The Blue Ridge YMCA Assembly in Black Mountain, NC added a spectacular new building on June 28, 2024, with the Lotz Lodge, a 16 bedroom, 50-bed facility that will house coaches and their families and athletes for FCA Camps and other groups who visit this sacred place of God for years to come.
It was named for Dr. Danny Lotz, a faithful Fellowship of Christian Athletes servant who came to Blue Ridge from the first FCA Conference in 1964 until his passing in 2015. For 40 years, Danny, a dentist from Raleigh, NC, taught the Coaches Bible Study at a June FCA Camp as his beloved wife Anne taught the Coaches Wives Bible study. A former North Carolina center on the 1957 national basketball championship team, Danny served on the national FCA Board of Directors for several terms and was a major FCA leader in North Carolina.
Clyde Christensen, a former North Carolina quarterback who recently retired after 43 years of college and pro football coaching, was the major force behind making the Lotz Lodge a reality. “Danny has impacted the lives of thousands of coaches at FCA Camps at Blue Ridge and therefore, we wanted to recognize his faithful ministry in some way,” he said. “Let it be known that this facility is first and foremost dedicated for the glory of God and to reach people for Jesus Christ.”
On June 28, some 125 Lotz family members and friends gathered at the dedication ceremony as Danny’s wife, Anne, cut the ribbon to the delight of the guests.
Said Anne, “Our family was humbled and thoroughly blessed by having an incredibly beautiful lodge dedicated and named in Danny's honor. The enormous size of the Lotz Lodge reflects Danny's enlarged heart for FCA and for God's Kingdom. The location, with expansive porches complete with rockers and mountain views, reflects his love for fellowship with others in the relaxed setting. And the combination of FCA and YMCA reflects his devotion and dedication to growing young people in their faith.
“The people who have worked hard to bring the vision for the Lotz Lodge into a reality, and those who will enjoy and be blessed by it in the years to come, are his true legacy,” she continued. “Danny would want all those who stay at Lotz Lodge to experience God in a personal relationship through a refreshed, vibrant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That truly would be the lasting legacy of Danny Lotz.”
FCA President Shane Williamson also played a major role with his enthusiastic support and raising funds for this two-level facility complete with a kitchen and spacious living area on each level. “Psalm 145 declares ‘One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts.’ We’re celebrating what God has done, but also think about what He will do,” he said. “This building is a testimony to the coaches and athletes who will come up the hill… and have a profound experience with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when they are here.”
Johnny Evans, Eastern North Carolina FCA Director and neighbor of the Lotz family, was also highly instrumental in the development of the lodge project.
Lotz Lodge sits behind historic Eureka Hall and use of the facility began the last week of June at an FCA Coaches camp. Said Christensen, “We worked for four years to make this a reality. It turned out spectacular and beyond our wildest dreams and with an amazing view. It is there for God’s glory and His alone.”
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Photos courtesy of YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly and Wayne Atcheson