Staff Profile: Avery “Queen Juice” Fink

Ever wonder who shows up to camp ready to mentor high school girls… and maybe also covered head-to-toe in green paint? Meet Avery “Queen Juice” Fink! Whether she’s leading campers through crazy fun activities, causing a little (totally intentional) chaos on stage, or pointing staffers to Jesus in the middle of all the camp madness, Avery brings energy, laughter, and heart to every corner of the Shores. Read on to discover her unique camp name story, why she loves being a part of students’ stories, and what makes her one-of-a-kind at Pine Cove.

What is your job, and how did you get to Pine Cove?

I work as the associate director of the Shores. Until recently I was the women’s director, so I’m still getting used to my new title! I first applied to camp while at Baylor because all my friends were interviewing, and by God’s grace I got hired—and I do mean that being on this side of interviewing people—which is still so fun and exciting to look back on. I spent four summers at the Shores as a summer staffer and did the Forge between my third and fourth summers. After that, I joined full-time staff, first serving as a site director with City Team Canyon for a year before coming back to the Shores as women’s director. I stayed in that role for three years before this past summer, which was my fourth summer on full-time staff and when I transitioned into associate director.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I feel like what I love about my job comes down to three things. First, I love girl ministry—college girls, high school girls—I think it’s so sweet and unique, and I feel lucky every day that I get to do it. Second, I love working at a high school camp. High schoolers can sometimes be “too cool for school,” but every week I get to watch them just be kids by being off their phones, free from worrying about how they look, singing karaoke on stage, or doing something silly and childlike. I love that camp creates space for that, and I get to play a part in it. Third, high school camp also means walking through hard things. It’s an honor to sit with students in those moments and point them to Jesus, their one true hope. Those are definitely a few of the top reasons I love my job!

What standout memories come to mind from your time working at camp?

There are so many that I could share since I’ve been with camp for such a long time! I think this is a sweet one, a standout memory. Maura Weems just got hired as the Woods women’s director, and I’ve known her since she was a camper. I got to have a hang time with her when she was a camper and then got to hire her on my staff at the Shores when I was the women’s director. She was a counselor for us, then a senior counselor, and then was our program director. I got to go visit her last fall at LSU, which was really sweet. I talked to her, got to encourage her to apply, and she’s here now. She’s a coworker, so that has been really sweet for me in this season.

How did you get your camp name?

Well, this is a complicated question actually, because my original camp name is not my now camp name. I technically got renamed my third summer. Back in 2017, I was first named All Wii Want for Christmas is Juice. It was long, kind of terrible, and made little sense—but that’s camp for you. The name came from a mix of random questions: my favorite Christmas song (“All I Want for Christmas is You”), my favorite gift (a Wii), and then someone randomly asked, “Do you juice?” I said yes, and it stuck.

By my third summer, though, I was renamed Queen Juice by Taylor Jervis, aka Mr. Fish Face. I’d been calling everyone “queen” (which is something I still do), and one day he introduced me from stage as Queen Juice. I thought it was just a joke, but by the next summer it was on spreadsheets, nametags, and introductions. It became official without me even realizing it.

So now I’m Queen Juice—though I don’t drink juice and I’m definitely not a queen. Most of my program staff years people just called me Avery, but thanks to Taylor, Queen Juice is here to stay.

What have been some of your favorite things lately?

Over the past year I’ve been making sourdough bread, which has been really fun. I also love going on walks. Another new thing for me has been reading fiction. Normally I only read nonfiction—I’ve never enjoyed fiction much—but I decided 2025 would be my “year of fiction,” and I’m proud that I’ve actually stuck with it. Beyond that, those are pretty much my favorite things right now, very much like an old lady.

What are some of your favorite spots in Tyler?

Obviously Fresh is always the best, you just can’t get enough of it. My husband Landon also works for Pine Cove, and one of our favorite spots is Chiangmai Thai. We love their food so much that every Saturday in the summer we make it a tradition to eat there. As for coffee, I’m really just a Starbucks girl, but I also love Likewise. They’re believers, which makes it extra special.

What is something most people don’t know about you that you think will help people to know you better?

