The Story of
Ark On Lake Lanier

In 2006, while out on a run, Jeff passed by a house that was for sale. It wasn’t what he and his family were looking for, but when talking with the owner, he mentioned he had another property Jeff might like to see. Out of curiosity, Jeff drove over to check out the 5-acre property on Lake Lanier.

The moment he pulled in, he was captivated. Even though the house was outdated and in need of work, Jeff could see beyond it. He pictured his kids growing up here with four-wheelers on the trails, zip lines through the trees, bonfires at night, animals on the land, and endless adventures. He knew instantly this was a special place. But there was a problem: the property wasn’t for sale.

Not long after discovering the land, Jeff’s dad was diagnosed with glioblastoma and given 10½ months to live. It was clear to Jeff that his focus needed to shift to taking care of his father. He prayed, “God, if you want me to have this place, I’m going to walk away from it, and you’ll have to bring it back to me.”

‍Jeff let it go. Six months later, he got a phone call. The owners of the lake property had decided to sell after all, and they wanted to give Jeff the first opportunity to buy. The very land he had walked away from was coming back to him.

Before making the purchase, Jeff wanted his dad’s blessing. He brought him to the property, showed him the land, and his dad said words that Jeff has never forgotten: “Son, I think you should do this. Take the risk.” That was all Jeff needed. He knew this was where God was leading him, and he moved forward with the purchase.

After buying the property, Jeff started renovations right away. For ten months, he and his family lived in Augusta so he could be close to his dad while he battled cancer. Sadly, his dad passed away in March of 2007.

Later that summer, renovations were complete, and the family officially moved in. The property became alive with energy— chickens, goats, a pony, alpacas, four-wheelers, zip lines, and golf carts. It was everything Jeff had pictured the first time he laid eyes on it.

A little more than a year after moving in, tragedy struck. While Jeff and his family were on vacation in Hilton Head for Labor Day, a friend who was watching their animals noticed smoke coming from the house. Jeff immediately called his neighbor Marty, who heroically kicked in the front door trying to stop the fire, but by the time it was put out, most of the house had burned.

Jeff and his family came home to utter devastation. Nearly everything they owned was gone. With only what little they could salvage, they packed up and moved out, unsure of what the future would hold.

Nine months later, after walking through the fire, the stock market crash, and Lake Lanier being down 20 feet in a historic drought, things began to turn around. In March of 2009, Jeff and his family finally moved back into their home.

But something still wasn’t right. Jeff felt a stirring in his heart that God wanted him to do more with the house. He kept feeling a nudge to add more bedrooms— a thought that made no sense at the time. No one was building in those years, and Jeff had never once thought about renting the house. So, at first, he ignored it.

A year and a half later, the same feeling came back, stronger than before. This time Jeff decided to listen. He added on, bringing the house to 14 bedrooms and even building another cabin on the property.

Not long after finishing the additions, Jeff made a proposal to his family. A group of 40 missionaries with Adventures in Missions needed housing while serving people in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Jeff felt called to let them stay.

What started as simply hosting turned into something life-changing. Jeff and his family joined the missionaries on a trip to Haiti. That experience gave them a new vision of what ministry could be and planted seeds that would shape the years to come.

In 2012, another group of 25 missionaries suddenly lost their housing. Jeff invited them to stay at his home. What was supposed to be a short stay stretched into three months of what Jeff describes as “beautiful chaos.” After that, Jeff decided to move his family into town and give the house fully to the missionaries, who ended up staying nine months in total.

When the missionaries moved out, Jeff turned the property into a short-term rental with the goal of it becoming a self-sustaining ministry house. Around the same time, a friend gave him a small figurine of Noah’s Ark, along with a poem, and said to Jeff, “You remind me of Noah.”

‍It immediately clicked. They had the animals, they had the sense of peace and refuge, and they had a story rooted in faith. From that day forward, the property became known as Ark on Lake Lanier.

Since 2013, the Ark has hosted ministries, nonprofits, family reunions, corporate retreats, and so many more groups who come seeking rest, connection, and community. For Jeff, this has never just been a house— it’s been a calling from the very first moment he stepped onto the land in 2006.

The Ark is not a hotel. It’s a home. A home built on stories of faith, resilience, and purpose. We are still writing the story of the Ark, and we'd love for you to be part of that story!