Men’s Firewood Breakfast – 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!

Intertwining at Promise Land

Reuben Smith — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 02:39:51 +0000

Our vision is to build TEAMS marked by true intertwining: weaving together believers from different races, churches, and denominations, while linking the farm’s five activity areas so each one connects to and circles back to the others.

We’ve been praying for racial diversity to become a hallmark of our events. Charles City County is known for its three main groups—White, Black, and Native—but it’s been challenging to bring these communities together in meaningful ways. So we’ve prayed specifically for more color in our firewood ministry and beyond.

Enter LUX Church from Jackson Ward, Richmond. You may remember Trinity, who found our website and reached out—she’s the daughter of Pastor Manny Peña. LUX has a growing men’s ministry, and our firewood fellowship events were a perfect, out-of-the-box opportunity for their guys.

James Donlin, a longtime friend, had been attending LUX, and he helped spark the connection.

Recently, James and Tyrone Foster (LUX’s men’s ministry leader) brought a group of men to our firewood processing breakfast. What a beautiful answer to prayer! Thanks to LUX, we’ve seen strong representation from Native, Black, Hispanic, and White participants working side by side in unity, honor, and mutual learning.

We shared breakfast, finished splitting and stacking our full log goal, and enjoyed powerful times of God-glorifying testimony and life-sharing that deepened our relationships and faith.

A highlight was meeting Chavis Morton, a young, newly married African-American man and spiritual son of Pastor Manny. He pulled me aside, eager to return regularly, learn skills, and gain experiences—even taking time off work for midweek visits. We immediately welcomed him to join our Tuesday volunteer days (the same ones Trinity and her sisters attend). God is growing the TEAM!

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.

Firewood Ministry Training Event

Reuben Smith — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:41:58 +0000

Promise Land’s Firewood Ministry has doubled its deliveries and activity every year since we began officially operating. We have grown in the amount of firewood we’ve been able to provide, but just as importantly, we have seen significant growth in teamwork with local churches. We’ve been hosting regular men’s campfire breakfasts on the farm, where 20 or more men from four or five area churches participate—including many of the pastors!

We have an ongoing partnership with Hanover Christian Firewood Ministry, an independent nonprofit operating out of Lebanon Methodist Church in Hanover County. This group sets the standard for an exceptional firewood ministry in our region. They have provided us with advice, firewood, and an offer to deliver a presentation to help us expand our vision for this work. With our firewood ministry experiencing significant growth, we decided it was time to take them up on their offer.

One of our faithful team members from Samaria Baptist Church, Powhatan Owen, a Native American brother, has a heart of gold and a wonderful venue in his air-conditioned “man cave” garage for men’s breakfasts. Powhatan, an expert camp cook from his hunting and fishing experiences, offered to host the presentation and prepare a five-star, man-sized breakfast for everyone.

About 20 men gathered to celebrate our accomplishments and hear Claude Stocky, president of HCFM, deliver a powerful presentation that left us inspired and challenged. We came away from the breakfast with renewed vision and ideas for the next steps in our ministry. Claude also came bearing gifts for our ministry–He brought a load of seasoned firewood, and a 25 ton log splitter to donate to us. HCFM has pledged to support us as we grow, serve more families in need, and unite brothers in Christ through love and service. Thank you Claude and Hanover Christian Firewood Ministry for you partnership and support!