The first fun fact that comes to mind is that my dad is a high school football coach. Whenever I tell people that, they always say, “Oh, that makes so much sense,” which I don’t really know how to take, but it’s funny. The other big thing is that I’m one of three girls. I’m the middle, and my sisters are truly my best friends.

How did you meet your husband?

My husband is Landon “Rhymes & Dimes” Fink, who works as the Towers Boys Camp Director. Technically, camp is how we met, but I refuse to say we’re a “camp couple” because we didn’t start dating until after. We were summer staffers together for three years, and then I started dating him a little over a year into working full time at Pine Cove. So, technically camp… but I’m my own nightmare. I tell my girls all the time, “You don’t have to meet someone at camp, that’s okay!” and then they remind me, “But you met your husband at camp.” And I have to assure them that that is not the only way to meet someone!

What’s something God used the ministry of Pine Cove City to teach you?

Wow. Pine Cove City. I loved my time there. Honestly, if I could have been a site director longer, I would have, but the Lord clearly called me to this role, and I’m grateful. City was just so unique compared to being an onsite staffer. At onsite camps, campers come to you and you provide the full experience. But with City, you travel into other people’s spaces—churches and communities where ministry is already happening—and you get to join in. What I loved most was the community aspect. Each week we stepped into a new place, met students and families, and saw how different communities all wanted the same thing: for kids to know the Lord and, through them, for families and neighbors to be connected to Him too. It was amazing to watch churches love and serve their own people, and humbling to get to be a small part of it.

One of the hardest things about onsite camp is sending kids home and hoping what they’ve learned sticks. What I loved about City is that the connections could continue right there in their own community—the same place they worship, learn, and grow week after week. That’s such a unique and special gift of the ministry. I was on one team that visited 10 churches in a year, and with 12 teams total doing the same, the impact was massive. And it wasn’t us, it was totally the Lord. We just got to be a part of it. I still feel humbled and grateful that I got to serve with City, even for just one year. Go City!

What’s the most memorable skit character you’ve ever portrayed?

I’m not in a ton of skits. I’ll be honest with you, ever since my summer staff days I’ve kind of avoided them. But when I am in a skit, I notoriously play a character who just screams a lot and causes a lot of chaos. The role I’m most known for is playing a witch. I literally paint my entire body green and come out causing chaos. I’ve done it a few times: once as a summer staffer, then again two summers ago, and this past summer too. My staff thinks it’s hilarious and always asks me to bring the character back. The name changes, but it’s always the same over-the-top green witch, and they can’t believe I actually commit to painting myself every time.

If you’re alone in the car, what do you find yourself listening to?

I’m a big Swiftie, but not a crazy one. I promise I won’t yell at anyone if they don’t like her, and I don’t dive too deep into theories that take more brainpower than I have. But am I excited about her new album being compared to some of her greatest work? Absolutely. Will I be listening on October 3rd? Absolutely. Did I cry at the Eras tour? Absolutely. So yes, definitely a big Swiftie.

What is one thing the Lord has been teaching you in your current season?

After summer, everything can feel like a blur, but one thing that has really stood out to me this year is the sureness of the Lord’s character. Summer is exhausting—full of high highs and low lows, caring for a lot of people, navigating unexpected challenges, and then moving straight into recruiting and interviews. In the midst of all that chaos, there’s a really great comfort, and that the Lord is who He says He is. And no matter what I’m feeling, no matter what I’m experiencing, no matter the highs or the lows of this job, the seasons that I’m in, whatever—there really is a sureness and a staying to the Lord’s character that was revealed thousands and thousands of years ago to Moses on a mountain.

And that was true even before then, and that was consistent all the way through the Bible, and it’s been consistent throughout time, and it’s still consistent for Avery today. And so I think that truth provides a lot of anchorage and also a lot of great comfort. In ministry, it’s easy to overlook these fundamentals, to think, “I already know that,” or “Of course that’s true.”  It was the Lord’s kindness to bring me back to some simple basics this summer, and I’m thankful it’s been carried through as I’ve started recruiting, and so that’s been really sweet. So nothing crazy, but really been encouraged and really deeply comforted just by His character.