Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom.” [II Corinthians 3:17 RSV]

Tucked into the hills just about seven miles north of downtown Leesburg is a 50 year-old diamond in the rough property that is being cleaned and polished in an effort to prepare it for the next 50 years. The Freedom Center is a 100-acre school, camp and retreat facility near Taylorstown Road and two miles west of the village of Lucketts. There are the repaired and refurbished Hutchinson and Liberty Lodges that are heated and air conditioned and can sleep 26 in each (with kitchens) for retreats, family reunions and most any kind of get-together. There’s a larger facility room that can seat 100 called the Bardin Lodge and next in line to be repaired for use by families and smaller groups. In addition the grounds include a great outdoor area with grills and picnic tables next to a pristine two-acre lake stocked with fish as well as hiking trails throughout the property. Any fishing on the property is done catch-and-release style. The lake has bass and bluegill, and one pet Koi named Mr. Myagi that has called the lake home since before the Freedom Center began oversight of the property.

There are places to play volleyball, soccer, basketball, tetherball and horseshoes as well as areas to walk along and reflect in quiet solitude. Plans call for a soon to come low and high-ropes challenge course plus fitness and nature trails.

Over the years the property has been known by a variety of different names, but it has always had a mission to serve the larger community of Virginia, Maryland and D.C.—most especially the children (of all ages) of the area. Amidst all of the hustle and bustle of our current lives, the Freedom Center offers a quiet and secluded sanctuary so that you can focus on your event—and the people attending it. We’re also not so far away that come “break time” or for groups that have a day-off from meetings you can easily and quickly get back into the hustle and bustle. The Leesburg Corner Premium Outlet Mall is just 10 minutes away as is the MARC train line that heads into Downtown D.C. Instead of shopping or seeing the museums downtown, there is a boat ramp that puts into the Potomac River (kayaking and canoeing) just up the road. 

Hutchinson Lodge Activity Room can be used for various adult and student programs i.e. art classes, science projects and teambuilding training. Photo courtesy of Freedom Center.

In conjunction with Furnace Mountain Camp (the regular day-camp for children), Freedom operates Summer Haven Camp—a part day and part residential camp for disadvantaged children from the Greater Washington area. The kids will come out each day so they can learn to be kids in the wonderful outdoors. Then they stay overnight one night to experience a hayride and bonfire (along with s’mores). Freedom believes that every child can find wonderment and awe in playing tag, fishing, identifying birds and watching the deer move about the forest. 

The one-hundred rustic and wooded acres that comprise the Freedom Center have long welcomed the worn-out and weary. The land was part of the territory of the Heter family who had received a land-grant that has become part of the village of Lucketts, Virginia. One of the still standing nineteenth century buildings at the Freedom Center is alleged to be the old Heter homestead. This building became an “ordinary”, sheltering weary travelers. At the homestead folks were able to find a warm fire, a good meal and necessary rest before continuing on their expeditions.

In 1958, the Glaydin School and Camp opened under the leadership of Agnes Sailor and George and Louise Baker. After operating for a couple of summers, a full-time boarding school opened to serve children that weren’t able to reach their potential in regular schools. The original census was four children which quickly grew to ten. The students came from inner city Washington, D.C. on Mondays and returned home on Fridays. As the student population increased, George Baker started construction on various other buildings. The creation of every building on the property (with the exceptions of the old log lodge and spring house) was overseen by Baker.

October of 1986 began another chapter in the history of the Freedom Center. The Glaydin School and Camp became a part of the private Field School of Washington, D.C. under the direction of Elizabeth Ely. Originally the children were brought out to the property on weekends to study theater, American history and natural science. The Loudoun Field Center at Glaydin was born. The property was finally opened to the local community hosting retreats, art classes and teambuilding training. This time period also saw Loudoun County renting space for an emergency women’s shelter. In 1988, a partnership between the Field Center and the Athletes and Business Leaders for Kids was formed. This partnership was instrumental in bringing “at risk, inner-city” children out to a boarding academy set in a tranquil atmosphere.

1994 opened with the National Christian Association, the successor of the Athletes and Business Leaders for Kids, taking over the direction of the property from the Field School. Brad Curl, the president of the NCA, wanted to develop the private boarding school into a strong character building experience with a Christian perspective. He set in motion an agenda that continues today under the oversight of a new group of directors.

Freedom Center grounds include a great outdoor area with grills and picnic tables next to a pristine two-acre lake stocked with fish as well as hiking trails throughout the property. Any fishing on the property is done catch-and-release style. The lake has bass and bluegill, and one pet Koi named Mr. Myagi that has called the lake home since before the Freedom Center began oversight of the property. Photo courtesy of Freedom Center.

The Loudoun Field Center at Glaydin has been known as the Freedom Center since 2006 and is planning on continuing in its mission of offering a restful place to study, receive sustenance and become rejuvenated through the Spirit of the Lord. A number of these programs are currently in operation while some are in the visual, development or planning phase. Just as many pieces of fabric are assembled to make one quilt, the programs, goals and objectives established by the Freedom Center Board of Directors are being sewn together to make the Freedom Center a multipurpose facility serving the population of greater Washington D.C. The repair and refurbishing of the existing buildings and future addition of new facilities are a critical thread in this process.

