“Ridge Haven has always managed to do a lot with a little; that’s one of its trademarks,” said Joel Belz, former General Assembly moderator and founder of World magazine. “A few years ago, even the little seemed to be running out.”
The physical facility, located in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, was almost 30 years old and wearing out. Finances were dwindling too, forcing the camp to borrow money.
In 2007, the General Assembly agreed that changes were needed. Under the leadership of then-moderator Paul Kooistra, a committee was created to make recommendations to the Ridge Haven board.
When Belz, who was assigned to the committee, arrived at the camp, he realized that the place had deteriorated because of a deficiency in resources, not good intentions: “People would look at an unpainted building and say, ‘That building needs to be painted.’ But there was nothing to paint it with.”
Per the committee’s recommendations, the board enacted a new business plan that included the hiring of Wallace Anderson, a PCA veteran, to be the camp’s new director. Since 2009, the year-round staff has doubled. They also brought in almost 60 summer staff volunteers to help out year-round.
With the manpower increase, the camp was able to accommodate four times as many campers. This past summer alone, almost 1,700 children attended camp, including 100 from inner-city Chattanooga. And through the generosity of donors and an army of volunteers, the buildings and landscape were dramatically improved. Hiking trails were cleaned up; new beds, mattresses, a tractor, and an ice machine were purchased; roads were improved; the infirmary was expanded; and the recreation shelter was enlarged, adding a full wraparound porch and stage.
But more than the newer amenities, the turnaround has led to greater kingdom returns.
“At Ridge Haven, the aim is that everyone will know Jesus better,” explains Anderson. “Our growing ministry has allowed us to share not only our beautiful campus but also our Savior.
“What sticks out to me the most are the times when the Lord blesses our ministry with such clarity that it is clear that the ‘battle is not [ours] but God’s.’” Each of the past three years, the largest donation arrived from someone Anderson did not know or even contact beforehand. “Now that’s the Lord blessing us from start to finish.”
This past year, Ridge Haven declared itself debt free for the first time since 2007. And this year Ridge Haven will also be the recipient of the 2013 WIC love gift, a large financial contribution that will be designated for renovating the camp’s dining hall. “The young people and their sponsors and advisors from my own church can’t get back there fast enough,” Belz said.
To learn more, visit ridgehaven.org.