What's this whole Ranch Idea?So what is "The Ranch" about? When Jon was 14 years old, he went on a mission trip to the inner city. As he was ministering to the children, he noticed that they loved hearing stories about ranch life and the country. At that point, God put the desire in his heart to have a ranch that busses inner city children to it, then allows them to experience various "country-style" activities while being taught the Gospel and character lessons. Churches will be networked in the area where they are from for spiritual adoption and continuing discipleship.
Katherine has a heart for people with intellectual disabilities and worked at a college that teaches life skills to individuals with special needs and helps them integrate into society. A large part of their college experience came through horticulture. When they graduated however, Katherine noticed that they rarely used the skills that they had cultivated in college at their new workplace. Her vision for the ranch is to employ individuals with disabilities in a large greenhouse system, which would help fund the ongoing expenses of the ranch. These individuals will also be offered community, spiritual discipleship and ministry opportunities with the inner city children. The blessing of this ranch will lie in its gospel and discipleship-oriented mission to 2 different demographics. In addition to spiritual needs, we will also be providing for physical and emotional needs. Finally, we will be empowering individuals with disabilities to make a difference in the world by sharing Christ's love with other people while providing a unique experience for inner-city kids to experience country life and the large hearts and big smiles of individuals with disabilities. |