The genesis of the idea came from knowledge of small schools in Texas. It is impossible to have experience in small schools in this state without exposure to the small churches that serve the students and their families. 

It follows that many of those small churches have part-time pastors, and many of those pastors also work, logically, in the education field.

As John Fuller began his 43-year career as a school administrator, he began in the smallest classification of Texas schools. At Wells – halfway between Alto and Lufkin down on US-69 – a seed of an idea began to grow.

Often those part-time pastors were not able to take advantage of the retreat possibilities presented by large denominations. John and his wife, Gayle, filed a thought away: ‘Wouldn’t it be great to run a retreat where pastors could come with their families to recharge and reflect?’

As the couple progressed in their careers from 1A Wells, to 3A Muleshoe (up in the Panhandle between Lubbock and the New Mexico state line), to 6A San Marcos and eventually to Wiley ISD, the idea persisted. 

The Fullers were fertile ground for such an idea.  They both grew up in Waxahachie, in families where the church was important. John went on to attend Dallas Baptist University, while Gayle attended Texas Wesleyan. 

Their courtship was chaperoned, and they were married in 1970. John smiled and shared, “We were married in a Methodist church by a Baptist preacher.” 

Their marriage produced five children. Jason is a minister at the First Baptist Church down in Orange. Christopher purchased and now runs the company founded by Gayle, GF Educators, Inc.  Heather is in the field of kinesiology, while twins Callie and Cassie are both teachers at Little Elm and Caddo Mills, respectively.

The careers of Gayle and John in Texas public schools happened to coincide with the emergence of the Texas Education Agency state-wide learning standards and testing program. 

From the 1979 Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) to today’s State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), testing has driven public education in the state over the past 47 years. Gayle Fuller recognized a need to fill the gaps between traditional textbook publishers and the academic standards delineated by the Texas Education Agency. 

Her efforts were wildly successful. The ‘Step-up’ series of teacher supplements became go-to guides for teachers throughout the state. 

How successful?

“We started out putting the guides together one-by-one around the kitchen table – it was a whole family project,” Gayle described.

In a few short years, Gayle was distributing the books through three warehouses: Waxahachie, Plano and Greenville.   

While the family was in Muleshoe, Gayle moved from teaching elementary school to dedicating herself full-time to GF Educators.

That vision of a pastoral retreat never left them. Through Gayle’s efforts in the test preparation realm and John’s continued success as a school administrator, the resources to bring that idea to fruition began to take shape. 

It was while on a trip from Wiley – via a warehouse visit in Greenville – to Wells, that the two were led to the property which would become the center of their lives and launch their vision into reality. 

Gayle related, “We were just north of Mineola, I had been sleeping due to a migraine. Just as I woke up, I opened my eyes to see a homemade sign leaned up against a tree on the side of the road. It said ‘For sale, home and 75 acres.’”  

John continued, “All I heard was ‘Turn around! We have to go back.’ I was pulling a 16-foot trailer, so turning around was not an easy maneuver.” 

Turn around they did. They also made return trips to Mineola just to walk the property and inquire about purchasing it. Sixty acres of wooded land surrounded a 15-acre spring-fed lake. 

Their persistence paid off. In 2006, they moved in and began carving out their vision for a pastoral retreat.  

When speaking with the Fullers, two themes come shining through. 

The first is that they are not doing this for themselves. As John stated, “We just want to do something for the glory of God.”  

The second characteristic is that they intend to work every day to realize this vision. As Gayle added, “We pray daily that we can do God’s will.”

That same persistence which led them to Mineola and that specific property is a feature in their day-in and day-out efforts to carve out a retreat on the heavily-wooded parcel.  Having purchased the property in 2006, they hosted their first guests at G & J Hideaway in 2012. 

Two 1,000 sq. ft. cabins were constructed in 2015. Each cabin can accommodate two families. Additionally, an old fishing cabin has been redone, which is a favorite of some pastors seeking quiet and solitude.

Family friend Albert Gutierrez lives on the property with his wife Patsy. Albert conducts much of the land clearing and maintenance onsite. Patsy has long been associated with GF Educators. 

Advertising remains word of mouth. The first three nights of an initial visit are cost-free. Although the Fullers operate the retreat as a non-profit, they do not do any fundraising, but self-finance the endeavor. 

Gayle has taken a particular interest in highlighting how the beauty of the property can be highlighted to teach the beauty of creation and instruct on how nature can teach us about living a faith-filled life. 

She has created nine stations on the property, each with cedar benches, suggested biblical verses to contemplate in a related setting. Among them are the stations ‘Gentle Giants,’ in a pine grove, and ‘Babbling Brook.’  

The improvements to the land and facilities continue apace. At the spring-fed lake outflow, a small waterfall has been transformed into a baptismal font. A variety of watercraft are available, as are paths to explore the property. Benches are located at overlooks and in places of East Texas beauty, among pine and oaks and dogwoods. 

The G & J Hideaway now sees 2-3 pastors per month with occasional missionaries and evangelists. On occasion, a small youth group will be accommodated, although the charter remains for pastors and their families.

The Fullers cherish the service that they are able to provide.

“We are more blessed than our guests,” they shared.

The Hideaway is yet another reason why this corner of East Texas is unique and appreciated.