Community Mission Projects – Promise Land Pastures

Food TEAM

Reuben Smith — Mon, 25 May 2026 23:51:31 +0000

Powhatan Owen: Our Camp Cook Extraordinaire!

Powhatan Owen is a camp cook extraordinaire!

As the men’s firewood fellowship events grew into a regular occurrence that always included a hearty meal, Powhatan began stepping up more and more as a key member of our food prep volunteer team. It soon became clear that this was his true gift and passion. God has blessed Pow with a special talent for preparing delicious, hearty meals for large groups of hardworking, hungry people.

As a result, we have joyfully entrusted him with increasing leadership over our food service. At recent events, Pow has prepared all the food from his “man cave” and delivered it fresh to the site when the chow bell rings — much to everyone’s delight!

Powhatan and his wife Carol have also taken on another important role. They volunteer to wash, pack, and deliver eggs for our donations to The Storehouse food pantry. They sometimes handle as many as 60 dozen eggs at a time! In addition, they are official volunteers at the pantry, holding a key to the warehouse and helping place the eggs directly into the walk-in cooler.

Powhatan’s role as our Food Team Leader continues to grow in importance. As we prepare for larger-scale stew events this fall — using the farm’s own meats and vegetables — his excellent food service skills will be invaluable.

In a time when food prices continue to rise, our goal is to expand our teams that produce, prepare, and provide food to meet the growing needs around us.

Thank you, Pow, for your faithful and flavorful service!

New TEAM leader

Reuben Smith — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:52:41 +0000

Local Brother Steps Into Leadership Role with Heaven’s Warmth Firewood Ministry

Johnny Day is a retired Marine whose career with U.S. Embassy guard details in multiple nations equipped him with exceptional leadership and logistical management skills. He is a member of First Simple Church on the eastern edge of our county. First Simple has been a great partner and support to Promise Land recently. Their Rapid Response Team, of which Johnny is a founding member, partnered with us on a roof replacement project for a local widow not long ago. Johnny has been faithfully serving in our firewood ministry as both a dedicated worker and a reliable delivery driver. Recently, he agreed to step into a key leadership role, where he will help manage the data, logistics, and overall operations of the program.

The “Heaven’s Warmth” firewood ministry is a substantial effort, with over 30 volunteers, significant equipment, more than 30 regular recipients, and numerous deliveries to coordinate. It also includes communications, event planning, and food service — since our large processing events always feature a campfire breakfast or lunch for the team.

Johnny’s leadership will strengthen not only the firewood ministry but will also provide a solid operational framework for all our volunteer-based activities, including community mission projects and the Garden Team. We are excited to see the positive impact of his experience and initiative as we continue to refine and expand our programs.

Thank you, Johnny, for stepping up and using your gifts to serve our community!

Tractor TEAM 2.0

Reuben Smith — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:30:14 +0000

Bruce Adams, a talented mechanic, welder, and skilled mentor, is bringing his expertise to Promise Land with an exciting new chapter of our Tractor Team program!

Bruce recently led a hands-on workshop where he taught young people small engine repair while also servicing and restoring all four of the firewood ministry’s log splitters. His passion for teaching practical skills and mentoring the next generation made the day both educational and highly productive.

This summer, Bruce will lead the next phase of the Tractor Team program with at least four sessions scheduled throughout June and July. The primary goal is to repair the farm’s compact Case IH tractor to full working condition and raise funds to equip it with a 3-point tiller attachment.

Once complete, this upgraded tractor will enable the farm to handle its own tilling needs while also offering mobile tillage support to families and individuals in the community who want to start their own gardens. Because the tractor is small enough to fit inside our livestock trailer, it can be easily transported across the county — transforming it into a true mobile outreach tool.

This new chapter also creates meaningful opportunities for retired men from our volunteer crews to stay engaged, using their experience as tractor operators to serve others in practical ways.

The young people from Lux Church are already enthusiastic about the program. They are actively recruiting friends for the first session on Tuesday, June 2, with a goal of bringing together six participants.

