The Presbyteries of Charlotte, Salem, and Western North Carolina and the Camp Grier Board of Directors are pleased to announce major changes that will transform Camp Grier into a more focused and nimble Christian adventure destination.
As part of this restructuring, a new and separate 501(c)3 non-profit corporation governed by an independent board of directors was created. The 650-acre Camp Grier property in Old Fort was then transferred to this new entity. These organizational changes will not alter the program’s mission to be a Christian outdoor adventure ministry in the Reformed Tradition of the Presbyterian Church, USA.
“I am excited about Camp Grier’s new direction. I think it will become one of the premier Christian adventure camps on the East Coast. We are very blessed to be able to have it in Western North Carolina,” said General Presbyter Bobbi White of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.
The newly appointed Camp Grier Board of Directors that now governs the program and oversees the property aims to build on Camp Grier’s history and immense beauty to make it a premier Christian camp and outdoor adventure program.
Camp Grier —Courtesy of Camp Grier
“As a lifelong Presbyterian from North Carolina, I’ve been blessed by Camp Grier as a camper, a counselor, a summer director, a parent of campers and a former member of the Joint Outdoor Ministry Committee and I’ve never been more excited about the future of the Camp than I am right now as this new, talented Board assumes oversight and works to build Grier’s future ministry from such a strong foundation and heritage,” said Board Chairman Julian Wright of Charlotte.
This transition will allow oversight and authority of the program and property to rest with one board of directors rather than being divided among three Presbyteries. This will result in a more refined vision and targeted action to ensure Camp Grier’s future growth. The restructuring process began in earnest almost a year ago and has already resulted in a 17 percent increase in summer enrollment for 2014 and a 34 percent increase in early registrations for summer programming in 2015.
This transition and resulting success would not have been possible without support from the three original owning Presbyteries, the Joint Outdoor Ministry Committee and legal assistance from Diane Bailey, Chris Loeb and Robert Allen, attorneys at the Charlotte firm of Robinson Bradshaw and Hinson.
Camp Grier was founded in 1952 in Old Fort, North Carolina. Robert Grier of Statesville donated the 600 acres, and the camp is named in memory of his father, the Rev. John McDill Grier. Camp Grier is a mission and outdoor adventure ministry of the Presbyterian Church, USA. For more information, visit www.campgrier.org.