A Call Rooted in Family and Faith
New Director of Development Phil Rekitzke had known Camp Pecometh for decades, but it was through his family that he truly came to understand its heart.
A Midwesterner by birth, Phil Rekitzke has called the Delmarva Peninsula home for more than 30 years. During that time, Pecometh subtly became part of his family’s story. Phil’s earliest connection came through volunteering alongside his wife, Rev. Missy Rekitzke, on Chrysalis youth retreats, where he witnessed the quiet, transformative power of retreat ministry.
As Missy’s pastoral appointments moved their family across the peninsula, Phil’s connection to Pecometh deepened. Through his involvement with the Chesapeake Walk to Emmaus at Pecometh’s Riverview Retreat Center, he repeatedly witnessed lives transformed through prayer and the movement of the Holy Spirit.
While Pecometh had long been familiar ground, it took on new meaning when Phil watched his daughter, Claire, step into leadership at summer camp. Over three summers, Claire served first as a counselor and later as waterfront manager. Through her faith, confidence, and care for campers, Phil began to see Pecometh through new eyes.
Listening to Claire share stories of camper breakthroughs, staff prayer, and moments when God’s presence was unmistakable, Phil realized Christian camping was more than a program. It was a place where lives are truly transformed. “That’s when it clicked,” he says. “God was doing something real here.” What he witnessed wasn’t just growth in campers, but growth in his daughter. Through her experience, Pecometh became not just familiar ground, but holy ground.
That growing sense of call moved Phil from observer to builder. Believing faith requires heart, hands, and feet, he helped lead the construction of the retreat center’s large cross and soul-searching swing, organizing work teams from St. Mark’s UMC in Easton. “The way God put that group together was truly miraculous,” Phil recalls.
That same spirit of service now shapes Phil’s next chapter at Pecometh. Phil stepped into a new role as Pecometh’s Director of Development, bringing with him a career in business, sales, and leadership—along with decades of lived experience in camp and retreat ministry. When Executive Director Augie Lankford invited him to join the team full-time, Phil prayed and couldn’t say no.
“I truly believe God has been preparing me for this role for a long time,” Phil says. “My hope is to help ensure that Pecometh’s camp and retreat ministries continue transforming lives for generations to come.”
Sometimes, God’s clearest call comes not all at once, but through years of faithful service and by watching those you love walk the path ahead.
Phil loves talking about his ministry at Pecometh. Feel free to reach out to him at 302-236-3732 or philr@pecometh.org.