Rev. Paul and Brenda Lint have been named the new Directors at Wesley Acres Camp and Retreat Center. The Lints, who have worked every imaginable position at Wesley Acres over the years, are currently serving the Hettinger, ND parish, where Paul is the pastor. Camp Director is the one position Paul has never held there, but is excited about the transition at this point in his ministry.

“When I got my call to ministry, it was at WAC,” said Paul. “At the time, Director Kevin Tulp said, ‘You can stay here on staff, but you’ll have to do anything I ask.’ The Tulps said I should go to seminary, and it was during that time at Wesley Acres that I began listening for, and answering God’s call.”

Rev. Lint is a graduate of the University of North Dakota and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. His first appointment was McCook Lake in 2003.  Rev. Lint has served at Plankinton/ White Lake, Vermillion/USD and Hettinger churches and ministries.  He and Brenda were actually engaged at Wesley Acres, and several of their children consider Wesley Acres their second home.

Camping Director Keith Shew added, “We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Paul and Brenda Lint to the Dakotas camping family. It would be difficult to find any people more passionate about Wesley Acres Camp than Paul and Brenda, who have been involved as campers, program leaders, deans, members of the site advisory team, and now as Camp Directors. Their lifelong dedication to the Dakotas camp and Retreat ministry, especially at Wesley Acres, is humbling and inspiring.”

Brenda Lint has held many positions at Wesley Acres, including Program Director, and has been active every year for decades, whether in paid or volunteer capacities. She said, “We didn’t plan on being site Directors, but it’s the next step in our lifetime of camping ministry. We’ve thought about it in the past, but this time we took the effort to discern if this is what God was calling us to do.”

Rev. Rebecca Grinager Trefz, Dakotas Conference Director of Ministries, said, “We are so thankful that Paul and Brenda have chosen to answer the call to serve in this role. They have always embodied Jesus’ words, 'Let the children come unto me and do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.' I am excited they will be using their gifts and passions to be ambassadors for Christ through Dakotas camping ministries."

Paul and Brenda are looking forward to jumping into this position with specific goals in mind. Brenda noted the will start by, "continuing to focus on establishing the relationship between WAC and our conference churches and pastors.”

In related news, the Human Relations Committee has formalized Keith Shew as the Camping Director for the Dakotas and Minnesota Conferences. Shew had been Interim Camping Director effective Sept. 1, 2015, and has been the Director of the Minnesota Camping program for several years, after serving 15 years as a director of a camp in the Iowa Conference.