The Tractor Team is more than just fixing equipment — it’s about building skills, fostering mentorship, promoting self-sufficiency, and extending practical help to our neighbors.

If you’re interested in supporting the Tractor Team through volunteering, donating parts, or helping fund the tiller attachment, please reach out to Reuben at reuben@promiselandpastures.org.

Garden TEAM

Reuben Smith — Mon, 25 May 2026 16:26:50 +0000

Garden Team Blooms: A Promising Start for Community Connection

The Garden Team officially launched on April 25 with a wonderful day of fellowship and fresh vision! While the primary goal was to create a meaningful women’s outreach opportunity to complement the men’s firewood fellowship gatherings, this event also marked a smooth transition out of the firewood season into the warmer months.

The firewood ministry will now pause its monthly campfire men’s fellowship workdays during the summer. However, small local groups will continue processing firewood on Tuesday mornings with weekly splitting and stacking sessions in preparation for the fall re-launch. Meanwhile, the new Garden Team will carry momentum through the summer months.

The vision for the Garden Team is both practical and exciting: to grow fresh vegetables that will be preserved and used in a new series of fall stew events. These stews will incorporate meat from the farm’s chickens and sheep, combined with garden produce, cooked in large batches. The firewood ministry men and Garden Team women will work together during the harvest season. The finished stews will be packed into quart containers and distributed to families served by our partner food pantry, The Storehouse.

This initiative not only promises nourishing food for those in need but also builds deeper relationships and shared service across ministries.

For the April 25 launch event, more than 20 people came together for food, fellowship, and meaningful work across the farm’s garden spaces. The gathering carried a true community spirit—multi-church, multi-racial, and warmly inclusive of both men and women. The women focused on planting seeds and preparing garden beds, while the men tackled several important infrastructure projects.

A highlight was the successful installation of over 200 feet of water lines buried below frost grade, along with three new yard hydrants. This major improvement was made possible through generous support from Mechanicsville Christian Center, which helped fund the trencher rental, while the men worked hard digging pits and operating the heavy equipment.

Our camp chef prepared a delicious lunch spread featuring pulled barbecue, potato salad, coleslaw, and more—adding to the joyful atmosphere of the day.

The next Garden Team workday is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. If you’re interested in joining, please contact us at reuben@promiselandpastures.org.

This is more than just gardening—it’s about building community, serving others, and watching something beautiful grow together!

Heaven’s Warmth

Reuben Smith — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:11:10 +0000

This fall, we’re expanding our impact with the launch of Heaven’s Warmth, a new subsidiary of Promise Land Pastures focused on growing the Firewood Ministry. Created through prayer and a clear goal to increase our reach, Heaven’s Warmth will coordinate firewood collection, processing, and distribution while partnering with local ministries to keep families warm through winter. The core work is carried out by men’s ministries from area churches, meeting regularly for hands-on labor and gathering monthly for fellowship. Every gathering begins with a hearty breakfast made over a cheerful camp fire. And the men are challenged with the Word of God and interactive discussions. Youth are actively involved in stacking and loading, learning practical skills and service alongside seasoned volunteers. With a breakthrough in developing a whole new focus on building teams, Jim Patterson has agreed to administrate the ministry, and Bobbie Joe Stewart—mother of Christian Stewart, Promise Land Pastures’ first intern—has agreed to manage distribution and relations with recipients within the county. Through Heaven’s Warmth, we’re providing heat while building community, fostering mutual encouragement among local believers, and guiding the next generation in service.

Outreach to a Neighboring Tribal Community

Reuben Smith — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 02:01:11 +0000

Pastor Chris Luck from the ROC and the River churches reached out to us for an opportunity to partner together on a one-day mission project for a lady who needed some help with brush clearing around her mother’s property. She is Native American and lives on the Pamunkey Reservation. Our mutual friend, Lucia Lucas. Was the person who advocated for her friend and requested help from Pastor Chris. As we of Promise Land called around to our various ministry contacts in the local churches, several men from our Chickahominy tribe here in Charles City volunteered to help us with this need. We had so much joy as we labored and sweated for a unified expression of Christ’s love and servant hood, and it was such an honor to serve with these First Nations men as they reached out to a member of another tribe. In just a few short hours, so much cleanup was accomplished, and some really inspiring conversations about God’s goodness in our various lives were shared. This is now a second mission trip this summer that we have been able to help coordinate as a connecting link for the churches in Charles City. We have experienced such a unifying effect from these types of events, and we hope to facilitate many more to come!

