History
Mountain Top began in the mid-nineteen seventies as one of the early community outreach projects of MUST Ministries, a faith-based organization in north Georgia dedicated to providing services to persons and families in crisis. Two college roommates, Wayne Williams and Rex Kaney, were the first directors of MUST Ministries. They began working with at-risk youth in Cobb County who were either wards of Cobb County DFCS or Cobb County Department of Juvenile Justice system and identified a need for the establishment of a residential program for at-risk teenage boys.
Williams and Kaney soon obtained the use of a parcel of 350-plus acres of mountain property near LaFayette, Georgia, which had previously been purchased and paid for through the leadership efforts of Dr. Candler Budd, a great Methodist visionary. This property had been deeded to the Atlanta-Marietta District of the United Methodist Church with the intention that it would be used as a camping and retreat facility.
The facilities in 1980 included a four-bedroom home, Oak Leaf Lodge. The home had only a wood stove for heating and window screens as air conditioning and remained that way until 2004. The water still comes from a spring up the side of Chestnut Mountain. The home was converted to use as a boys’ home with modifications to the upper-level bath and later the addition of a restroom and shower wing. Though the home was not originally designed as a group home, it at times had as many as twelve boys in residence.
Oak Leaf Lodge
Mountain Top employed a school teacher to assist in their passing the G.E.D. exam. They were all proud of that accomplishment, and they think of Mountain Top even today as though it were their high school. In 1998 funds were raised to build a school building. In 2000 a wood shop was built and opened to the boys, the equipment was updated, and a vocational education program was installed. The school operated until 2004 when we began taking boys from DFCS, which allowed the boys to attend public school.
We then embarked on a program to upgrade Mountain Top’s facilities and services. We learned of a new model that aimed to create a family atmosphere through a loving couple as house parents. Each family home provided residence for eight children and their houseparent couple. House parents are responsible for the daily care, nurturing, and teaching of life skills to the children in the family home. The family units receive additional support from a trained Director and additional management staff who give support in medical, psychological, and financial needs. Most important is the house parent who, through their example, shows the boys how healthy relationships can work. We strived to imprint how love, discipline, and consistency can create a comfortable and effective atmosphere.
Late in 2004 we designed and built our Dogwood Lodge which was considered to be a state-of-the-art boys’ home. The lower level of the old school building was turned into a 26-bed bunkhouse for mission teams that came from all over the United States to help with the construction of this new facility. The upper level housed the boys and provided offices for the operation.
Dogwood Lodge
So many times families are separated and are unable to acquire the services they need to get back on their feet. They struggle for housing, counseling, job training, parenting classes… all the while their children are placed miles apart. Mountain Top is reuniting families by providing a place where many of these services can be taught and obtained. In 2022, the old wood shop began its transformation into the Family Reunification and Counseling Center. This is a large undertaking, and we need your help. The budget for this project is $100,000 and we are on the way there. Please donate today to help us provide this ministry to families.
In 2022, we announced our new ministry: Mountain Top Homes foster care agency. Not only are we able to provide a great loving environment for our residents here on campus, but we are also now able to provide Christian families as foster homes in our communities! Ever since the inception of Mountain Top, we have been limited by space. Through God’s favor, we are now able to place children of all ages in foster homes, keep sibling groups together, and place younger children in Christian homes. Our recruitment base is our churches. If you or your church, would like to learn more about this ministry, please contact us.
Contributions
Your financial support is greatly needed and appreciated. It takes steady financial resources to meet the needs of our youth, keep our program running smoothly, and employ qualified talent. Please consider a monetary contribution today.