Indiana—For the last 20 years, Kenny Pickett has been the manager at Timber Ridge Camp (TRC). Whether it’s leading trail rides, taking visitors on hay rides, or just being helpful and friendly when guests arrive, Kenny has shown his loving Christian spirit with his faithful service.

If you've ever been on a hay ride at TRC, it was always Kenny at the wheel of the Kubota tractor. At a recent Adventure Family weekend, one of the young campers saw Kenny sitting on the tractor wearing his TRC bucket cap and commented, “Mr. Pickett is the coolest guy I know! I just love him!”

Jim Thompson, a long-time supporter of TRC, shared, “Mr. Pickett is like a father to my wife and me. On many occasions when we would have to make a trip home and wouldn't get back to the camp until late at night, he would always be sitting up in his living room as if he was waiting for us to get back ‘home.' I have always felt that he genuinely cares for everyone at camp.”

Not only has Kenny taken care of guests, he has taken care of our summer camp, including building and vehicle maintenance, and grounds upkeep. Kenny has a reputation of being able to design and build anything you could imagine. TRC is the envy of summer camps across the U.S. because of the big yellow water swing attached to our diving dock, designed and built by Kenny from raw materials.

Kenny also oversaw the construction of our new nature center, helping build a quality building and saving thousands of dollars along the way.

Working alongside Kenny has been his wife Donna. Her mission has been not only to show hospitality to all who eat a meal at TRC, but to introduce the benefits of healthy cooking. To honor the Picketts, the cafeteria has been named Pickett Dining Hall.

For nearly two years Dean Whitlow has been a ranger, assisting Kenny at TRC. They have been a team in developing the camp and this has been a training time for Dean. When Dean was hired as TRC ranger, Kenny stated that, “another must increase while I decrease." It was his desire to help prepare Dean to take over the operation of the camp.

On Feb. 10, the Conference Committee voted to adopt Kenny's recommendation that Dean become the new TRC camp manager. While Dean has assumed his new leadership role, Kenny still fills an important role as mentor as he assists in caring for TRC. When guests arrive, they can still expect to see Kenny cruising the camp and caring for their needs.

Church and school groups wishing to make reservations at TRC may now contact Dean Whitlow by phone at (812) 829-2507 or by e-mail: dwhitlow@direcway.com.

Charlie Thompson, Indiana Conference youth ministries director