Church in the park

Reuben Smith — Mon, 26 May 2025 17:48:37 +0000

11 churches joined together at the Charles City High school athletic grounds to praise the Lord together in an amazing annual event known as “Church In The Park. “ An amazing extravaganza of fun, fellowship and joy.

The brainchild of Pastor Danny Patterson of Little Elam Baptist Church, this event has had tremendous support in the community that has been steadily growing over the past several years. Well over a thousand people attend, all the pastors of 11 of the area churches help out, and the festive atmosphere sets a tone of joy and love that blesses the entire county. There is fun activities for the children and a big lunch for everyone. Everything is completely free of charge!

Promise Land Pastures helped out last year and this year by providing power with our mobile solar generator known as the Sol-a-carte This solar power station is our own creation. It has 10 kilowatt hours of lithium batteries and a 6 kilowatt inverter. We powered the entire stage sound system for the whole event. Because this invention is solar powered, it provided reliable clean power with no generator noise and no exhaust fumes. We also provided our second Sol-a-carte for the two bounce houses that were in the children’s play area.

Promise Land, lead the team in deploying the main big top tent. The River Church purchased this tent, and partners with us to store and lead the team that sets it up. Debra Smith helped shepherd the little ones in the big bounce houses and keep an eye on the sol-a-carte.

The Gospel message was preached and several people responded. All of the pastors also participated in a time of prayer ministry at the altar for those who responded to the message. The whole day was a huge success, and the unity and partnership among all of the believers was beautiful.

Roofing project a big success

Reuben Smith — Sun, 18 May 2025 01:10:36 +0000

We met Helen Graham at the River Outreach Center cookout, held at the Ruthville gym complex in March. Promise Land Pastures was teaming up with the ROC crew as part of the volunteer prayer team. We introduced ourselves to Mrs. Helen and spent time talking with her about her life and needs. We learned that she had been widowed since 2016, was a cancer survivor, and was a fervent prayer warrior. We prayed together for one another, and we asked if there was anything specific we could pray with her about. She mentioned that she had been praying for help with her leaking roof.

We felt the Spirit of the Lord stirring us to explore how Promise Land Pastures could assist. God truly answered Miss Helen’s prayers—and ours—as we sought to serve her. Many individuals and churches in the county stepped up to donate and volunteer. All materials were covered, and a team from four different churches came together over Easter weekend. Not only did they completely replace Mrs. Helen’s roof, but they also cleaned up her entire yard. Special thanks to Bubba Smalley and the First Simple Church rapid response team. Thank you to everyone who gave and volunteered! Mrs. Helen was greatly blessed, the team was united in purpose, and God was glorified in the community!

Firewood Ministry finishes strong!

Reuben Smith — Wed, 14 May 2025 19:28:28 +0000

Promise, Land Pastures Has had another successful Firewood, ministry season. We have had men from men’s ministry groups from several different area churches Help us split stack and deliver over 30 truckloads of firewood to folks in need!

The firewood ministry events are really fun! Through the cooler months we have a Saturday morning event once a month.We have as many as 20 men from all over the area gathering for a hearty campfire breakfast of our own farm eggs along with bacon, sausage, potatoes, and onions etc., all cooked over a campfire in cast-iron cookware. After this, the team gets to share some time of devotion and mutual encouragement. And last, but not least we spent several hours working together with chainsaws, log, splitters, malls, and tractors! Many folks have been blessed through this ministry with free firewood, and many men have been strengthened In their faith together as they enjoyed, good food, good fellowship,good fun, and hard work!