I have to admit that when I came to Ferncliff in the spring of 1997, I didn’t really know what was in store, or even if it would be a good fit. I enjoyed the interview. The committee asked good questions before and during the interview. They were attentive, personable and appreciated the questions I had for them. I remember Nancy Wolford approaching me warmly afterward and telling me she really hoped we would be in touch. I sensed that Ferncliff was a diamond in the rough. It needed work and I had much to learn. Was this my calling? I certainly hadn’t taken any courses in college or seminary on sewer plants operations, food service licensing, or construction management.

The Board offered the position and I gladly accepted. The first week I learned that Ferncliff did not run the summer camp program – just hosted it. For 18 months I commuted the 33.5 miles from Perryville until we found a house nearby. The seller was a Presbyterian minister who raised lions and tigers. No, I’m not kidding. We negotiated the price while Vicki had a tiger on her lap. There were also two Irish Setters, a St. Bernard and a grand piano sharing the living room. “Don’t mind the bullet holes in the stained glass window.” “Things have settled down in the neighborhood.” Well alrighty then.

So it began. Vicki was pressed into service as registrar and Mary Haley our first Program Director. I put in a lot of hours of relationship building and on the job training. I reached out to other Presbyterian Camp Directors and they became my professional family. A wise man from the east – Don Hostetter – took me under his wing and gave me good advice. “The dining hall has all the charm of a muffler shop.” “Your lack of a private office is atrocious.” Don was candid and kind and deeply spiritual. He loved camp and I came to share that love as well. With each visit I was proud to show him what I had checked off his list of suggestions.

I can tell you the exact day and time when I knew that Ferncliff was my calling. We had offered a special camp to the 5^th and 6^th graders at Jonesboro’s Westside Middle School. They had survived a horrific school playground shooting and were traumatized. I poured my energy into making that week of camp special. No one had ever done such a camp. Would they come? Would it work? Were we over our heads? No one knew. But 68 survivors came with their stuffed animals and backpacks. Parents placed a lot of trust in us after their children had experienced a trauma no family should have to bear. The story of that week would take a whole newsletter to share. On Friday 7/24/98, we had our closing celebration to end the week. It was an evening that turned out 10 times better than I could have imagined. Kids who had cried their eyes out a few nights before were now dancing their hearts out on the conference center steps and picnic tables. It was magic. It was Pentecost. It was perfect. At 8pm sitting at a picnic table soaking it in, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Ferncliff and its rookie Director came of age that evening. We saw the potential of being more than “just a camp.” We saw the power of the camp experience to transform and heal. At the request of parents, we did seven more camps for our “Westside kids” and the camps grew to include survivors from other sites. We then began camps for children of parents in prison, children in foster care, children whose parents were homeless. We got involved in disaster assistance and built a 10,000 sq ft Disaster Assistance Center. We became a missional camp and we committed ourselves to making every summer another “best summer ever.”

Bill Gates wrote in The Road Ahead: We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Faithful, persistent progress every year begins to add up.

I had an audacious goal when I started 20 years ago. It was so big I didn’t dare mention it. Ferncliff had about 400 campers and a budget of $250,000 in 1997. I’d heard there were some thriving Presbyterian camps that had over 1000 summer campers. A thousand campers! So my audacious goal became that someday Ferncliff might have 1000 campers supported by a $1M budget. Lo and behold, thanks to a supportive Presbytery, generous donors, engaged churches and hard-working volunteers, we exceeded $1M in operating revenue in 2011 and topped 1000 campers in 2013. Last summer we welcomed 1370 campers making us one of the biggest and fastest growing, church-related camps in the country. Those numbers are just shorthand for the growing number of stories of changed lives and social impact.

I am stepping down now as Executive Director. It has been 20 years. Ferncliff’s future is bright. There are still many ways in which we can serve the church and positively impact the world. It’s time for me to transition to the role of being a volunteer and continuing as a donor. My friend and former Board member, Duke Monroe, is a role model to me. He retired on a Monday and on Tuesday he was at camp volunteering. He’s been ‘a regular’ ever since. Our Monday morning “Over the Hill Gang” volunteers have graciously offered me a spot. They aren’t sure I’m ready to handle a chop saw, but they have reserved a broom with my name on it. I’m stepping into a continuing relationship as a volunteer and donor. I can’t wait to see what the next couple decades will bring.