B & C Votes to Purchase Conference Site

by Alice Clayton
"All dioceses need a place where its members can come to know their larger diocesan family and to be known by others. A camp and conference center would greatly enhance our ability to meet this need as together we work on the mission of the church in the world." -- Our Vision from the Camp and Conference Center Task Force

A dream that began with the first Bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee took a giant step toward becoming a reality when the Bishop and Council voted Nov. 3 to purchase property in Roane County for a Camp and Conference Center.

After hearing a report and recommendation from the Camp and Conference Center Task Force, the B&C voted unanimously to purchase 269 acres near Kingston for $2 million. The site on Watts Bar Lake has one mile of waterfront.

"Bishop Sanders presented me a three-inch file on camp and conference centers some months ago. This is not a matter that has recently emerged as one of concern for our diocese," Bishop Charles vonRosenberg said.

The site, known as the Manly property, met the primary criteria determined by the task force: it is near the center of the diocese and is easily accessed from major highways.

"This property is about as centrally located in the diocese as you can get," said the Rev. A. D. Lewis, chair of the task force. Lewis said that of the 15,000 Episcopalians in the diocese, about 13,000 are within an hour and a half of the site.

Formed by the Bishop about 18 months ago, the Camp and Conference Center Task Force was charged by the B&C to conduct a feasibility study and present its findings to the next annual diocesan convention. Working with the Rev. Jack Andersen, executive director of the Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers, Inc., (ECCC) the task force prepared a mission statement, explored the specific needs to which a camp and conference center in the diocese might respond and started gathering reactions from people throughout the diocese on the prospect of developing such a project.

Although the task force was not actively seeking property, people came forth with suggestions for possible sites. The Manly property with its unique features so fit the task force's criteria that they felt compelled to take action.

"The task force recognizes that looking at this property was getting the cart before the horse," Lewis said. "But this piece of property was special because of the location in the diocese. And I don't know where there's a mile of waterfront for sale at any price."

Before making its recommendation to the B&C, the task force called upon some experts to walk the property and give their recommendations. Among them were Bill Waldrop, a retired Tennessee Valley Authority hydrologist, and Cliff Betts, an engineer specializing in site development, both of whom spoke highly of the site.

Waldrop said the shoreline was unique because of its isolation and that it was a safe distance from any pollution from the nearest industrial site. Betts said that while the property has a ridge and hollow topography, there is adequate acreage on which to build a dining hall, cabins and other infrastructure.

Response to the camp and conference center project and the purchase of the Manly property has been enthusiastic. Bishop vonRosenberg and clergy members of the task force reported on the property to clergy attending a conference in Gatlinburg days before the B&C meeting. The clergy gathered there asked the Bishop to relay their support of purchasing the property to B&C.

According to Lewis, of the 106 Episcopal dioceses in the United States about 5 do not have conference centers. A recent ECCC newsletter reported that six dioceses are building new sites and eight are significantly expanding what they already possess. In his article, Andersen said it is the development of or expansion of a youth camping program that is driving the construction of these projects.

"This has enormous implications for the youth of our church, for family life and hopefully, eventually, for the nurturing of new generations of leadership for church and community," he said.

The next steps in the process include the presentation of a master plan, which is being worked on by a committee chaired by Norma Mills, St. Peter's Church, Chattanooga. Other committees beginning their work are the Program Development Committee, chaired by the Rev. Hugh Jones, St. Alban's, Hixson; Resources Development and Business Plan, chaired by Henry Lodge, Christ Church, So. Pittsburg, and a Communications/Public Relations Committee, whose chair is to be determined.

Alice Clayton is Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of East Tennessee.