BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Editor
After a bit more than two years and a long-lived pandemic, John and Rebecca Hall are finally getting ready to begin programs at their faith-based educational and agricultural programs at Promised Land Family Ministries.
John spoke to the Union County Board of Commissioners in late 1999, telling them about the project to provide agricultural experiences to children and through them show how they can apply Christian values and principles to their live.
At the 2019 meeting, Hall told commissioners that, “We are planning to help children and their parents experience farm life as a means of creating a new life. When you let a child be involved in caring for a living thing – plant of animal – and seeing it grow and thrive, it helps that child learn valuable lessons and life skills.”
The Halls purchased 50 acres in Union County, located on C.R. 241, as home to their project. They had some clearing, cleanup and construction to do, but were looking forward to starting some after-school programs and weekend events in the late Spring of 2020 in Phase One, with Phase Two of development set for Fall 2020 with the continuation of these programs, plus the addition of free after-school tutoring. Phase Three, planned for Summer 2021 would continue all of the previous offering to a much greater frequency and extent add limited camping experiences as well.
Enter COVID-19 and all of its subsequent variants. Everything got put on hold, including the beginning of the planned programs, but John and Rebecca followed their faith and waited until the way was opened and they were allowed to begin.
Fast-forward to April 2021. COVID is still with us all but is much more under control than in the recent past. We now have vaccines for almost everyone and people are getting their shots, clear protocols have been developed by the CDC and the Florida Department of Health and, despite several spikes as new variants emerged, the future looks much brighter than it did at the start and for most of last year, so with an attitude of faith and hope the Halls have begun the process of getting their dream underway.
On Saturday, April 2, 2022, after more than two year later, Promised Land Family Ministries held its initial Open House. The idea was to invited everyone in the community who was interest in the programs to come take a look and see what was being offered. Of course there were a number of activity stations, including ones presenting information on such things as dairy cattle, goats, chickens, bees, and agriculture as a career. Union County UF-IFAS Extension Agent Luke Harlow and his wife Erin (also an extension agent, working in Columbia County) were on hand, as were representatives from the Division of Forestry.
To increase the fun for the youngsters, about $800 in toys and bikes were given away to the participants. The Halls also provided lunch at the event, grilling hamburgers and hotdogs and serving them with chips and cookies. All told, about 100 people came to take a look and see what the camp would be offering to area young people.
John himself has a background in agricultural education, a field in which he taught for almost 15 years at the middle school, high school and college levels. He hold degrees from the University of Florida in agricultural education (bachelor’s) and agribusiness (master’s) and a PhD. in agricultural leadership from Texas A & M.
The program planned for Promised Land are planned to be fun, educational and faith based. The Halls believe that through agricultural experiences they can help children see how to apply Christian principals to their lives.
The Halls are planning on taking their time getting started, keeping both the value given and the safety of the programs. They have a program coming up, Called “Growing for God,” that will teach gardening skills to children. Right now, John said, they know they want to start with this program a little later this Spring but are not ready to set dates quite yet. Other activities and programs will fall into place as the year progresses, with the target date for many planned to coincide with the beginning of the next school year.
Promised Land Family Ministries is located 1 ¼ miles off C.R. 238 on C.R.241, near Providence. The Halls are busy getting ready for a future crafted to inspire, educate and bring stronger faith to all of the children they can reach with their programs.
