About our Staff

Seasonal Staff

Meet our 2012 Summer Staff! (click on photo to see staff profiles)

Meet our 2012 weekly Camp Directors here!

Year-Round Staff

Brian Burtchett (Executive Director)

Brian Burtchett joined Pioneer Pacific as Executive Camp Director in 2008. He and his wife Kaycie have been involved in Christian ministry with teenagers and young adults for over 20 years. It started in their California church where they were leaders of a discipleship school taking ministry groups into Mexico. They moved to Europe in 1989 where and worked for eight years with King’s Kids in the Netherlands, a sub-section of Youth with a Mission (YWAM). King’s Kids serves to empower young people between the ages of 12 and 25 to reach out to others and share the love of God. During this time they were responsible for the training, mentoring and leading teams that shared the gospel by working in orphanages, performing dramas or music, and by serving the practical needs of others. Team building and relational discipleship were the strength of their ministry as they worked to challenge and release young people into loving and serving God in today’s world. They have taught and led groups of multinational young people across Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and North America.

The Burtchet family came to Canada in 1997 where Brian began his studies at Regent College. He felt God called him here to deepen his theological understanging and to learn to be a more effective leaders. Brian completed his Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree and then went on to do a Masters of Theology (ThM) in New Testament Studies. Brian and Kaycie have five childres and live in Vancouver during the year and on Thetis Island from June to September.

John Gall (Site Director) and Andrea Gall (Rental Coordinator)

John and his wife Andrea grew up in Grand Prairie, Alberta and moved to BC in 2002. John has attended Peace River Bible Institute and Briercrest College studying Outdoor Leadership. John and Andrea have been involved in camp ministry since their teens, having served as counselors at Bear Lake Bible Camp, serving as a summer missionary with Child Evangelism Fellowship, serving on full time staff at Camp Qwanoes, and most recently helping out at a Scripture Union Camp in New Zealand. At Camp Qwanoes, John worked on the camp maintenance team responsible for building renovation and new construction. He also oversaw the boat driver team responsible for program organization and boat maintenance. John is an experienced carpenter who has worked in everything from framing to finishing work. Andrea has over 5 years experience in office administration including assistant to the director of staffing at Camp Qwanoes and administration at several different buisnesses. They came on staff in 2009 and live in Hawley House with their two children Raglan and Aubrey.

Steve Taylor (Director of Program)

Steve grew up in Vancouver, with his parents Gordon and Lydèle, and his older sister Allison (Pinches). Steve became a Christian at age four, and he and his family attended First Baptist Church in Vancouver. Interestingly, this is the same church that his wife Christy (nee Bentall) attended with her family. Christy and Steve were good friends growing up and were latter married at the same church in July, 2010.

Steve is no stranger to summer camp, having spent time at Camp Firwood in Washington State over the course of twelve different summers, four of which were spent serving on summer staff. Steve’s faith was significantly shaped through his experience at camp, and it was there that he made a number of life-altering steps forward in his faith as a teen and young adult.

In 2004, after spending a year living in New Zealand, Steve attended Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. He later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies, which included a focus in Archaeology and Minors in Psychology and Drama. Since then Steve has spent several years working at lululemon athletica, Power to Change, and most recently at Arrow Leadership, where he has been able to further develop his passion for developing leaders, building relationships, and caring for others. Steve also enjoys traveling, good friends, great food, and his beautiful wife, Christy; they currently live together in Langley and are expecting their first child in mid November! Please keep them in prayer, as they enter into this exciting season of change and adjustment!

William (Billy) Reed (Development Officer)

Billy was born in the Toronto region, but at age 8 moved to Germany with his parents, Len and Mary, and two siblings, Ken and Jeanie. Len and Mary have been serving with Teach Beyond for the last 16 years in a small town in Germany named Kandern. It was there that Billy spent 10 years attending a Christian International Boarding School called Black Forest Academy (BFA). Much like being at camp, BFA helped Billy learn the importance of community living and of bringing up students to follow and seek the Lord. Christian mentors and fellow believers helped disciple him continually to seek after Christ and to share the good news with others around him, while providing a quality education.

Following graduation, Billy moved to Vancouver to attend UBC, where during the course of his studies he met his wife Megan (maiden name, Severide). Megan grew up attending PPC and has strong ties to the camp. Some of her favourite memories and friendships have developed as a result of camp experiences. Together, they have a passion for community living and a desire to share the good news of Christ with youth and adults alike.

Over the last few years, Billy has finished his degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, has worked with the Youth Program at Tenth Avenue Alliance, volunteered with mission organizations in Germany and Spain, and currently also works at Body and Soul in Vancouver as a Personal Trainer and at Sportball, coaching children’s sports. Together, Billy and Megan live in Vancouver enjoying the blessings of building relationships, developing community and spreading the Word. They also avidly enjoy anything outdoors and will often go and explore the goodness of God’s creation.

Madie Eirikson (Office Administrator)

Madie and her husband Michael grew up in New Westminster BC and moved to Vancouver in 2010. Recently married, they are both fourth year students at UBC. Madie is working towards her bachelor’s in Political Science and Michael in Mathematics. Camping and youth has been a part of both their lives for many years; Madie has been volunteering at Pioneer for 6 years and Michael has been very involved with Burnaby/New West Young Life for 3 years.

Madie is serving as the Office Administrator in Vancouver part time from September to May and full time at camp during the summer. Michael is a full time student during the winter but joins the summer staff leadership team from May to September.

“Being shaped by God's Word and led by the Holy Spirit, to see the transformation
of youth, students and graduates into fully committed followers of Jesus Christ.”