Our Centennial Story

Founded October 7, 1925 under the Ohio General Not-For-Profit Corporation Acts, the Ohio District Council began not as a campground, but as a vision from Bishop Fred Clark: a safe, loving retreat for our aging saints who otherwise faced harsh conditions in “old folks’ homes.”

1938 – A Rest Home Is Born

Bishop Clark and the Council purchased a rural farm outside Warren, Ohio, to serve as a dignified “rest home.” Despite a stately farmhouse and abundant land to grow food, its remote location made visits difficult.

1944 – From Motor Hotel to Ministry Hub

On a trip along US-40, Bishop Arthur W. Lewis discovered the Washington Heights Motor Hotel (formerly the Wick Hotel) for sale east of Zanesville. Working together, the brothers raised $1,000 on the spot as earnest money—and thanks to Ida Metcalf’s grassroots ten-cents-a-week fund drive, paid off the remaining $18,000 within eleven months.

“What impressed us most was the motel’s kitchen, dining room, 23 lodging rooms—and even a natural-gas well on site! Overnight, our ‘Rest Home’ became a welcome gathering place for saints across Ohio.”

1955 – First Campground Tabernacle

As council attendance grew, a simple frame tabernacle went up on the Zanesville site. Early sessions meant camping in motels or under oak trees; meals in the dining room; pastors’ meetings in the barn loft.

1963–64 – Big Growth, Big Tabernacle

With camping booming, the Council raised funds to add a second-story lodging wing, then built a 600-seat tabernacle and a 200-cot dormitory—complete with showers and air conditioning—so that summer sessions could welcome families, youth camps, and revival services in comfort.

1973 – A Skilled Nursing Home

Under Bishop Bowers’ leadership, we secured a $1.8 million loan to transform our rest home into a 100-bed skilled care facility. Today, the ODC Nursing Home thrives as both a ministry outreach and a sustaining partner in our campground’s ongoing expansion.

From those humble beginnings to today’s six-million-dollar campus, the Lord’s hand has guided every hall, tabernacle, and cottage built on these grounds. And as Interstate 70 carved through our land—providing critical royalties from gas wells—the vision of future growth only grows stronger.

(Next up: photo galleries, testimonies, and more, so check back.)