May 17, 2024
CLAYTON, Ga. — In the cool of the morning, Kevin McDade steers a golf cart along the main thoroughfare at the Pinnacle Retreat Center, discussing his first impressions of the Appalachian getaway where he now works.
“When you drive through the gate, the anxiety of the world kind of leaves you,” McDade said. “It’s a peaceful feeling that you’re entering a special place, a place of rest. You can leave the stress of the world behind you when you come in.”
It's easy to sense McDade’s excitement about his new job as administrator at Camp Pinnacle. It registers in his voice as he drives alongside a peaceful mountain lake that bustles with activity during the summer camping season.
“A lot of people have donated a lot of time, effort, love and finances to make this facility what it is today,” he said. “Our job is to make sure we’re good stewards.”
That means strengthening relationships with churches and other like-minded organizations to ensure the cabins stay filled year-round, that endowments grow, and that the building and grounds remain immaculate.
McDade’s career includes stints at Camp McCall in South Carolina and Camp Lee in Alabama. He grew up the son of Southern Baptists. His mother was heavily involved in the Woman’s Missionary Union and the organization’s mission to disciple young believers in the truth of Scripture.
McDade, 57, and his wife, Dee Anne, have raised and nurtured their own children, Brittany, Faith and James, to be Christ followers.
Camp Pinnacle and others like it, McDade said, play crucial roles in preparing the next generation of missionaries by teaching missions education.
McDade is emphatic about teaching the next generation about missions.
“If we don’t do it, we won’t have missionaries,” he said.
Living in a newly built home that overlooks the lake, McDade said it’s a privilege to call the Pinnacle Retreat Center home.
It's a place of breathtaking natural beauty, but those who have spent time here over the years say it’s a spiritual element that truly sets Camp Pinnacle apart.
“It’s a place that we regard as holy because of our personal experiences with the living God on this hallowed ground,” said Barbara Curnutt, former executive director of the Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union of Georgia. “It’s a place that belongs to God.”
Curnutt shared that observation last year during Camp Pinnacle’s 75th anniversary celebration.
Since 1947, girls have been coming here for summer camps filled with worship, prayer and Bible studies, plus an assortment of outdoor activities, including hiking, swimming, kayaking.
Beth Ann Williams, a Georgia Baptist Mission Board strategist, said Camp Pinnacle is an answer to prayer. In fact, Williams said, the Woman’s Missionary Union prayed specifically for such a place for more than two decades until, in 1943, a Rabun County property owner offered them 36 acres for $1.
Camp Pinnacle has broadened its mission over the years, now serving in a dual role as a year-round, modern, full-service retreat center that is used regularly for getaways and conferences by churches and non-profit organizations.
The main building at the retreat center is a two-story lodge with 36 rooms, all of which have private baths. The dining hall in the lodge can accommodate 200 guests.
Six large cabins on the grounds have bedrooms on each side with a meeting room in the middle. Each cabin can accommodate 28 guests.
Curnutt said the getaway is hallowed ground.
“Pinnacle is a place where we come to withdraw from the real world, from the noise and chaos, to retire into the quiet and uninterrupted peace and presence of God,” she said during last year’s celebration.
McDade wants children and teens to experience what Camp Pinnacle has to offer.
“The possibilities here are pretty much endless,” he said.
