Outdoor Ministry of National Capital Presbytery

In the late 1950's the Presbytery of the Potomac purchased 140 acres from John and Raymond Ellis in Gainesville, Virginia bordering Broad Run River.  Christened Camp Glenkirk, today that land makes up a major section of the over 240 acre camp and retreat center that serves the 120 churches of National Capital Presbytery in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.  Glenkirk literally means “Church in the Glen/woods,” and was the selection of a Presbyterian Junior Youth (who was awarded a free week of summer camp for the choice,) in the early days of Glenkirk’s development.

           In June 1960 Angus T. Brown was hired as the first camp director and also served the presbytery as Director of Christian Education.  With his wife, Doris Brown serving as the first secretary, the Browns oversaw much expansion in the initial years of Glenkirk.  Members of several churches were also heavily involved in the early years, especially from Greenwich and Warrenton Presbyterian Churches.  Glenkirk’s first year of summer camp was in 1960 utilizing much different facilities than today.

            The initial structures were the well house and a shelter with a tin roof which was erected near the ball field.  This shelter had a field kitchen at one end and was also used as a dining hall and a program site.  Food was prepared at Greenwich Presbyterian Church and transported in thermal units to Camp Glenkirk and served from the field kitchen.   Some early development was under the guidance of Rev. Dick Winter of First Presbyterian Church, Warrenton assisted by their youth, included the construction of a rock pulpit in the Vesperdale area along with hiking trails and a ball field.  The main lodge and the swimming pool were completed in 1960. 

          In 1961, 8 camps for various age groups featuring adventure camps with canoe trips on nearby rivers and back packing were provided.  The four “villages,” which campers called home, consisted of four hogans (constructed by local Mennonite church members) each.  The pavilion initially consisted of a rectangular concrete pad with a telephone pole to supply electric.  Later, it was increased in size and a roof was added and part of it was enclosed with screen.   Around 1965, 2 hogan platforms with roofs were constructed in the area referred to as  Jamestown to form the base for the “wilderness” camp.  Campers utilized the concrete block building that now serves as the warehouse as an open air shower house during these years.  The area was named after Rev. James Burrell an early maintenance man who, along with the first cook, Edith Smith, sang spirituals on Saturday morning.

          In 1964, the manse was completed at the top of the driveway as a permanent residence for the director.  Around 1965 the four current cabins were constructed, creating the first available housing for retreat groups.  Cabin number 1 became the camp office and all four cabins had sleeping for fourteen people.  In 1967 Wayne Jones was hired to assume the newly created position of Associate Camp Director and took over the role of Director of Christian Education, allowing Brown to devote his attention to Glenkirk full time.

          In the late 1960's two of Glenkirk’s most defining legacies arrived.  Lake Manassas was formed as Broad Run was dammed creating a 700+ acre reservoir, 1.5 miles of which abutted Glenkirk’s property.  The funds received from the city of Manassas during negotiations for construction allowed the camp to purchase an additional 40 acres of property.  The other was the naming of Rev. Truman Nabors as the second camp director in 1968, after having been a volunteer in various capacities at Glenkirk since it’s second summer of camping.  Within a year of his arrival the main lodge underwent major expansion with the addition of the current meeting rooms and dormitories as well as expansion of the kitchen to include storage and freezer space.  Sarah Burke joined the Glenkirk staff in 1970 on the heels of the kitchen expansion to serve as the kitchen manager, a position she held for the next 25 years.

          Jones and Nabors took Glenkirk’s existing small group based summer camp program and began to make it more decentralized through the 1970's.  Villages were moved out to more remote parts of the property (which by 1970 was approaching 200 acres) with privies and water added to campsites.  “Pony carts” were also first used to transport meals to villages after being prepared in the lodge.  In the early 1970's Glenkirk first began to lease sites on the Shenandoah River to use as a base for canoe adventure camps, first in Rileyville and then to the current location on the farm of Sarah and Billy Viands in Rileyville.

          It was not just the summer programs that flourished in the 1970's as the number of buildings on site increased .  The pavilion was closed in as a meeting room in 1971.  The cinderblock bath house was replaced by the current bathhouse in 1972, and the office moved from a cabin to its current location.  The Adult Meeting Room also was constructed around this time.  All three of these buildings were purchased as prefabricated shells from a housing company in Gainesville that was operated by John White, an elder at Little Falls Presbyterian Church who was an instrumental figure on the camp committee for many years. 

          Volunteer groups played a major role in all of the construction as they and camp staff helped with the finishing work on the meeting room, the bathhouse and the office.  There were several other locations on site that saw the construction skills of volunteers displayed.  The longhouses were built by the members of Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, treehouses in Village J were built by members of Grace Presbyterian Church and Village E treehouses were constructed by Casey Jones, father of Wayne Jones.

           As the 1980's arrived, Glenkirk was fully established as a special place to many of the congregations of the National Capital Presbytery.  The early 80's saw Glenkirk host several “Global Village” retreats over Memorial Day weekends.  With the completion of Interstate 66, access to the site was eased for congregations across the area.  With this improved access there did come a movement within a portion of the presbytery to sell the current location, but it was never actualized.  In 1985 Wayne Jones retired from Glenkirk after more than 15 years of service.  The position of Assistant Director was later filled by Ray Cramer, who served in that capacity from 1998 until the end of 1990..

          In 1990 Nancy Fitzgerald was hired as the secretary and registrar and would manage the office through the decade.  Cabins number three and four were renovated in the early 90's by adding new bathrooms and totally redesigning the interiors to their current configuration.  Steve Torpy was hired in 1992 as the Assistant Director and was instrumental in the development of the facilities and grounds until his departure in 1997.  Berkeley Polland served as Glenkirk’s plumber, electrician, and all around handy man for many years.

          In May of 1995, after more than thirty years of service, Truman Nabors retired as camp director.  Nancy Ferguson was named to the position of interim camp director and oversaw the camp until September, 1997.  Cheryl Hartman was hired as director in 1997.  The position of Assistant Camp Director was evaluated and changed to Program/Site Manager to better reflect the position’s responsibilities and was first filled by Tom Mitchell.  1998 saw two noticeable changes at Glenkirk as the original Vesperdale area was rescued from the overgrowth and the level of Lake Manassas was raised, necessitating a redesign of the lake front area.  Further improvements occurred in 1999 as a restroom and kitchenette were added to the Adult Meeting Room and a sound-proof wall was added to the lodge meeting room to add flexibility in meeting spaces.  Michael Raines was hired as Program/Site Manager in 2000 and in 2001 Robert Monroe II was hired as Office Manager.

 If you see any incorrect information or have additions to include, please e-mail Michael at michael@campglenkirk.org.