Ziplining Through the Redwoods
Joy Ferguson ’18 sought a job in Sacramento in 2021 after completing a master’s degree in political communications at Dublin City University in Ireland. While she looked, she returned to Sonoma Zipline Adventures, part of Alliance Redwoods Conference Grounds near her home in Santa Rosa, where she’d worked one summer. She never left. A few months after starting, Joy became the camp’s marketing manager and now serves as assistant director of communications. “I love my work, the mission of our Christian conference center and living amidst a spectacular redwood forest,” she says.
Her father, Dan Ferguson ’90, a pastor at Redwood Covenant Church in Santa Rosa for 20 years, listened to Joy talk about Alliance and decided to apply for a job as chief of staff. “I was in my mid-50s and had spent 30 years in pastoral ministry, so I made a change — although I continue to work with college students at the church,” he says. “As chief operations officer at Alliance, I run the camp and the zipline and see it as a ministry to our 25,000 guests as well as the 150 summer staff and 80-90 year-round employees.
...We believe that spending time in the coastal redwood forest gives people a chance to meet the creator in his creation.”
The impressive ziplines, which Newsweek voted No. 1 in the United States, offer several levels of experience. The original course features sweeping redwood views, and those seeking greater thrills can try the tallest, longest and fastest course. The Forest Flight Course operates at night as well. During the pandemic, Sonoma built six treehouses on the course to keep staff employed during the shutdown, creating a 24-hour zipline experience and overnight stay in an Ewok-style village. “It’s fully booked every night during the summer,” Joy says.
Two years ago, a donor funded the first Christmas in the Redwoods drive-through light display. Joy advertised the free event on social media. “The overwhelming response backed up traffic onto the highway,” Dan says. Last year, they set up a reservation system, involved local businesses, and offered a visit with Santa. “It unified the staff as they worked together on this fun event,” Joy says. “We’re expecting even more visitors this Christmas.
“With our large and varied staff working in different departments, we needed a way to bring people together,” Joy says. “To remind them that we all work together, my father established a set of staff values, one of which is ‘fun.’ We meet together as a staff once a month and anyone who attends gets a rubber duck they can enter in the annual Duck Day games and win prizes.”
Dan met his wife, Ann Mary Ferguson ’92, at Westmont. They got married and moved to Illinois after
she graduated so Dan could attend North Park Seminary. A pastor at churches in Illinois and then Kansas, he accepted a call to Redwood Covenant in 2005. Ann Mary teaches middle school English in Santa Rosa.
Both of Joy’s parents majored in communication studies, and they all took classes from Professor Emeritus Greg Spencer, who wrote a parable for Dan’s and Ann Mary’s wedding. Dan kept all his notebooks from Spencer’s classes. Joy doubled-majored in political science and English.
“My parents raised me watching ‘The West Wing,’ Joy says. “In my high school history class, I learned the power of the written word in public policy and wanted to write political speeches. So much of my experience ties into my job at the camp. I write marketing materials for Sonoma County Tourism as well as for Alliance and the zipline and promote them through social media campaigns. Visit California featured our zipline in their international marketing campaign, which still runs.”
Dan and Joy agree: “We work at a special place.” They plan to stay.