From a Virlina District release
The Outdoor Ministries Committee of the Virlina District of the Church of the Brethren announces that Barry LeNoir, director of Camp Bethel in Fincastle, Va., will depart his role on June 30, 2023. He began his service on Aug. 19, 2002.
LeNoir writes, “After 38 years of camp staff experience including 20 years at Camp Bethel, I am ready to hand over responsibilities to the next Camp Director. I have loved all of it, our Camp Bethel. I especially treasure the relationships with coworkers, summer staff, campers and families, congregations, committees, volunteers, guest groups, business partners, and peers in camping in Virginia and across the country.”
During his tenure at Camp Bethel, he has overseen a 112-percent growth in camp attendance; expanded and diversified the summer camp programs beyond resident and day camps to Adventures, Trips, and Skills Camps; advocated for a “small group camping” relationship-based philosophy of camp ministry; and trained and mentored more than 500 summer staff to be experiential Christian educators with equal focus on group dynamics, child development, and activity leadership.
LeNoir has encouraged ecumenism and collaborative partnerships, notably with the River Adventure Program, Carilion Camp Too Sweet, and the Presbytery of the Peaks. He was an organizer and workshop leader at the annual Virginia Ecumenical Camp and Retreat Leaders’ Gathering. He served on the Church of the Brethren’s Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA) Steering Committee from 2004-2010, receiving the OMA Camp Staff Award in 2011. He served on the American Camp Association (ACA) Virginias Local Council of Leaders from 2005-2017, and he is an ACA Accreditation Visitor. He was a presenter at the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministry (UMCRM) National Gathering in 2013.
Please pray… For the Church of the Brethren camps and outdoor ministry centers that are part of our denomination’s Outdoor Ministries Association.
Previous to his work for Camp Bethel, he was a teacher and three-sport coach in the Roanoke (Va.) County Schools 1992-2002, and was on the summer staff at camps in Virginia and Wisconsin.
He and his family are planning to relocate to their family farm in Floyd, Va.
The Virlina District Board and the Outdoor Ministries Committee will establish a search committee and an application process in coming weeks. Information will be posted at www.campbethelvirginia.org/jobs and www.virlina.org.
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
Find more Church of the Brethren news: