Our Story
From Brock Mountain
to The Hayfield
A story of faith, obedience, and new roots \u2014 how a family's 25-year dream became a permanent home for Christ-centered ministry.
Every field has a story. This is ours.
The Hayfield didn't begin with a building campaign or a strategic plan. It began with a family of eleven who loved Jesus, loved each other, and carried a conviction that families are the frontline of God's Kingdom. Ben and Nili Stewart and their nine children stepped away from the familiar and into the unknown \u2014 and God met them in the field.
The Journey
How We Got Here
Two Decades of Pastoral Ministry
Ben and Nili Stewart spent nearly 20 years serving in local church ministry, including leadership roles at Christian Life Center in Chicago, where Ben oversaw ministry, finance, and campus development, and at Belmont Church in Nashville. Through it all, their hearts were being shaped for what was to come.
A Dream Held for 25 Years
For a quarter century, Ben carried a dream of starting a camp and retreat center. During a prayer walk, Nili encouraged him to finally pursue it. That conversation shifted everything — from “what do we do next?” to “where is God calling us?”
Brock Mountain Ministries Is Born
After a season of family prayer and fasting, the Stewarts discovered a former church camp for sale in the Ozark Mountains of Northeast Arkansas. They sold their belongings, resigned from pastoral ministry, and purchased the property. Brock Mountain Ministries launched with Vision Weekends — three-day, two-night family camps designed to help families discover their God-given purpose together.
Families Come Alive
Year after year, families arrived at Brock Mountain and something remarkable happened. Through worship under the stars, horseback riding, bonfire devotions, and staff-led family meetings, parents and children reconnected with each other and with God. One child famously told their parents it was “better than Disney World.”
A New Property in Evening Shade
God opened the door to a beautiful piece of land in Evening Shade, Arkansas — peaceful farmland in Sharp County with open fields, quiet countryside, and room for a permanent ministry home. The vision expanded beyond seasonal camps into year-round ministry.
The Hayfield Is Born
What was once Brock Mountain Ministries has now become The Hayfield — a ministry ranch with a barn being converted into a fully equipped retreat center with lodging, dining, recreation, and worship space. The dream is becoming a permanent home for family camps, purity weekends, worship nights, volleyball tournaments, and Kingdom-centered community.
“We believe God uses places of beauty and rest to do deep spiritual work in families.”
Why “The Hayfield”?
A hayfield is a place of both beauty and purpose. It's cultivated, tended, and harvested in season. It's a place of honest work and quiet peace. It's not flashy \u2014 it's faithful.
That's what we want this ministry to be. A field where seeds are planted, where families are nourished, and where God brings the harvest in His time.
Be Part of What's Growing
The story isn't over \u2014 it's just beginning. Come visit, partner with us, or bring your family.