Ranch Day
“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a
planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope the photos in today’s post give you a little glimpse into our Auxiliary Ranch Day held last Tuesday at the Big Oak Girls’ Ranch. Forty-five BOR Auxiliary members toured the Administration Building and the new HUB, the latest addition to the Girl’s campus. We also met with Big Oak staff; toured the campus; visited a Ranch home; and gathered around beautifully decorated tables to enjoy delicious food, rich fellowship, and community.
In 1974, founder John Croyle rejected the riches of an NFL career and chose to begin a Christian group home ministry with five boys who needed a second chance for a Christian family. Fifty years later over 2000 children have called BOR “home.” Big Oak’s ministry is 100% privately funded. Brodie and Kelly Croyle continue the important work that John and Tee Croyle began.
Big Oak’s purpose is to provide a Christian home for children needing a chance. That's what they offer- a chance. To find a normal life. To find God's love. To find that one is much more than his or her circumstances. The Ranch accepts abused, abandoned, neglected, or orphaned children between the ages of six and eighteen from all over the United States. Ask any staff member and you’re likely to hear, “Jesus is our message; children are our heart.” Their mission is to share the unconditional love of Jesus and the hope that flows from it, offering children the chance to discover God’s true purpose for their lives.
Ranch house parents are the backbone of this extraordinary ministry. These moms and dads are on the front lines doing difficult work. They deal not just with the grief, loss, and anger that usually accompany child abuse or abandonment, but also the discouragement that arises from fear, frustration, and failure. Being a house parent is not for the fainthearted, but it is a high and holy calling that can result in changed lives and impact future generations.
House parents live with love and loss every day as they parent their children. On our Ranch tour, I asked one house Mom, “How do you handle grief and loss?” She quickly answered, “I have 3P’s. I pray; I prepare and I purge.”
Every child that comes to the Ranch receives four BOR organizational promises:
We love you
We will never lie to you.
We will stick with your until you’re grown.
There are boundaries
These four promises cover the bedrock of parenting a child with love, truth, security, and discipline.
I was impressed with the excellence, the craftsmanship, and the quality of the Ranch home and furnishings. But I was absolutely blown away by the order, discipline, work ethic, and organization of the BOR staff and residents. House Rules and House chores were clearly posted in the Ranch house I visited.
One look at a Ranch kitchen or the Big Oak Cookbook revealed that food and meals are a huge part of BOR family life. Some of my favorite maxims included:
The best memories are made sitting around the table.
Kitchen: a gathering place for friends and family, a place where memories are homemade and seasoned with love.
A strong family has well-worn seats at the dinner table.
Cooking is love made visible
BOR is a story fifty years in the making. What started with one home for five boys is now a network of growing ministries dedicated to providing a stable, loving Christian home and the opportunity to experience God’s grace. While much has changed, Big Oak’s core mission remains the same: providing Christians homes for children needing a chance.
Founder John Croyle says, “The story of BOR is just God saying, ‘Go get orphans.’ We’re just trying to do what we were told.” Current CEO Brodie Croyle agrees, “Our responsibility is clear. We will lead well, stay faithful, and bring every child we can to the foot of the Cross. What they choose from there is between them and God, but if they struggle, it won’t be because we failed to show up.”
God is still in the multiplication business. He takes our small loaves and fishes and uses us to feed the multitudes. (John 6:5-12) “Little is much when God is in it,” writes hymnist Kittie Suffield.
Hope still changes everything! For more information on Big Oak Ranch, visit bigoak.org.