Kenneth Edward Hay (November 13, 1933 – April 2, 2019) was the founder of The Wilds, a Christian fundamentalist camp and conference center.
[3] In 1969, after directing Christian Dells Bible Camp (founded by Monroe Parker), near Trinity, Alabama, Hay founded The Wilds, a year-round 1,000-acre (4.0 km2), non-denominational camp and conference center in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Rosman, North Carolina with the assistance of Walter Fremont, Joseph Henson, and Carl Blythe.
More than three hundred churches now support The Wilds, its retreats attract 21,000 attendees annually,[4] and more than a quarter-million campers have attended its summer programs, which combine recreation with Bible studies and devotional meetings.
Hay reflected that while there was "no way a Christian organization can compete with the world when it comes to amusements...when you get young people away...you can have an impact.
"[5] The Wilds produces its own music CDs and has as its own missions arm CampsAbroad, an organization that assists with consulting and start-ups of Christian camps outside the United States.