Executive Director Announcement

On January 16th at our Annual Meeting, Randy and I shared the plan and timeline for Randy and Nancy’s retirement. We asked you to join us in praying as the Board started the search process for our next Executive Director to succeed Randy after a planned year of transition. I want to thank you for your prayers and support during the search process the last eight months.

Randy and Nancy have been true servant leaders and their contributions and impact on the ministry of Camp Allendale over the last two decades have been significant! The Board is grateful for Randy and Nancy and their years of service. We’re also excited that Randy will continue to lead and serve for another year as he helps to train and equip his successor.

The Board is excited to announce that we have hired Max Aper to be our next Executive Director. Max’s official first day in the office will be October 30.

Max and his wife, Kellie, and their two young children, Ruby (age 3) and Otto (age 1) will move to Camp Allendale next month. Randy and Nancy are in the process of moving into their new home in Fairland.

Max has spent the last seven years serving as the Program Director at Little Galilee Christian Camp in Clinton IL. Max graduated from Johnson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Youth Ministry and Preaching. Max brings a lifelong passion for Christian camping and the Board is confident Max will continue our great tradition of high-quality Executive Directors to lead and guide our life-changing ministry.

You’ll learn more about Max and Kellie in a forthcoming newsletter, but for now please pray for the Aper’s and Pim’s as they both move to their new homes, pray for the camp staff as they continue to serve faithfully, and pray for the Board as we help through this upcoming year of transition.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at board@camp-allendale.org.

Kent Fillinger

Board President

A Note from Randy

In the entrance to the camp’s dining hall there is a history wall. One of the items is a listing of the men who have led Camp Allendale as camp managers and executive leaders. From the first manager, Leonard Wymore in the early 1950 to myself, there have been eleven directors in the seventy-three-year history of the camp. In the past 47 years only three me men have held the title of Executive Director, Gary Brown, Bob Carver, and me. When I arrived here in 2005, I realized the rich history of being the leader of such an impactful ministry as Camp Allendale. In my time here I have never taken that responsibility for granted.

Admittedly, those years have passed quickly; the time to begin the process of passing the baton of leadership to the next director is here. Over the course of the next twelve months, I look forward to helping Max get off to a great start in his tenure as Allendale’s Executive Director. That will include introducing him to many of you, sharing the rich history of ministry that Allendale is known for, helping him navigate his first year of the various seasons of the camp, all the way down to which key to use to change the paper towels in the restrooms!

Join me in praying for the Apers as they make their move to Indiana!

Randy

A Note from Max

Greetings, Camp Allendale community!

My name is Max Aper, and I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself to you. I grew up in Bloomington but not in Bloomington, Indiana. Rather, I grew up in Bloomington, Illinois. After high school, I attended Johnson University where I served on the recruitment team and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Youth Ministry and Preaching. Christian camping has always been a significant part of my life, and I grew up attending Little Galilee Christian Camp. Nearly all of my faith milestones have happened at camp from being baptized to answering the call to ministry. I even joke that I owe my existence to Christian camping because my parents met at camp! As an adult, I have served as a counselor, summer staff member, dean (session leader), and for the past 7 years, full-time Program Director at Little Galilee. I know the difference that Christian camping made in my life, and I consider it an honor to create the same type of experiences for the next generation. Now more than ever, kids (and adults) need space to get away, unplug, and reconnect with God in nature. It is with great excitement that I begin this new ministry opportunity with Camp Allendale as the Executive Director and continue to dedicate myself to this work!

I am also excited to introduce you to my family! My beautiful wife Kellie is from Morton, Illinois. Kellie attended Illinois State University and taught middle school science for several years. Currently, she is a full-time mom while we raise our two kids, Ruby (3) and Otto (1). Ruby loves reading books and can often be found dressed up like Fancy Nancy, one of her favorite characters. Otto’s interests are crawling over anything he thinks he can crawl over and pushing anything that moves as he attempts to walk. Last but not least, we have a fur-baby (dog) named Scout. Scout is a 13-year-old yellow lab who loves lying around and soaking up all the attention she can get. As a family, we are excited to begin this new chapter of our lives with the Camp Allendale staff, their families, and most importantly, YOU!

I look forward to meeting each of you face to face- at the camp, your church, or out in the community. Thank you for the opportunity to minister alongside you at Camp Allendale.