The retirement of Brenda Brooks-Murphy as the Director of the Crystal Conference Center, at the end of the 2018 camping season and after thirty-two years, brings an era of significant, dedicated service to an end. She and her husband, Dick Murphy, have a great love for camp ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Michigan Region.
The joy they derived from seeing how the ministry impacted the lives of so many people, particularly the children, and how precious those sacred grounds are to them was manifested in the long hours and hard work they put into fulfilling the responsibilities of the position. I have stated in the past that Dick had the longest “honey do” list in the world.
Brenda’s knowledge of the rules and regulations that govern the camping industry, the relationships she established in the community and with her peers, her relationships with volunteers, vendors, suppliers, service providers, and regulators were invaluable in enabling her to maintain a steady operation of the facility.
It has been inspiring to have had the privilege of working in partnership with Brenda and Dick in their ministry at the Crystal Conference Center during the time I have served as Regional Minister. They have been a tremendous blessing to the Regional church and to the community.
This retirement will leave a huge void in the ministry at Crystal, but I thank God for their many years of faithful, unselfish service and the contribution they have made to the fond memories so many have of their time at Crystal.
Eugene James,
Regional Minister