The Leary School of Virginia, a private alternative educational facility for at risk high school students, has partnered with the Freedom Center and established a Job Site program on the grounds. As in the early days of Glaydin, the school opened with four enrolled students and is quickly growing and maturing. These teenagers are spending their mornings learning traditional academic subjects and the afternoons are being used for training in the construction trades. They are working on the buildings on the property to give them a practical experience in using their newly acquired knowledge. The school is looking to expand into larger quarter’s onsite to handle the increasing enrollment.

The winters of 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 saw the Freedom Center and Loudoun County once again collaborate to open a winter emergency warming shelter. This time it was needed as a Cold Weather Shelter for homeless men and women from November through March. The Freedom Center was able to offer some of the basic fundamentals to needy folks: a warm and safe place to sleep, hot food and some basic human dignity.

Beginning in mid-summer 2007, the Freedom Center has been able to start offering facilities for private retreats and small meetings. These buildings have self-contained environments for groups, companies, youth organizations and others to use for retreats, intensive workshops, and team building activities. There has become a real need for an indoor-outdoor facility like the Freedom Center located on a picturesque outdoor tract of Loudoun land for families and groups to gather and enjoy the great outdoors. And all this is no more than a thirty five minute drive from the Fairfax County line.

Though the organization is Christian, the property is open to all denominations and religions and to the community for non-religious purposes as well.  Freedom can host rustic weddings, wedding receptions, memorial services, work retreats, all-day business meetings, group picnics and family reunions.

Future plans for the Freedom Center include the construction of a large multipurpose building that will be used as a gym and field house. The fees collected for group events and summer camping are used to fund charitable activities and maintain the structures on the property.

Rates are $25 a person per night and $80-$200 for a group all day meeting. For more information about renting or scheduling events, call 703-777-3505, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit http://www.freedomcenter.us.

About Pastor Lyman H. Eddy

Presently the Senior Pastor of the Elijah Gate Christian Center in Leesburg, Virginia for the last 28 years, Lyman is also board chair and executive director of the Freedom Center. He was employed as a Federal Air Traffic Controller in Towers, Flight Service Stations and Air Route Traffic Control Centers from 1970 until 1988 when he resigned for full time ministry in a rapidly growing church. He has also been employed as a professional pilot and flight instructor, construction worker, park manager, truck driver and U.S. Marine. He has served or is serving on the board of directors of a number of organizations including the Loudoun County Community Policy and Management Team Comprehensive Services Act for At Risk Youth and Families; Loudoun Field Center at Glaydin; Christian International Solidarity; SHAIR Ministry of Washington, D.C.; Loudoun Church Alliance; Good Shepherd Alliance, Inc. (Homeless Shelters); Messiah Biblical Institute of Gaithersburg, Maryland; Tikkun International Ministry; New Life for Girls of Hillsboro, Virginia; Atlanta Bible Church of Atlanta, Georgia; Jerry Arthur Ministries of Albion, Indiana and the Federal Aviation Christian Fellowship.

In August 2001, Lyman, together with Congolese Bishop Raha Mugisho and South African Dr. Jack Stagman, organized and hosted the Africa Transformation Conference held at the Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia. Several U.S. Congressmen and other specialists in Biblical foundations for the governance of nations addressed delegates from the Great Lakes Region of Africa. From that beginning, Lyman has worked with Great Lakes region leaders for the advancement of peace and development in that corner of the world. He traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) twice in 2004 and once in 2005. He made trips in 2004 to Kinshasa in March and April and again in August for three weeks of speaking engagements in Kisangani and Beni. In September 2005, he and his wife spoke in conferences in Kabale, Uganda; Bukavu, Congo and Kigali, Rwanda. Lyman and Jennifer have helped many African individuals and families in their struggles to acclimate in the American culture as a part of their ministry in the Church. Lyman also travels to Guyana, South America each year where he helps develop churches among the Amerindians in the interior of the Amazon Basin.

Lyman is happily married to Jennifer, his wife of 43 years and partner in ministry. He is the proud father of three girls: Rebecca, a development director for the Heritage Foundation on Capitol Hill; Jessica, a Health Inspector for the County of Loudoun, now a fulltime mom and Abigail an account executive for a high-tech firm in Dulles, Virginia.

The Eddy’s reside in Paeonian Springs, Virginia where they moved after living in Lincoln and Leesburg for the previous 32 years. From there, Lyman oversees the operations of a local church, is developing the Freedom Center seven miles north of Leesburg, ran fishing trips for at risk youth on a vessel on the Chesapeake Bay, worked with a mentoring program for the Loudoun Juvenile Court Services Unit in Leesburg and works for the improvement and development of the DRC by meeting with leaders and connecting them with those who can help them in the U.S. Government and the Church.