EXPERIENTIAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Most people never dive deeply into who God created them to be and how God created them to lead. ELI is specifically designed to be that deep dive.
It’s not a Bible study, or a Sunday school class, or a passion-packed worship event. It’s a guided tour of who God created you to be, how God created you to lead, what it means to be a servant leader, and what it means to live in Christian community.
ELI is a multi-week, immersive leadership development experience. Highly trained coaches guide rising 11-12th graders to discover their God-given gifts, reflect on what it means to function as a Christian community, and practice servant leadership while making a difference as day camp counselors.
During ELI Leader Week, participants focus on discovering their natural strengths followed by learning servant leadership theory, small group dynamics, and how to cast a vision. Then, during Practicum Weeks, participants put to practice what they’ve learned as volunteer counselors at Grow Day Camps while continuing to receive guidance from ELI coaches.
GROW IN FAITH
Be part of a ministry team committed to fostering Christian community and spiritual growth while ministering to children across the state.
MAKE AN IMPACT
Be a counselor and young Christian role model as part of a team reaching out to hundreds of day campers at local churches this summer.
DEVELOP AS A LEADER
Be challenged as you discover your God-given strengths and learn servant leadership theories, small group dynamics, and how to cast a vision.
“ELI helped me gain confidence in who I am and who God made me to be. It helped me gain confidence in my ability to lead.” – 2022 ELI Participant
“Being a part of the ELI program the last two summers I’ve gotten to experience definitely the best Christian community I’ve ever been in.” – 2022 ELI Participant
Watch Testimonial VideoBecome an ELI Leader
1. APPLY
Apps for ELI 2025 are underway! Apply by 10/6 to be included in the 1st round of applicants. $500 leadership awards are available to the first 50 accepted applicants. Start Your Application today!
2nd Round Deadline: 11/24
(Deadline for next app round will be 1/5)
For login or application support, email: autumn@glisson.org
2. INTERVIEW
Schedule an interview and submit references.
Interviews for 2nd round applicants will be held 12/2 – 12/6.
3. ACCEPT
Once accepted, complete registration to receive leadership award credit toward ELI fee.
2nd round applicants can expect to be notified of their application status between 12/9 – 12/13.
4. ELI LEADER WEEK
Sun 6/1/25 to Fri 6/6/25 @ Glisson
Explore who God created you to be and how God created you to lead alongside a cohort of your peers and guided by ELI coaches.
5. COMMISSIONING
Be commissioned for a summer of ministry.
6. PRACTICUM WEEKS
Practice servant leadership as a counselor at one or more Grow Day Camp sites.
7. CELEBRATION
End-of-summer celebration with fellow ELI participants to commemorate leadership growth and ministry impact.
8. FALL LEADERSHIP ROLE
Continue to practice servant leadership at your home church.
Forms
Before you leave for ELI Leadership Week, please be sure to print out a Packing List, Check-In Form, and, if needed, Medication Administration Form.
SPONSORS & COSTS
The first 50 accepted ELI participants receive an automatic $500 leadership award toward the actual cost of ELI ($930) reducing the ELI fee to $430 for a summer of leadership coaching and experience.
“ELI is a great experience that allows you to understand yourself and others and God even more and bring all that together to lead in a better way…” – 2022 ELI Participant
“I would personally say that ELI is one of the best things that I have ever done for myself.” – 2022 ELI Participant
Watch Testimonial VideoCONTACT
For questions about ELI, contact Stephen. For questions about the application or registration, contact Autumn. Their emails are listed below or call the North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries office at (706) 864-6181.
Stephen Ward
Director
Stephen’s first experience with the NGCRM family of ministries was serving multiple years on summer staff at ELI’s sibling ministry, Glisson. After graduating from Kennesaw State with a Bachelor’s in History 2012, he began a year-long internship with Glisson, then joined the year-round team as our first-ever Program Director focused on our expanding Outpost program. Stephen’s role with NGCRM now includes coordinating all aspects of Glisson Retreats, Grow Day Camps, and ELI. Stephen, his wife, Ellen, and their sons, Micah and Owen, live in Dahlonega.
Autumn Kuykendoll
Administrator
Autumn began her camp ministry journey as a Glisson camper in 2005. She went on to participate in ELI and Crew. In 2016, Autumn served on Summer Staff as a Village counselor and a Site Director for Grow+ELI+Shoreline from 2017-2019. Autumn graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Leadership and Psychology. She returned to North Georgia Camp and Retreat Ministries in 2020 as a Program Intern focused on Grow+ELI, then joined our year-round team as a Retreats Coordinator and Grow & ELI Administrator in September 2021.
Cameron Jones
ELI Faculty
After multiple summers as a camper and then counselor at ELI’s sibling ministry, Glisson, Cameron came back to camp in 2008 and never really left. What began as an internship has since morphed into various roles and an amusing amount of job titles. His latest is “Director of Communications & Program Advancement” for NGCRM’s family of ministries. It’s a bit long-winded, but so is Cameron. He’s hoping this title might last longer than the others since it captures what he’s been up to all along: sharing camp’s story and dreaming up ways to help make camp even more impactful and possible for more people in more places. Prior to his full-time role at camp, Cameron served in youth ministry and worship leadership roles at United Methodist Churches while studying at UGA (Psychology & Religion), and then later Georgia State (MPA). He and his wife, Britt, live in Decatur with their two kiddos, Eli and Callie. When not working or parenting, he’s probably making music somewhere.
Stephanie Gaines Lloyd
ELI Faculty
Stephanie joined the year-round NGCRM team in 2015 after having served on summer staff with Glisson’s summer leadership team (’09, ’10, ’12, ’13) and then as a program director for Grow and ELI (’14, ’15). Stephanie’s role with NGCRM includes coordinating all aspects of Glisson’s Village, Outpost, and Sparrowwood programs. Stephanie and her husband, Ian, live in Dahlonega, and enjoy every opportunity to get out and explore God’s Creation.
C. Russell Davis
ELI Faculty
C. Russell Davis is Executive Director of the North Georgia Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries, Inc., in his seventeenth year serving the churches of our conference. He leads a team responsible for the ministry and facilities of Glisson Camp and Retreat Center, for Grow Day Camps and the Experiential Leadership Institute, ministries that have the capacity to provide life-changing experiences for the more than twelve-thousand children, youth, and adults they serve each year.
Now in his thirty-first year leading camping ministries, Russell has served camps in Virginia, Oklahoma, and South Carolina prior to coming home to Georgia. He has served as Chairperson for the national Association of United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries, has led and designed workshops and events for a variety of United Methodist and American Camp Association regional and national conferences, was been a visitor for the American Camp Association for twelve years, and served as a representative to the ecumenical Outdoor Ministries Connection. He attended Georgia Southern College in Statesboro during the Erk Russell national championship years and attended seminary at the Candler School of Theology at Emory.
He is married to Rebecca who is an ACFRE-certified fundraising professional working with Hope Atlanta. They have two adult children, Sam and Libby, and two dogs, Merry and Pippin.
(Updated – October 2023)