A new executive director has been hired for the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H., the center's Board of Directors announced on Jan. 12.
Courtesy photo
The Rev. Spencer Hatcher
The Rev. Spencer Hatcher will begin her new ministry at the BCH Center in early February. She comes from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif., where she has been serving as the dean of students, and brings additional experience in camp and conference ministry from her work at the Diocese of Maryland's Claggett Center.
“As we came to know Spencer we appreciated the depth to which her formation in the body of Christ, including her call to ordination, was very much within the context of camp and conference centers,” the board's president, the Rev. Michael J. Hodges of Christ Church in Andover, said in the announcement.
“I extend my personal welcome and gratitude to the Rev. Spencer Hatcher, as she prepares to lead us in the next chapter of our diocesan life at the Barbara C. Harris Center," Bishop Alan M. Gates said following the announcement. "The center is a jewel in the crown of our diocesan resources for ministry with children, youth and adults. Spencer will bring broad experience, deep commitment and a spirit of contagious joy to her work at the BCH Center in this this crucial moment."
Hatcher will be just the third executive director to serve the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center since its opening in 2003.
“We are tremendously grateful to the interim executive directors, Rick and Helen Hargreaves, for the time, guidance and dedication they gave to the center in 2021. The staff at the BCH Center, both those we were fortunate to retain throughout COVID as well as recent additions, and more to come!, continue to create a place of hospitality, welcome and the deep connections with God, with others and with creation that have come to represent the core spirit of this place we all love,” Hodges said in the board's announcement.
“The search committee and board are tremendously hopeful and excited about the gifts of leadership and experience that Spencer and the staff will bring for this next phase of the life of our center as we look to re-engage in our ministry and mission within the ongoing challenges and opportunities presented during this time,” Hodges said. “We ask you to join us in giving her a warm welcome.”