Middleburg's Meadowkirk offers the perfect antidote to the frantic, chaotic pace of personal, professional and family life today. Situated on 358 acres of rolling countryside, the former Delta Farm property is an exquisite representation of the beauty of the Virginia countryside and a valuable addition to Loudoun County's destination portfolio.

Bordered by Goose Creek on three sides, graced with a pond hardwood forest and wildflower fields, Meadowkirk, National Capital Presbytery's new camp and retreat, offers children idyllic summer sessions, individuals a tranquil space for inquiry and reflection and organizations or corporations an exquisite setting for meetings that Thomas Jefferson would envy.

Cheryl Hartman, Meadowkirk's Associate General Presbyter or director is in charge of what she lovingly calls "a place of grace." That means, among other things, that she is amply occupied at the moment with well over $18 million of renovations and expansion on everything from the historic manor house to the new, air-conditioned camp cottages, chapel and dining hall. The new handicap-accessible swimming pool and bathhouse, the water plant and geo-thermal wells, the old stone barn and dining center are all proceeding to completion under her supervision as she ensures that the facility address and meet the Presbytery's goals.

"The National Capital Presbytery's Camp and Retreat Ministries provide hospitable places of Christian community where individuals and groups can experience and explore their relationship with God and God's creation," Hartman explains. "Our Presbytery includes 110 churches and is dedicated to helping individuals find peace in a place of natural beauty and magnificence. When we found Delta Farm, we knew we'd found the perfect place for our initiative."

Camp Programs

Andy Woodworth, who is Meadowkirk's Program Director, will welcome 100 children to summer camp this year.

"We're only 25-minutes from Leesburg, and 40 miles from D.C.," he said. "Parents appreciate our geographic proximity to the D.C. area, and children love our multi-faceted programs."

Cabin Camps, five days in duration include swimming, arts, crafts, nature exploration, Bible study, singing, group games, hiking, stargazing in the new Brinton Observatory and much more for a $400 fee.

Meadowkirk also offers Leadership Training Camps; a Music, Art, Drama Camp; Night Owl Camp for children who love to sleep late; Equestrian Camp; High Adventure Camp; Family Camp; Service Camp and C3 Celebration Camp.

Andy, a tall, charming, gentle young man who answers tough questions directly and with ease, plans the programs for each of these camp experiences to ensure that participants receive individual and group dynamic attention with plenty of time planned for meditation, hayrides, campfires and lots of swimming and singing.

The quality of the programs accurately reflects Andy's experience, education and personal goals. After he completed his Bachelor of Arts as a Phi Beta Kappa at Emory College of Emory University in Atlanta, he continued there to complete his Master of Divinity in 2007.

Andy has been actively involved in Christian camp activity since 2001 when he assisted the program director of Camp Glenkirk in Gainesville, Virginia. Before he joined Cheryl at Meadowkirk, he served as Minister of Youth at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Atlanta and as Senior Admission Advisor at Oxford College at Emory University. A world-traveler, Andy recently toured Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Greece. Currently, Andy is a certified candidate for ordination as Elder in the United Methodist Church, and his love of his work at Meadowkirk is amply evident.

"We are so fortunate to be here at the beginning of Meadowkirk," he says. "I met Cheryl when we were both at a camp near Atlanta and we both view the camp and retreat programs as an important part of our ministry." In addition to the many summer camp options we've planned, we will offer year-round camp opportunities and many additional day activities. We hope to create an environmental program that will help children and adults learn how to protect and support Goose Creek as an example of the important impact individuals can have on their surroundings wherever they work and live."

Shy No More

Cheryl Hartman grew up as the shy, third child, on her parent's farm outside Atlanta and completed her Bachelor of Science at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. "Suddenly, when my father gave me a horse, I gained confidence and authority," she remembered smiling. I'm using both now every single day." After majoring in business with a special emphasis on management and marketing to prepare her to work in the family's construction business, Cheryl worked for a few years in the real estate side of our business before returning to school to complete her Master of Arts at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.

"Sometimes I wondered how I would ever use all the things I learned working in real estate renovation, property management and construction," she muses. "Now it's clear to me that God had a very definite plan." Cheryl was responsible for the management of the National Capital Presbytery's Glenkirk property in Gainsville that offered 85 winterized beds and served up to 600 campers in the summer. When developments crowded them out of Gainsville, she helped search for a new site and was instrumental in the transition and move to the Meadowkirk.

"We chose Delta Farm after we had looked at 300+-acre properties within a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C.," she explained. I had lots of experience running summer camps and elder hostel programs in Atlanta, and I directed Christian education in Greenville, South Carolina, but this is the first time I've really used my knowledge of renovation and construction to such an extent."

The gracious, renovated, 1905 manor house at Meadowkirk is pale yellow stucco with forest green shutters. It is nestled in a grove of hardwood trees and dogwoods and provides guests with eight bedrooms with private baths, a large fully equipped conference room, meeting space for up to 30 participants, a wood paneled library and spacious dining room.

"We also have plans for an Inn at Meadowkirk," Cheryl elaborates. "It will offer twenty additional bedrooms with private bathrooms and will greatly expand our overnight facilities."

Stargazing

Stargazing is a must at Meadowkirk thanks to the gift of The Brinton Observatory in memory of Henry Coxxe Brinton, and the stupendous skyscape that is suspended over the property. Summer campers who choose the Night Owl Camp will frequent the Observatory after they sleep in until noon, eat breakfast at lunchtime, swim, hike and observe animals until well after nightfall.

Henry Coxe Brinton was born in 1935 and grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In high school he won the Philadelphia Area Science Fair Gold medal for a device measuring the movement of celestial bodies, and, around the same time, he build his first telescope. His first view of the four moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn had a profound effect on him, and he went on to a degree in physics, graduate work at the University of Maryland and a career at NASA when the space race was just beginning.

Brinton was a Presbyterian elder and a charter member of Christian Community Presbyterian Church in Bowie, Maryland. His wife, Mary Loraine Brinton and his sons, Henry G. and George Brinton donated the observatory to Meadowkirk to ensure that young people and adults continue to experience the same celestial fascination he had enjoyed.

Meadowkirk will be open to campers, visitors and groups year round. Once summer camp season concludes, groups will also be welcome to reserve the cabins for meetings and events. "Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots organization has reserved our manor house several times since we opened," Cheryl said as she proudly showed visitors the Challenge Course. This rope course is custom designed for both team building and individual confidence challenges. We can customize a day of challenge and games to create a truly memorable experience.

Late in his life, Thomas Jefferson mused that "....tranquility, at my age, is the balm of life." Meadowkirk, in all its bucolic glory, epitomizes tranquility and grace. Its pastoral setting and the grandeur of its surroundings provide the perfect place to re-balance the human equation and inspire the most harried to the cause of the greater good. Middleburg, Loudoun County and the Greater Washington D.C. area owe a debt of conscience and gratitude to the National Capital Presbytery for locating such a beautiful and valuable place in our neighborhood.