Romeo, Michigan–Simpson Park Camp, a Christian campground celebrating 155 years of continuous operation, is happy to introduce two newly appointed directors to the Simpson Park Camp Meeting Grounds Association Board of Directors. Joel Kershaw, Attorney and partner of Kershaw, Vititoe & Jedinak of Monroe, Michigan joins the Board along with Mr. Ronald J Mack, Director of Aerospace at Jenoptik, Rochester Hills, Michigan.
They will join the current Board, and are responsible for supporting, facilitating and overseeing the daily operations of the camp. The Board is called upon to actively work towards fulfilling the Mission and Vision statements of Simpson Park Camp through the camp programs, retreats, outreach, promotion and rentals of our grounds and facilities.
“We are thrilled to be in a position to bring new members to our Board,” said Dwight Gibson, Chairman of the Board. “We are grateful to our Board Members and Annual Camp Committee members, who have laid the groundwork in developing our business model and building our team, leading us to the foundation upon which we currently operate. The gifts that Joel and Ron bring to the table will enhance the skill set of our Board.”
Joel is a founding partner of Kershaw, Vititoe & Jedinak, PLC, which was founded in 2015. He is a member of Southpoint Community Christian Church in Trenton, where he is a small group leader and part of the curriculum committee. As a student at Moody Theological Seminary in Plymouth, he is working towards a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and is actively involved in the ministries of Prison Fellowship. Joel has facilitated several programs for incarcerated people, and aims to focus on healing the effects of incarceration related trauma. As the son of two United Methodist pastors, Joel has a strong connection to ministry. He and his wife, a lifelong Simpson Park Camp participant have been attending Annual Camp Meeting regularly with their family.
Ron comes to us as the Director of Aerospace at Jenoptik. He is the architect of Aerospace Automated Assembly Lines around the world and has traveled extensively. A graduate of Michigan State, Ron is a native Michigander, and with the exception of 5 years working for Boeing in Seattle, WA, has spent his life here in Michigan. He was introduced to Simpson Park Camp at age 5, when his mother starting bringing their family. Like Simpson Park Camp, Ron has a rich Christian heritage, which ties directly into Simpson Park Camp where he was born again at age 14 in an alter call on a Thursday night in Nixon Tabernacle. “It is my yearning to leave this heritage with the younger generations in my family and in the church,” says Ron.
“We welcome and look forward to working with our new Board Members, who bring a fresh set of life experiences and skills to strengthen our leadership team,” said Doug Kelley, Camp Director, “as we prayerfully make decisions to enhance our guest experiences here.”
While our camping season has been altered by the COVID situation, we are continuing to be available to host groups. “While we have had to put many facility improvements on hold, we were overwhelmed by the support, flexibility, and the “do whatever it takes” attitude that allowed us to host our modified Annual Camp Meeting. So many people pitched in to make camp a great experience that one might be reminded of an ancient pilgrimage where extended families came together to seek the face of God, says Michael T Sawicki, Annual Camp Meeting President.
If you haven’t been to the camp, we invite you to visit our website at www.simpsonparkcamp.org and call us at (586) 752-3202 to schedule a tour. Since 1865 Simpson Park Camp Meeting Grounds have nurtured spiritual revival and good old-fashioned relationship building in Michigan. With seventy-seven buildings and cottages on fifty-five acres, the rustic charm of its Victorian-era woodland setting creates a unique and distraction-free environment perfect for spiritual reflection and important gatherings. Simpson Park is the perfect place to host band camps, retreats, family reunions, weddings, concerts and meetings.