The West Cincinnati-St. Barnabus Church was on the cutting edge of social issues during this period.  As early as 1948, Camp Joy was a pioneer in offering a racially integrated camping program.  The program also became coeducational in 1953.  In the spring of 1959 the Park Board never turned on the water at the Camp Joy site.  According to Reverend Maurice McCracken, this action was taken when the city fathers learned that some JOY Board members were practicing civil disobedience by refusing to pay their taxes to support war.  A camp near Columbus was leased for the summer.

Reverend Ulysses Fowler found the present site for sale in 1959 and took an option to buy the 315-acre property from McGowman and Wise.  It was an act of faith, but at the eleventh hour, $11,000.00 was raised by the congregation for the down payment, and the purchase agreement was made.  The tenant farmer on the land, John Kingery, built the first building - a dining hall and kitchen.  A work camp organized by the American Friends Service Committee, consisting of 20 young volunteers, spent the summer of 1960 constructing the original buildings using mostly donated materials.  Sycamore trees were cut in the bottomland along the Todd's Fork River and hauled to the Clarksville sawmill.  These facilities served JOY well over the next twelve years for summer camp.  In 1972, modest but winterized facilities were completed enabling JOY to begin its Outdoor School Program. 

In 1984, JOY's Board of Trustees launched a major capital campaign to renovate the physical plant.  Funds generated by the four-year effort were used to upgrade JOY’s facilities and grounds.  The old barns and crop lands have been revitalized into a working, organic farmstead.  An adventure program with a teambuilding and leadership focus has been developed and implemented.  The renovated cabins are now more comfortable and energy efficient.  Staff housing has been significantly improved, as well as the kitchen.  The dining hall now has a lounge area, additional eating space, bathrooms, a meeting room, and a large deck.  In addition, three beautiful, spacious cabins that overlook the Todd's Fork River have been built to accommodate the ever-growing number of adult groups.

What initially started as a church-sponsored summer camp in 1938 has evolved, with time and community involvement, into Joy Outdoor Education Center - an independent, non-profit organization that offers comprehensive programs for youth and adults.  The summer camp continues to serve inner-city youth with financial support from the United Way/Community Chest.  The Outdoor School Program offers a unique curriculum of hand-on learning experiences that introduce students to environmental concepts, as well as activities that promote greater self-awareness and cooperation.  Venture Out! Offers business, civic, and community groups a powerful program of challenges which focus on management skills, risk-taking, communication, and teamwork.  JOY’s newest program, Day Camp, was successfully launched in the summer of 1998.