Our History

It all started when...

In 1947, the Johnson City District of the Methodist Church committed themselves to developing a ministry of Christian camping.  A task force was created to find a location for the camp.  One year later, Mr. and Mrs. M.H. Allison donated over 500 acres of land which was a former logging operation to the Church, to begin this new camp.  They loved kids, although had none of their own, but wanted to make a difference in children's lives in their region.

The first camp season took place in 1949 providing a place to share the love of Christ in the glory of God’s Creation!  We have been serving children of all ages and adults since then.

In August of 2012 a flash flood and landslide destroyed much of the camp and after two years of evaluating, analyzing and praying, the Board of Directors decided to cease operations and move the ministry to a new location near Bays Mountain in Kingsport. In August of 2015 the Board named the ministry "Camp Bays Mountain".  We opened for our first summer camp in June of 2016 and opened for retreats and day groups in August of 2018.