A unique gem of the PCA nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains is undergoing much-needed polishing.

Wallace Anderson, who became executive director of Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center in October 2009, spearheaded an effort to refurbish the 902-acre complex, a popular destination for PCA members and friends since 1978. Ridge Haven is located in Brevard, North Carolina. “Ridge Haven is showing its age, so we’ve spent the last eight months cleaning and remodeling,” Anderson said. “About 70 percent of the campus has been remodeled or refreshed – replacing wood, painting, resealing.”

The cost was minimized thanks to generous, loving volunteer labor. “We can’t afford to do a project of this scope ourselves. Churches sent groups to help. Eight or nine women from the Mission to the World (MTW) office near Atlanta spent a weekend landscaping. Many year-round residents have pitched in, and several counselors from last year stayed late and came back early to help with renovating.”

Ridge Haven’s picturesque natural setting remains the central attraction, but guests will appreciate the changes, said Anderson. “As a volunteer put it, ‘Even gold and silver need polishing.’”

The Center’s update is more than cosmetic. Anderson, who held administrative posts at Covenant Theological Seminary, MTW’s short-term missions Impact Program, and Covenant College before assuming his role at Ridge Haven, brought fresh business acumen for bolstering programs and strengthening operations. He developed a 23-page business plan for revitalizing the Center. Refreshing the physical plant is one emphasis. “We needed solid business principles in place. We’re a family here at Ridge Haven, but like a family business, it needs structure.

“As I saw at the seminary and the college, there is no substitute for excellent customer service. We may not have the biggest lake or the most luxurious accommodations, but we can provide the best customer service.”

Anderson also made programming changes. “We can’t just tell churches, ‘Send us your youth.’ Congregations want to partner with us, and youth pastors want to be involved. So we offer several options: They can continue to send young people, and allow Ridge Haven to run the programs. Youth pastors can bring their groups and be as involved as they want to be. Or they can rent our facilities and do the entire program themselves.”

Another emphasis has been making Ridge Haven accessible to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Anderson is making donor relations a priority. “We want to offer access to all people, whether or not they can pay the full amount for camps and conferences. We will make scholarships available. We’ve already had WIC groups and churches make wonderful donations to get us started. We’re partnering with churches that will help pay for people wanting to attend. And we’re working to economize our operations, making everything more cost-effective.”

Ridge Haven, says Anderson, has the potential to fill special evangelism and discipleship roles within the PCA. “Although we’re available for people of all ages, statistics tell us 85 percent of people who come to Christ do so by 15 years of age. Yet in many churches, only 15 percent of the budget goes specifically for young people. At Ridge Haven, we’re developing a plan for mentoring and ministering to youth in a setting where they can see and appreciate the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. It’s a place where they can unplug, turn off their cell phones and iPods, climb trees, chop wood, sit under the stars and think about the Lord.”

Anderson added that the goal is to keep campers “so busy and having so much fun all day that we won’t have to say, ‘Lights out.’ They’ll listen and talk about the Lord around the campfire in the evenings, and when it’s time to go to bed, they’ll be tired enough to go right to sleep.”

Shifting from institutional careers to an outdoor environment has not been difficult for Anderson. His wife, Paige, grew up in a family heavily involved with Honey Rock Camp in Wisconsin, a 50-year-old center affiliated with Wheaton College. Also, about 15 years ago Anderson considered a move into camp ministry before being offered a job with MTW. He feels at home at Ridge Haven.

Although summer is just beginning, Anderson already sees fruit from his labors due in part to the support base of pastors, students and camp counselors from his contacts at Reformed University Fellowship, Covenant Seminary, Covenant College and MTW. Ridge Haven was blessed with its best ever year-end fund campaign in December 2009. “I think part of it was seeing somebody new in charge, and they wanted to support what we were starting to do. After seeing changes we had already put into place, one donor said he was interested in helping us make additional changes.”

Ridge Haven hosted 435 campers during the summer of 2009. More than 1,000 have registered for the summer of 2010. “This much growth would be tremendous for us.” Anderson says he welcomes change. “When something has been around for quite a while, there comes a time when change is necessary – and we’re making a lot of changes.”

A close friend also taught him the importance of change. Paul Kooistra, now coordinator of MTW, was president of Covenant Theological Seminary when Anderson was a student. Kooistra became Anderson’s mentor. “He often said, ‘If you’re treading water, eventually you’re going to sink, so you’d better be swimming forward,’” Anderson recalls. “That’s what we’re doing here at Ridge Haven.”