About Us
Our Mission
Our Mission is to love and encourage families. We do this primarily by providing free weekend retreats and community outreach events for families who have children with physical or developmental disabilities.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to create more compassionate communities through families serving families with the love of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, in order to further the Kingdom of God.
Our Impact
Did you know that over 54 million families in the United States are affected by disabilities?
As one of the most overlooked groups of people, there are very few places where these families feel loved, accepted, and safe. Since our first retreat in 2004, we have hosted over 300 family retreats impacting over 1,800 families and 7,000 individuals from 25 states. In 2005, we began with nine retreats and have grown to more than 18 a year. Beyond the numbers, our impact is primarily seen in the individual life transformation and growth for each of our guests. We have realized a great degree of success by meeting people right where they are. Families are coming to us in search of encouragement and rejuvenation and, in turn, are encountering the community of Christ like never before. As a volunteer-driven organization, we have engaged over 400 volunteer families to join in our mission of loving and serving families of children with disabilities by serving together.
320+ retreats
1,800+ families
10,000+ smiles
Our 2023 Annual Report
Our Story
Barren Heights was founded in 2004 by Joe and Toni Rose. After being involved in a serious car accident, they began to fervently seek and pursue God’s purpose for their lives. Through a strange set of circumstances, they were able to purchase 30 acres of farmland adjacent to their lake house. The Rose’s 10-year development plan quickly gave way to God’s 10-month plan and about a year later the Barren Heights Community was established! Visitors are often surprised to learn that the Roses had no close connections with disabilities. They are left to ask, “then why?”
Their answer is, “We saw a need and wanted to do what we could to fill it. This opens the door for us to share our faith. We love others because we are loved by Christ.”
Since the beginning, Isaiah 41:18-20 has been the foundation of Barren Heights.
“I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia,
the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and cypress together,
so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
Isaiah 41:18-20
Board Members
Mindy Terrell, President
Courtney Wittsell, Secretary
Courtney Wittsell, Secretary
Fritz Busch, Treasurer
Officers:
Tim Hill, Doug Wood, Dan Pierce, Vern Scheiter, Mark Lindeman, Michael & Anastasia Cummins, and Melissa Howell
Officers:
Tim Hill, Doug Wood, Dan Pierce, Vern Scheiter, Mark Lindeman, Michael & Anastasia Cummins, and Melissa Howell
While we are a faith-based organization, we do not discriminate families on the basis of religion, race, sex, disability, or age.
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