Camping + Outdoor Team
Nick Yarde has a deep connection to the Camping Ministry. It was at Junior High camp that he solidified his faith. While finishing his Master’s degree in Natural Resources Agency Management at Purdue University, Nick served as a youth pastor at Battleground UMC. After brief stays at Lincoln and Turkey Run State Park, Nick returned to full-time ministry as the Director/Manager of Camp Rivervale. Prior to becoming the Association Director of Camp in the North Indiana Conference, Nick and his family were hosted at Camp Indicoso and Camp Lakewood. Currently, Nick serves as the Associate Director of Camps and Retreats Ministries. His wife, Nanette, has served along of him in each role at the various UMC camps while raising their three children.
Emily grew up in New Albany, IN, where she attended Main Street UMC. After high school, she attended Indiana University in Bloomington where she majored in Non-Profit Management in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. While there Emily completed an internship with Outdoor Ministries in the South Indiana Conference. Post graduation, Emily worked for the March of Dimes in Lexington, KY. In 2010 she moved to Indianapolis and began work with the Indiana Conference, moving into the role of Camp Registrar in 2011. As Camp Registrar and Finance Assistant, she strives to make camp registration a smooth process for everyone and to help people find the site that best suits the needs of their camper or retreat group. She is passionate about advancing camp attendance and has been since her days as a camper when she invited friends to attend with her. Emily and her husband, Chris, were married in 2006. They have a four-year-old son and a dog who thinks she’s a person. In her free time, Emily enjoys watching the Indianapolis Colts and “NerdyTV”. She co-hosts a Bible study in her home and is a part of the mom’s group at Center UMC where she attends church. Emily has volunteered as a counselor for a week of senior high camp at Indicoso since 2005 and a few years later became one of the co-directors for that event.
Grant was raised as a Catholic till 1999 and feels blessed by the blind, unshakable faith he acquired there. Since then he has been partying with the Methodist church! He values his relationship with Jesus above all else. He met Shannon Sutton in the spring of 1998 at Camp Wahsega in the North Georgia Mountains. After 6 years of friendship and persistence, he convinced her to marry on January 4, 2004. Shannon loves everything Southern, reading, and is an amazing mother. They celebrate their three kids; Nāla, Sutton, and Tucker. Nāla loves working with animals, especially those we do not intend to eat. Sutton is a lover of all things creative. She enjoys the woodshop and craft room. Tucker is still young enough to challenge expectations and thrive in chaos. Grant has worked at a camp in one way or another every year since 1988. He has personally experienced the life change camp has to offer. He has been the Camp Manager at Pine Creek since the Fall of 2014. He continues to come alongside many others to enhance the discipleship efforts there, and across mission opportunities.
Karen’s passion for ministry in a camp setting can be traced back to her childhood in Michigan. She spent significant time following her pastor father around, helping as he served as a regular volunteer at Hastings Camp. She attended kids camp, family camp, teen camp and any other camp that was being offered as she grew up. Her first paid camp job, cleaning bathrooms at night, came at the age of 14. This allowed her to serve as a camp counselor each summer during high school. She continued to gain experience working at a YMCA day camp and resident camps in Michigan and Illinois. Also, she worked for 12 years with at-risk children and teens for an agency in the Chicago area, managing the day camp, resident camp, and after-school and weekend recreational programming for more than 200 kids. In 2006, she followed God’s call for her to serve in camp ministry for the INUMC. She had been a camp manager at both Pine Creek Camp and Camp Lakewood. In the fall of 2020, Karen was asked to serve as the manager to oversee Program and Guest Services for Epworth Forest CC and Camp Adventure. When she is not busy with camp, you can find her with a camera in hand capturing the beauty of life and its everyday joys.
I grew up in Syracuse, IN just 10 minutes from Epworth Forest not knowing what was happening on that campus. I spent most of my childhood as a girl scout and camping family and one summer as a staff counselor at camp. I graduated from Indiana Tech with a Computer Information Systems degree and married my college sweetheart. After a short time in the business world, I realized that I was not designed to work inside so journeyed back home to work for the family business, excavation. After the birth of my two daughters and 15 years in the construction world, God called me into full time ministry. My faith journey included directing family camp at Lakewood for 3 seasons, 2 seasons of Upward Basketball Director at Saint Joseph UMC in Fort Wayne, 9 years as the Student Ministries Director at Saint Joseph UMC, 3 years as Next Generation Director, member of Children Matter most since March 2020, countless retreats and hours of camp counseling at Epworth for high school and middle school campers. I look forward to many more adventures. My outdoor loves include kayaking, high ropes, and hiking.
Tanner Ginder is rooted in the traditions of Camp Lakewood, and now is the Camp Manager there. Having attended Camp Lakewood as a kid, returning as a volunteer counselor and director, then working on summer staff Tanner is passionate about the mission of outdoor ministry for elementary aged students. Prior to becoming the Camp Manager, Tanner graduated from Indiana University with a degree in elementary education which he used to teach 3rd grade for two years in Fort Wayne. Through his time in teaching, Tanner felt a calling to vocational ministry which he hopes to use to pour out the love of Jesus Christ to all who come on site in the years to come. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and writing, being with friends and traveling the world.
I am a Fort Wayne native that never left. I am a member of Covenant UMC and was a youth director for 15 years. I loved every moment of it! I have two grown sons, 23 and 26 and a wonderful daughter-in-law. I help run a food bank in my neighborhood which keeps me pretty busy along with my new job with the camping ministry. Jesus has been my first love for over 30 years and a big part of my life from day one. I love the outdoors, having coffee with friends, being on a lake, and hanging out with my family and cat.
Pamela Tedrow brings seventeen years of youth ministry, thirteen years of social service experience, and over twelve years in property management to her position at Camp Rivervale. Driven by a sense of urgency to bring children and youth to Christ, Pam has dedicated much of her life to children and youth ministries in southern Indiana. As a camp manager, alongside her husband Steve, Pam’s goals include providing a safe, nurturing place for children to hear the Gospel message, finding and mentoring leaders for the future, and building relationships with the local church. Pam has committed this season of her life to maintaining the facilities, grounds, and programs at Camp Rivervale. In addition to her primary job functions, Pam serves on the children’s ministry team at her church, directs a Royal Family Kids Camp for children in the foster care system, and is continuing her education through Bethel Seminary in Family and Children Ministry. Pam considers her most important discipleship efforts to be those used while raising three children and now impacting the lives of her four grandchildren.