October is YOKE Camp month so we thought it might be a perfect opportunity to turn the Alumni Spotlight on Carter and Abby Brown. Carter, who met Abby at Camp BaYoCa while serving with YOKE, now serves as the camp’s director. “I love the ministry YOKE has through the after-school clubs, but I obviously really love camp,” explained Carter. “There is just something special about getting out of your comfort zone and focusing fully on kids at Camp. It provides an opportunity for kids and adults to get away from their normal schedule and their phones, reconnect, and refocus spiritually.”
YOKE and Camp BaYoCa have partnered for more than 40 years to impact students, so there is a lot of overlap with staff and volunteers, and it’s no surprise that a number of relationships have formed there. In fact, Carter and Abby are the second generation of Browns to meet at camp. Carter’s mom and dad, Bob and Linnie Beth met there as well.
Abby learned about YOKE when she came to Carson Newman for college. She got involved because she’s always loved middle school students. She said she identifies with their “weirdness.” When she first met Carter at a leadership training weekend, though, it was not love at first sight. “He seemed a little arrogant for my taste,” she explained.
Carter, who was already living and working at camp at the time, filled in some key details. “She was standing with a group of girls around a fire near the lake,” he recalled. He broke the ice by telling them that odds were good that one of them would end up being his wife. Perfectly normal, right? Abby remembers, though, that he just kept showing up. Within a few weeks she agreed to a date and the rest is history.
Abby would go on to serve for three years at White Pine School in Jefferson County. Carter served for 8 years, including stints at Karns and Vine in Knox County, and Heritage and Carpenters in Blount County. They both still have close relationships with leaders that they served with and occasionally come across former YOKE Kids. “I saw one of my kids from Karns at a UT football game and bulldozed through the crowd to talk with him,” said Carter. “He is a giant man with kids of his own, which was wild to see. He was surprised and happy that I remembered him.”
One of Carter’s favorite YOKE memories is from his time as a team leader at Carpenters. “I cannot remember why, and honestly there may not be a reason, but a small group of boys started calling themselves Girls Club,” he explained. “We chanted that the whole weekend and it kind of became the identity of our club.” The next week at club, one of the boys presented gifts to everyone. He had gone to Walmart, bought plain black t-shirts, and used bleach to write Girls Club on the front of each. Carter says it’s still one of his most prized possessions.
Today Carter and Abby have two children, Junia, who is 4, and Simon, who is 9 months. Abby works as an RN at UT Medical Center. They have a home in Alcoa but move back to camp each summer for the ministry. “Our family wouldn’t exist without YOKE,” said Carter.
“YOKE was one of my first experiences in ministry, so it had a big impact on me,” explained Abby. “Investing in kids as a Christian role model was a great experience and put into perspective how important it is to maintain your relationship with Christ. My life would look vastly different without YOKE.” She has continued to serve with YOKE by volunteering her time and expertise as a nurse at camp.
“I love the training and experience I got during my time in YOKE and YOKE is still a big part of my life,” added Carter. “I know many people’s lives have been changed at YOKE Camp and I am so grateful that Camp BaYoCa has been able to play a part in that for so many years.”
