, God began to provide for us a year and a half ago by moving Terry and Jill to the Bible camp, us not knowing what the future has to hold."
Looking at the bigger picture, Larry Schroeder says God's faithfulness is clear throughout this process, and even before they knew it began.
Schroeder added that Chris Harms and his wife Audrey will train Terry and Jill and continue to mentor them throughout July and August.