Board of Directors

Board of Directors, also the “Camp Board” or “The Board” refers to the council of elected representatives who steward this mission and executive accountability for Camp Deerpark.

Current Board

  • Jeryl Zimmerman (2024-; Chair 2025- )
  • Carmen Lora (2022-)
  • Emmanuel Lindsay (2022-)
  • Karen Angustia (2024-)
  • Anita Castle (2025-)
  • Aurelia Martinez (2021-)
  • Brian Murray (2025-) (previously 2003–2017)
  • Lowell Jantzi (2025-) (previously 1985–2003)
  • Jamila Ayala (2020-)
  • Victor Mendez (2018-)
  • Jynnelle Smith (2020-)

Past Board Members

John Buckwalter 1969–1977, 1981–1989

Glenn Zeager 1969–1975

Carl Metzler 1969–1982

Gene Shelly 1969–1985, 1988–1994

Ronald Collins 1969–1971

Richard “Dick” Pannell 1969–1972, 1995–1997

Nelson Kauffman 1969–1970

Aurelio Rodriguez 1970–1972, 1978

Ray Pacheco 1971–1981, 1985–1991

Dale Weaver 1971, 1975, 1978–1979, 1981–1993

Richard Frey 1971–1975, 1978–1983

Don Gunden 1972–1976, 1979–1990

Harold Davenport 1972–1978

Ruth Burkholder 1972, 1975–1976

Cesar Richards 1972–1976

Damaris Lugo 1972–1976

Elvin Bowman 1973–1974

Jay Lehman 1974

Les Mininger 1974–1975, 1978, 1991–1993

Jose Feliz 1974, 1977–1979

Frank Gonzalez 1974–1975

Evelyn Brown 1975–1978, 1983–1984

John Smucker 1976–1977

Abraham Aponte 1976–1977

Cecelia Robinson 1977

Frank Freeman 1978–1979, 1982–1985

Wes Newswanger 1979–1983

Ruth Jantzi 1979–1982

Luis Gonzalez 1981–1993

Melvin Lapp 1983–1990

Mim Cruz 1984–1986

Lowell Jantzi 1985–2003

Marian Sauder Egli 1987–1995

Doris Perkins 1989–1994

Jim Leonard 1990–1992

Edgar Ortiz 1992–1998

Lester Sutter 1992–1994

Maynard Shirk 1992–2013

Ken Kurtz 1994–1997

Richard Pannell 1995–1997

Billy Thompson 1995–1998

Jesus Cruz 1997–2005

Darcell Lawrence 1997

Lenny Torres 1997–1998

Antonieta Calderon 1998

Melody Pannell 1998–2003

Tiffany Powell-Lambright 1998–2000

Amin Laboriel 1999–2000

Sara Mateo–Deo 1999–2013

Wayne Shreffler 2001–2009

Nancy Lopez–Cottrell 2002–2003

Moises Angustia 2002–2014

Annabelle Perri 2002–2014

Navara Iris Sebastian 2003–2014

Rick Buckwalter 2003–2015

Hyacinth Stevens 2003–2014

Brian Murray 2003–2017

Ben Rader 2007–2017

Daryl Groff 2008–2010

Krista LaRuffa 2011-2020; Chair 2013-2020

Lilian Flores 2012–2017

Robert Charles 2012–2014

Anthony Sensenig 2014–2017

Marcia Stoesz 2014-2022

Daniel Angustia 2015-2024; Chair 2020-2024

Grace Smith 2015-2023

Veronica Dingwall 2016-2019

Danica Lefever 2016-2024

Lanny Millette 2016-2024; Chair 2024

Carmen Benedith 2017-2021

Luke Berg 2018-2023

Yahaira Bermudez 2020-2024

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Releasing and Loving “The Other Side”

By Ben Cheek | October 22, 2024

This is Session 1 of the Prince of Peace: Jesus and Peacebuilding from the Election to the Holidays webinar series. (Click here to sign up for session invites.) This session is about what we do with those in our lives who see things differently — even very differently. We do this using a paradigm from…

Story of A Tree

By Ben Cheek | October 18, 2024

A fresh tree stump is like a magnet to me. I have to look at the rings to read the tree’s story. It’s at once humbling to look inside a living thing that is much longer-lived than yourself, but also encouraging to see how it weathered the ups and downs of life, the good times…

Camp’s Political Endorsement

By Ben Cheek | October 15, 2024

I’ve been eligible to vote for 30 years, but – like many in my generation – I’ve never felt like a politician or party truly represented me. They may win me at one point, but they’ll loose me in the next. When I have voted, it always seemed I was going to the polls holding…

Prince of Peace

By Ben Cheek | October 14, 2024

Camp’s mission statement says we offer people the opportunity to fellowship in “serenity”. Serenity literally means “clear skies” — a state of refuge from the storms of the World. Right now, our World does feel pretty stormy with a divided country going into an election and numerous disasters and conflicts abroad and at home. Because…

Mapping Spiritual Journey with NYC Leaders

By Ben Cheek | October 1, 2024

In order to know where you’re going, it’s a good idea to know where you are. One of the best ways to know where you are is a good map. The NYC LMC District is seeing growth in many of our churches right now, and opportunities for re-inventing and re-launching in others. But these are…

How Do You Define Mission?

By Ben Cheek | October 1, 2024

When somebody says “I’m on a mission”, what do you think of? If the word is said in church, what is the first thing that comes to mind? You may think of someone clutching a Bible in a jeep jostling down jungle roads. Or you cold be thinking of a caring staff at an remote…

A Special Request for Baby Vivian

By Ben Cheek | September 30, 2024

Serving God, while the greatest of blessings, is no guarantee that everything will go well in life. Tragedy, difficulty, and suffering can find any of us at any moment, and when it does, the people of God are essential in helping us navigate the valleys of shadow with Jesus by our side. Ben Gosnell came…

You Can Always Come Home

By Ben Cheek | September 12, 2024

In the pursuit of mission, I’ve moved around a lot as an adult. To be perfectly honest, I haven’t found a place since Mom and Dad’s house that I felt was mine — a place I could call home. If you find yourself longing for home, you’re in some pretty good company. It says in…

Map Makers Project

By Ben Cheek | August 29, 2024

Camp is a big place and we have some big plans. But this raises a big question: Just where is everything? In the past, we asked around and maybe somebody would know. Now, we’d like to get all that information down on a map. We’ll use it to maintain the grounds, plan maintenance projects, and…

Welcoming Wisdom: Cabin 2 Opens in Promise Woods

By Ben Cheek | August 22, 2024

We’re very pleased to announce that Cabin 2 “Wisdom” is now open in Promise Woods for retreat groups and other guests. Wisdom is our 5th (of 6) bunk cabin to be completed and it sleeps 10 in the spacious bunk room and two more in the cozy bedroom. Like all of our camper-style cabins, it…