As part of the 60 years of Hinton Center series, Clay County Progress is highlighting the faces of those who carry out the mission of the retreat and conference center. Inspired by Jesus Christ, Hinton Rural Life Center's purpose is to engage individuals, congregations and communities in transformation through retreat ministry and mission outreach.
Each week, we will meet a staff member, volunteer or someone closely affiliated with the organization, either in the past or currently. Beth Leinbach and Ricky Hill are the Hinton staff faces of the week.
Hinton Rural Life Center’s Chief Operating Officer, Beth Leinbach, has worked at Hinton for 13 years. When asked what her job involves, she smiled. “Group and individual reservations, scheduling and managing kitchen and housekeeping staff, accounts receivable and deposits,” she said. “Many other hats, depending on the hour and day.”
Beth Leinbach
Leinbach explained what Hinton Center offers to the local community. “Services to vulnerable population, lodging for guests who then add to the local business community activities including groceries, restaurants, shops, marinas and more, lodging for guests who are looking to move to the area, especially during the pandemic,” she continued. “Opportunities for local folks in the community to serve through volunteering, coordination of programs that increase the awareness of poverty and its alleviation, programs to promote leadership skills among local folks.”
Leinbach is married with two grown children. She has one granddaughter and is excited to have another grandchild on the way in October. The family moved to Clay County in 1987. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville graduate was raised in Memphis and enjoyed a career in graphic design and advertising sales prior to coming to Hinton.
Because Leinbach is usually the one who reserves lodging, event space and more for guests, she offered information some people may not know. “We have been remodeling two lovely homes,” she said. “Almost ready to rent, available for families and friends of the local community for vacations and or reunions.”
Ricky Hill
As the Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator for Hinton, Ricky Hill also wears multiple hats. He and his wife, Marji Hill, relocated from Carrollton, Texas, to join Hinton’s staff when they were hired as a couple in June 2017.
Hill shared details about his job. “Back in 2016 when Hinton had the Quality-of-Life study done, one of the suggestions from the study was to create a ‘community action plan’,” Hill said. “The result of this was the ‘Council for Collaborative Impact.’ I was hired to work with the CCI and the community organizations associated with it.”
Hill sees Hinton as a valuable community resource. “Even before Hinton officially existed, Walter and Velma Moore were helping people in the community,” he said, referring to some of Hinton’s original founders. “They helped families relocate so Lake Chatuge could be created. It is that heart for helping others that continues with Hinton today. Secondly, Hinton serves as an ‘outlet’ for people who have a passion for ‘mission work.’ It is the conduit where people can come and fulfill their Christian calling to serve others.”
Prior to joining Hinton, Hill had years of various work experience which provided the foundation for what he does now. He retired from the United States Marine Corp after 20 years of service. “After retiring from the Marines, I have worked on a farm, served as a teacher assistant and school bus driver and as an ancillary welfare assistant-teacher assistant, at a middle school in Blandford Forum, England,” he said. “After returning to the United States in 2000, I worked for five years for the United Methodist Disaster Response program for the North Carolina Conference. In the Eastern part of North Carolina, Hurricane Floyd caused major damage in 1999. I was hired as the family assistance director and case management supervisor. My job was to meet the disaster survivors, assess their needs and resources, and help develop a recovery action plan. Basically, my job was to connect needs with resources so the survivor could return to a point of self-sufficiency after the disaster.”
Next, Hill joined the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which is the church’s disaster response program. He mentored and offered assistance, support and training to areas impacted by hurricanes from Katrina to Gustav. “I traveled coast to coast providing support and training,” he said. “While serving with UMCOR, in collaboration with other consultants, we revised and/or created curriculum to aid others in providing support in disaster response. Some of the courses were Disaster Case Management, Early Response Team; Train the Trainer and Connecting Neighbors.
He worked in the UMCOR position for about 10 years. In 2015, he became facilities manager at a Dallas, Texas Methodist church where he also did church and community relations. He worked there until they moved to North Carolina to work at Hinton. His two grown children and four grandchildren also live in North Carolina.
Hill wants more local people to enjoy Hinton Center. “I continue to hear from people that are not aware Hinton exists,” he said. “I want readers to come by and visit, check us out and let us share the rich and wonderful history of Hinton.”