Our Team
Meet the staff of Echo Ranch Bible Camp! Each of our full-time staff members are missionaries with Avant Ministries. They have dedicated their lives to sharing the good news about Jesus with others, and are committed to doing so through camping ministry.
Being missionaries means each staff member is responsible to fundraise their own financial support. If you are interested in learning more or in supporting one of our staff, please visit AvantMinistries.org/Give. To make a gift, just enter the amount you want to donate along with the staff member’s name, and a real person at Avant Ministries will process the donation and make sure it gets to the right person.
If you are interested in directly contacting one of our staff members, visit our Contact Us page to get in touch with our office.
Is God calling YOU to Christian camping ministry? Would you consider serving with us? Visit our Join Us page to learn more!
Randy & Allyson Alderfer
Camp Director / Head Cook, Finances
The Alderfers and their four sons are originally from Pennsylvania but have now lived in Juneau for over a decade. They enjoy hunting, wood working, and building longbows!
Andrew & Hannah Alderfer
Assistant Program Director / Workstaff Coordinator
Andrew grew up in Pennsylvania and was an Echo Ranch staff kid who eventually joined the full-time staff himself. He enjoys fishing and woodworking. Hannah is originally from Kansas City and enjoys hiking and playing the piano.
Steve & Becky Cochrane
Ministry Directors / Office Assistant
The Cochranes come from Alabama, but have spent many years serving with Avant in West Africa. They love to spend time with their college-aged boys, camping, hiking, and learning or building new things.
Katie Copley
Registration Coordinator (Seasonal Volunteer)
Katie is from the land of 10,000 lakes (Minnesota) and first visited ERBC as part of a work team in 2019. She started serving for the full camp season in 2023. She enjoys outdoor activities like snow machining, boating, and four-wheeling, but also indulging her inner old lady by cross stitching, sewing quilts, and taking naps.
Katie Coston
Barn Manager (Seasonal Volunteer)
Katie is from Indianapolis, Indiana. She spends her summers at camp managing our horse program and maintaining our herd. She loves sailing, kayaking, driving with the windows open, writing, tea, and anything that has to do with horses.
Ryan & Angie Regier
Maintenance & Facilities / Hospitality Coordinator
Ryan and Angie come from Hillsboro, Kansas. Ryan enjoys hunting, woodworking, and coffee. Angie enjoys being outside, games, and cooking. You can often find their boys building things, their daughter doing gymnastics, and all three adventuring around camp!
Bob Reich
Maintenance & Facilities
Bob is from Pennsylvania, where he is a member of Wayside Bible Church. After visiting Echo Ranch as part of several work teams, he spent his first full summer with us in 2023, and joined Avant and our full-time staff in 2024. He feels blessed to be a part of camp’s facilities department.
Mike & Jamie Rempel
In-Town Coordinators (Seasonal Volunteers)
Mike and Jamie live in Kansas and spend their summers in Juneau as our representatives in town at our Auke Bay office. They maintain our property in Auke Bay, coordinate housing accommodations for campers and other guests, transport hundreds of people to and from the airport and ferry terminal, and help out with whatever else is needed in town. In their free time, one of their favorite things to do in town is check out garage sales and look for good finds for our camp staff.
Daniel & Amanda Schoenthaler
Work Teams Coordinator, Maintenance & Facilities / Crafts Coordinator, Kitchen Leader
Daniel and Amanda are from sunny Florida. They're a homeschooling family who love Jesus. Together with their children - Mason, Madison, Micah, Maddox, and Miriam -they enjoy all things outdoors, especially spending time at the beach, camping, hiking, and biking.
Parker & Naomi Schroeder
Program Directors
Parker grew up on a small farm in Northwest Ohio. He enjoys outdoors activities, sports, and reading. Naomi is one of 10 siblings and enjoys hiking and coffee. They met at camp and were married in October 2018. Their daughter, Thea, is our youngest team member!
Travis & Stacey Stauffer
Maintenance & Facilities / Chapel Coordinator
Travis is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and has been working in construction for over 7 years. Stacey is from Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from ministry school with a focus in worship ministry. They both love reading and coffee. Travis and Stacey met at ERBC and got married in April 2023, shortly after they both joined our full-time staff.
Austin Unruh
Head Mechanic
Austin is from Goessel, Kansas. He enjoys reading, driving, building out of wood or metal, and doing almost anything outside. Austin came to camp for the first time with a work team in 2017 and joined the full-time staff in 2020.
Kylee Watts
Video & Media Coordinator
Kylee is from Juneau and grew up going to Echo Ranch as a camper. Her family is Tlingit and part of the Lukaax.aadi (raven sockeye) clan. She enjoys creating traditional beadwork, playing card games, and spending time with her family.
Grant Werthman
Activities Coordinator, Trading Post Coordinator, Communications Coordinator
Grant was born in Texas, grew up in Minnesota and Florida, spent several years post-college living in Kansas City, and now lives in Juneau. He first came to Echo Ranch as a counselor the summers that he was in college and has returned every summer since then, joining the full-time staff in 2020. He enjoys running marathons, hiking, rock climbing, and foraging for berries and mushrooms.
Brynden Wiens
Administrator, Retreat Coordinator
Brynden was born and raised in West Africa, graduated college at Grace University in Nebraska, and loves living in the capital of Alaska! She enjoys Bible journaling, drinking coffee with friends, and exploring the great outdoors. She lives by the motto, "what you do in life, echoes in eternity".