Walk by Faith Christian Camp is a 501C3 non-profit organization located in the Hays community of Wilkes County NC. This place is not just a beauty of trees and forest or a three-acre pond full of bass and brim and other fish waiting to be caught. It’s not just a playground or picnic area; a building housed with meeting rooms or a dock welcoming those who walk with wheels rather than legs. It’s much more. So much more.

It’s a story of a four-year-old boy clinging to his grandfather’s leg–scared as he watched trees falling to the ground–the bulldozer moving trees and dirt–building a pond for others to enjoy. It’s a story of simple joy to painful tears. It’s a story of a family and a concerned group of community members who came together–deeply rooted in prayer–asking God to bring back the beauty this place once knew–to bring healing and restoration. And God, He has answered.

The nineteen-acre tract, once owned by Grover Pendry and Paul and Ruth Gregory, lies in the heart of Mountain View in the Hays community and is located adjacent to Mountain View Elementary School and behind the Mountain View Fire Department. Formerly leased and a portion of the land owned by the Wilkes County Wildlife Club, a local sportsmen group organized in 1952, the group used the area for fishing and shooting sports.

After the Wildlife Club became inactive the property sat idle for over twenty years and during that time members of the Pendry family and the community concerns grew as they learned of illegal activities going on there. Other concerns included the lack of maintenance on the road and the upkeep of the pond.

Jane Prevette Ward, granddaughter of Grover Pendry recalls a conversation she had one day with a friend–her thoughts of how heartbreaking it was to hear what had happened to the wildlife lake her family helped build–how she loved it there as a child and how church groups enjoyed going there.

“I saw Richard and Joan (Caudill) at Chick-fil-A not long after that,” Jane recalls. “And I shared with them what a shame it was and all that was going on at the Wildlife Lake and something needed to be done to clean the place up. And then I looked at Richard and there he was with tears coming down his face.

“Joan looked at me and said, “Richard has been praying for God to send someone to walk alongside him to clean that place up.”

In the fall of 2011, members of the Pendry family along with Richard and Joan Caudill came together in prayer and vision. Plans were then set in motion to revive the area and change the name from the Wilkes County Wildlife Club to Walk by Faith Christian Camp. In 2013, the name was legally changed and in 2014, the organization Walk by Faith received their 501(c)3 non-profit status.

Over the last twelve years board members, the community, volunteers, local businesses, donors and members of the Pendry family have worked diligently to improve the grounds in addition to growing the acreage from 19.56 acres to 28.20 acres. Since the inception of Walk by Faith Christian Camp, a covered picnic shelter and picnic tables have been added along with a donated building which now houses a large meeting room and restrooms. The most recent project funded by donors is a handicapped accessible fishing deck with a cement walkway leading to the dock. Another donor in the community donates funds to stock the pond with fish.

Chairman Kevin Wood has been on the board since the beginning, and not only does he have family ties to the land–his grandmother Dovie Brown and Rosalee Prevette being sisters–but he holds strong emotional bonds with area.

“I was raised on Scenic Drive next to the lake and I spent almost every day of my life down there,” Wood said. “I hunted and fished there. It was a refuge for me as a young boy. The area has always been near and dear to my heart and when I saw the destruction and the bad shape it was in, it killed me, and I knew I would do whatever I needed to do to help.

“No one would believe how bad the place looked unless they saw it themselves. People were using it as a trash dump–large appliances, drug paraphernalia–and there were holes in the road so large they were over my head. Trees and briars and weeds were so tall around the pond, no one could fish.

“The greatest thing has been watching God work. God has provided every single dollar, and He has used the camp for His Glory!! It has been mind-boggling. I can honestly say all of this has improved my Christian walk greatly and helped me to trust the Lord more.”

The long-term vision of the organization includes building campsites for tent camping, walking trails, construction of an amphitheater, bath house for campers and women’s and men’s barracks for church groups who want to have weekend or week-long summer camps.

Walk by Faith Christian Camp is solely funded by donors, fundraisers, and grants. And much of the work and funds have been donated from businesses and individuals in the county. Henry Prevette, grandson of Grover Pendry, has played a vital role in contacting donors and writing grants for the organization. The use of camp is free; however, donations are welcomed as this helps cover the cost of power, water, maintenance, and other improvements.

If you would like to make a donation, checks can be mailed to:

Walk by Faith Christian Camp
Attention Lou Pendry
PO Box 77, Hays, NC 28635.

To reserve the camp, please contact Kevin Wood at 336-984-7576.