ALL ABOUT US

For several decades, a couple called the Manleys lived on the property that Grace Point now calls home. The Manleys lived in the retreat house at the top of the hill, while the older structures in lower camp served as utility buildings. When Mrs. Jane Manley died, Mr. Bill Manley put the property up for sale, insisting that it not be divided. The asking price was $2 million, a donation he promised to make to Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge in gratitude for their care of Jane.

The dream of a diocesan place of rest came with the Rt. Rev. William Sanders, the first Bishop of East Tennessee. However, it wasn't until the election of Bishop Charles vonRosenberg that a task force was formed with the purpose of starting the camp. One of the principal members of the task force was Bo Lewis, who discovered the property on Watts Bar. He would then serve as Grace Point's first director.

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So in the summer of 2002, Grace Point had its very first camp session. That first summer only 6-8 people spent the summer on staff, most of whom were 16-18 years old. Despite limited facilities and a small staff, early campers invented awesome games such as Berfer Ball and Gladiator (now a camp classic), and spent most days hiking, swimming in the pool, and riding across the lake in the old pontoon boat.

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