birth of revive
Revive grew out of an event called Camp Alpha which has a rich heritage spanning over 60 years on the Gulf Coast, the past 30 of which have been at Blue Lake near Andalusia, AL. It was established and held together by five ministers who would bring their youth year after year. All have passed on now and the camp continues to be led by those who have grown-up in and have given back to the ministry.
The investment of many for decades has rendered untold fruit in thousands of lives. This is visible in the sheer number of full time ministers who’ve come out of the camp as well as youth who can trace the beginning of their faith back to their time spent there. The Board of Directors are each living proof of what a camp experience can offer a young person and how it can alter the course of lives for those who attend.
For years Camp Alpha has had to turn groups away because of space limitations. This initially led us to start thinking of how to expand. In the meantime we’ve been involved and have witnessed movements centered around young people throughout the world. We’ve also helped start international festivals and conferences, and have taken teams to the mission field. All of this gave us a desire to see more done in our own neck of the woods … to raise up and send out leaders for the church of tomorrow. Voila, Revive was born!
our team: revive board of directors
Carol Bansbach and Derek Oswald (not married… just good friends!)
Coming up through the ranks of Camp Alpha, Carol makes us all wish we’d paid more attention in school! Truly one of the most brilliant minds we know! An Auburn University Grad and currently in the PhD Program in Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, she is a passionate Scientist with a huge heart for “The God Who made it all” and His people (Especially this generation’s Youth!). Carol keeps us relevant and in-the-know, oh... and laughing too.
Derek grew up in the Pensacola, FL area. He is currently the Youth Pastor for Woodbine United Methodist Church in Pace, FL where he has the privilege to serve and reach the students of his community. He is currently finishing a degree in Social Work from the University of West Florida where he plans to use his education to strengthen his ministry. Derek has a heart for teenagers near and far. He has been active in missionary work in Ecuador for the past 7 years, loves to mentor and disciple students, and simply wants to tell the world about Jesus Christ. Derek began going to summer camp as a high school student and has grown tremendously in his faith because of it. "Going to camp really helped me focus all of my life on God. I always found strength because of camp, strength that allowed me to become the young godly man that I am today." As the youngest member of the board, Derek hopes teenagers can see that as God works in mighty ways in our lives, age does not matter.
David Boyd
Husband, Father, and retired State Investigator, David provides a crucial stabilizing factor to the team. Bringing his family for years to Camp Alpha, we liked him so much we asked him to stick around. David lives in Pace, FL with his wife Dolores and is a vital part of the youth ministry of exciting Woodbine, UMC. He co-leads teams to Ecuador, loves traveling, and shares our passion for Missions. You will often find the Boyd household full of kids that he and Dolores pour into selflessly. The fruit of their time with youth is apparent through the many young adults that have not only gone into ministry but have also become staff at Revive! David has two sons, Matt and Travis, who are attending University of Florida and FSU. They are a part of our staff, as well.
Paul and Carrie Olson
Paul and Carrie grew up coming to Camp Alpha and both are from one of the founding churches of the camp, Grand Bay, AL. Paul is currently on staff at Spanish Fort UMC and has served churches in the Mobile area for 15 years. A gifted teacher and leader, Paul plays a key role on the Revive team by helping us maintain a pure, Godly focus. Carrie, a talented administrator and gifted writer, covers a number of roles for our team not the least of which is “keeping Paul in line!” Their son Nate is one year old.
Ronnie Calvert
Ronnie is also an alumnus of Camp Alpha. His hometown is Grand Bay, AL (slow down or you’ll miss it!) but for the last 20 years Ronnie has been serving churches in Alabama and West Florida as a Youth Minister, and leading youth camps, events, and missions teams to Ecuador and Costa Rica. Currently he is the Director of Youth and Missions at Spanish Fort UMC. Ronnie is passionate about seeing youth give their lives to Christ and has an extraordinary ability to spot other’s gifts and talents while building leaders and teams. Oh yeah, he’s an avid Bama fan and Fisherman too!
Tom and Patty Lane
Tom began attending at age 11 and was so drawn into faith and music by those leading that he followed suit, and has had a long career in ministry, music, and missions around the world. He met his wife Patty at Camp Alpha at the age of 13, only to marry her almost 20 years later! She too has been very involved behind the scenes with the current worship movement. She started her 10 year career in the Christian music world as a freelance Event Manager with EMI Christian Music Publishing /Worship Together, where she eventually became the Director of Worship Resources, the same role she now plays for Revive. Patty graduated from the University of Florida with a Business degree in Marketing and is proud to be part of the Gator Nation. Tom is also the part time Missions Director for The Village Chapel, which is the home church for the Lanes in Nashville, TN.
