Promise Land Pastures

Three Pillar STEW!

Reuben Smith — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:01:01 +0000

Promise Land Pastures has three pillar activities: FARMING, MENTORING, and MISSIONS. The idea is to weave all of these facets of our work into one integrated whole. To that end, we have been including mentoring in our Garden Team as we grow food for a stew event we are preparing for this fall. That gathering will be a celebration of our teamwork, as members come together for food, fun, and fellowship. The Firewood Team will join the Garden Team and the Food Team to take what we have grown together and simmer it in a cast-iron kettle over an open fire, using wood from our firewood ministry. This stew will then go out as mission outreach to families in need through our partnership with The Storehouse food pantry.

Your donations have helped us purchase a new freezer to store the food we produce for our outreaches. Thank you!

The new donated TEAM freezer filling up with farm grown products for the stew event!

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!

Training Tuesdays!

Reuben Smith — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:07:04 +0000

For several months now, a group of young people from Lux Church in Richmond have been coming out once a week on Tuesday mornings for mentoring and training in practical skills while volunteering on the farm.

The goal of this work is to equip these young people with confidence-building life skills and to deepen their faith in the Lord in a way that prepares them for the calling He has on their lives.

These young people are eager to learn new things. Recently, they expressed an earnest desire to learn how to butcher chickens! So we put together a chicken slaughter workshop using some of the roosters we had been raising for this purpose. These brave teens and their youth leader helped us slaughter, scald, pluck, and eviscerate a dozen birds for meat. The kids had a ball, we were able to reduce the rooster population, and we filled the freezer with meat.

As we work together on these days, we talk about what we’ve been discovering in the Bible or principles of God’s Kingdom. These young people demonstrate rare maturity and character, and we believe they are going to be leaders with us as we see a move of God among young people in the near future.

Mentoring and Training Together

Reuben Smith — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:39:23 +0000

Mentoring and training is one of our three main areas of activity. Skills training workshops are where the farm really shines. A working farm requires expertise in so many different areas, which means the necessary personnel and equipment are always on hand. Consequently, a farm makes a perfect living classroom—or natural learning center—for hands-on skills training on real, working infrastructure.

What’s even more exciting is when the Lord sends team members who combine God-given skills with the ability to teach them. This is exactly what has been happening lately. The Lord has sent us two very capable teammates:

Bruce Adams, a longtime friend of the ministry, brings vast knowledge and skill in mechanics, welding, and engine repair.

Faron MacLelland, another longtime friend, is equally skilled in mechanics and welding.

Both of these brothers are also blessed with the patience and ability to teach what they know.

Everything on the farm is woven together so that one area of activity naturally integrates with and complements the others. Our firewood ministry, for example, has four log splitters. Two of them were out of commission and needed repair. This need became the perfect opportunity for a workshop. Our growing group of youth volunteers came together for a day of small-engine and hydraulics repair. Six young people from Lux Church in Jackson Ward joined us to repair and maintain all of our log splitters while learning a great deal about small engines. They received hands-on experience lovingly guided by two top-notch pros.

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.

God story that started 30+years ago

Reuben Smith — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 18:12:41 +0000

When Debra and I were in the youth group at Mechanicsville Christian Center in the mid-80s, long before we were married, our youth pastor, Carter Goolsby, took the teens on a cross-country adventure to a youth rally called Youth America in Oklahoma. It was a 30-hour charter bus ride that our church co-chartered with the youth group from Lighthouse Christian Center, another area church affiliated with ours. The experience left an indelible impression on our lives and the lives of all the other students and youth leaders on the bus.

Recently, a young person reached out to me about our programs here at Promise Land Pastures. She had seen our website and was intrigued. She shared that she had always had a passion for farming since she was little. She also shared that she was a Christian whose dad was a pastor of a local church in Henrico, and our concept of a farm that was also a Christian mission outreach excited her. She asked if she and her grandmother could visit the farm and volunteer with us.

We set up the visit, and this girl, her grandmother, and her sister spent a few hours with us. As we introduced ourselves and shared our stories, it turned out that the girl’s grandmother was one of the youth leaders from Lighthouse Christian Center who had been on that 30-hour bus ride with us back in the 80s! We couldn’t believe it. She knew our pastor well, and we had many other significant ministry connections. Her son had become a pastor of a church plant in Henrico County, and It was his daughter, Trinity, who had found our website and reached out to us. It became clear to us that this was more than a coincidence—it was a divine appointment. We believe God led Trinity to reach out to us for a future partnership between our two ministries, and for us to help her fulfill her God given destiny as well.

Trinity, her sister, and her grandmother helped Debra and me harvest sweet potatoes from our community garden, which we share with the Chickahominy Tribe. The harvest was very successful! We had a whole tractor loader full of perfect sweet potatoes that we will use as part of the farm’s food production in creative ways to serve and inspire people in the community.

Wesley Adkins from the tribal garden was also there working, and we were able to get to know one another. God is weaving a tapestry of churches, cultures, and community!