A message from Executive Director, Pastor Tim McLauchlin:
“It is already August, and Fall is around the corner. They just cut the field on our campus for hay. I already begin to see the leaves changing on some of our trees. School is back in session and yes, football is near. What do you think about when you think about the fall season?
I think about the harvest. I think about all the work and effort that was put in during the spring and summer, the tilling, the sewing, the weeding, the watering, and the waiting. The waiting has to be the worst. You cannot force something to grow, you must allow nature to take its course. In order for the yield to be good, you have to allow it to grow in its time. Just like fruits and vegetables grow in their time, people also must grow in their time.
1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT) says,
“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”
There are many great church and para church ministries in this area. Adult and Teen Challenge of the Upper Cumberland is just one of them. We minister to people from all backgrounds and many people that may have gone to other programs before they got here. You may be like me; when I invest time in something or someone, I want to see fruit on my timeframe. But just like the garden, the fruit may not even appear in that season. We may see change, growth and even some resemblance of fruit, but the good fruit takes time.
I occasionally get discouraged when someone leaves, or even graduates our program, and they are not living the abundant life that they could. But I need to remember, it is not up to me, it is up to God. There are two things I am 100% sure of, there is a God in heaven, and I am not Him! All I can do is pray and wait. I know the seed has been sown, and I pray it will be watered and weeded, but it is God that will give the increase.
This beautiful, peaceful campus here in Overton County offers 45 acres and 24 beds. The new cafeteria/multi-purpose building will be open soon. We are always ready to take the call, help those in need, and love people in Jesus’s name. Our mission is to minister to those with life-controlling issues and teach them to be productive disciples for the kingdom of God. Every day, seeds of the Word are sewn here.
We are grateful to our volunteers, and church and community partners that help water those seeds in our residents and graduates. That seed will become fruit that remains, and we know the Lord is always at work. Thank you for your partnership in this ministry as we do our part in the kingdom. We could not do it without your faithfulness to God and to us. Together, we will see the harvest ushered in.”