Big Barn. Big Dreams. Help us fix up McKee Barn

Recently I was sharing our vision for McKee Farm and McKee Barn with some good friends. Von and I have shared a dream of seeing McKee Farm be a place where we can host Christian camps and art classes, woodworking classes, barn dances, and retreats. My husband's family have also shared dreams of seeing McKee Farm used as a Christian camp facility. The farm has been in Von's family since the early 1800s. We have been so blessed to see God use the farm over the years.

We began hosting free barn dances in the community about ten years ago., In 2021, we hosted a weekend youth retreat called Mission Critical with our church family and friends from North Carolina. This event gave us a glimpse of what our dream could look like! When asked what has kept us from moving forward with these dreams and taking them even further, I confessed that it was money. The barn needs a lot of work and so does the farm. We do our best to earn money to move forward with these dreams by having airbnb's on the farm and running campsites. I know the Lord provides and we have seen Him provide in so many ways! But the barn is in need of help and the cost to make these repairs is more than we can afford. These friends encouraged us to start a GoFundMe to help get the barn fixed up so we can take these dreams even further. It is our desire that God uses McKee Farm and McKee Barn to His glory!

McKee Barn has graced the hillside of McKee Farm in Coshocton County, Ohio since 1927 when a community of neighbors worked together to build it. It used to house cows, hay, and other farm equipment. Now, we are trying to make it a place for barn dances, retreats, workshops, art classes, and Christian ministry events.

We've updated electric so that church groups could have ways to serve food, play music, etc. We would love to put bathrooms in the barn, so that our visitors don't have to rent outhouses when they use the barn. We would also love to fix up the lower part of the barn to be used for woodworking classes and other workshops. The barn is also in desperate need of a new roof and repairs to the siding. Holes in the siding and other signs of aging have made it essential that we start investing more time and money into the barn so that it can continue to be a blessing to churches, organizations, and individuals in our community.

Any help in making McKee Barn an even better place for our community would be awesome!