LifeWay Names New General Manager At Glorieta Conference Center

Written by Chris Turner

GLORIETA, N.M. -- Steve Grassfield and his wife, Ann, fully intended to retire in 12 years, build a house near a youth camp and devote themselves to camp ministry. The camp ministry came a lot sooner than expected, however.

"I wasn’t looking for another job," said Grassfield, formerly vice president for food and beverage operations for ClubCorp. "But it is one of those things where God made it pretty clear to both of us this was an opportunity He was opening up."

Grassfield, 54, began Jan. 1 as general manager of LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center, a Christian retreat owned by LifeWay Christian Resources and located near Santa Fe, N.M. At nearly 2,000 acres, Glorieta is one of the largest Christian conferencing facilities in America, offers affordable events and maintains a focus on spiritual renewal. It is that focus for which Grassfield has a passion, says Byron Hill, national director of LifeWay Conference Centers.

"We’re excited about Steve’s business background," he said, "but his spiritual maturity will provide a focus for all we do at Glorieta. We believe there are great days ahead for what God wants to do through Steve at Glorieta."

Grassfield grew up in Chicago where his father operated a restaurant and introduced him to the hospitality industry. Grassfield graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in restaurant and hotel management and quickly proved his business acumen with several successful ventures. ClubCorp hired him 17 years ago. He’s held various positions within the organization. ClubCorp has more than a billion dollars in sales and internationally operates 200 golf courses, country clubs, private business and sports clubs and resorts. Several of their courses are sites for Professional Golf Association (PGA) and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) events.

Grassfield and his wife were active members at Highland Meadows Christian Church in Colleyville, Texas. Grassfield said he and his wife moved to New Mexico with mixed emotion.

"We loved our church and we have so many good friends there," he said. "And that is where we raised our two girls. But we are excited about the opportunity God is giving us. It is sort of like when God told Abraham to go to a distant land. God had a plan and had made preparations for Abraham. We are confident that God is going to bless what He’s called us to do if we are obedient to Him."

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