By Carolyn Jones
Founded nearly 100 years ago, Camp Glisson has long held a formative place in the hearts and minds of thousands of Methodist attendees who grew up exploring the creeks and forests of Cane Creek Falls around Dahlonega.
Over the years, the campus has grown and improved substantially, adding new facilities and a variety of programming while the core experiences and teachings of Camp Glisson have remained mostly the same. In an effort to maintain that growth and sustainability, Glisson’s leadership team chose to partner with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation to further their mission. The Foundation is grateful to be a part of that mission through investment management and loan programs that build on their near century of progress.
Susan Allen Grady, the co-senior pastor of Simpsonwood United Methodist Church in Peachtree Corners and her daughter, Joy Allen Grady, attended Camp Glisson nearly thirty years apart yet have remarkably similar sentiments about their experiences. Joy described the excitement of outdoor adventure and strong community bonds while Susan fondly recalled how her own call to ministry began while inside the old Glisson chapel. Though they were Glisson campers over three decades apart, they hiked up the same creek, sang (mostly) the same porch songs and explored the same remarkable corner of God’s Creation.
This Summer, Joy chose to attend Camp Glisson’s Outpost program, where students sleep in platform tents and participate in a range of daring adventures. At Outpost, she was able to have experiences that wouldn’t happen easily back at home, while the added intensity of outdoor living and whitewater rafting forged lasting friendships she knows will last well after camp has ended. Susan also returned to Camp Glisson this Summer as the Theologian In Residence (TIR), providing camp attendees with the morning homily and evening worship as well as being available for discussions with students and counselors alike.
Susan, speaking as an alumni, recent attendee and parent of a camper, proudly shared, “You don’t have to worry about what your kids are being taught when they’re at Glisson. It has always been the same lessons of Christian formation based on helping people discover the spiritual and physical world.”
Both Susan and her daughter readily agreed on the simple fact that, “God feels bigger at Camp Glisson.” The Georgia United Methodist Foundation is grateful that our purpose will continue to support this life-changing ministry for years to come.
