The First Gathering

Addiction, recovery house opens its doors
Renewal Ranch sets out to ‘restore lives’
By Carol Rolf, Contributing Writer
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Photo by Thomas Hudson
Arkansas Online
James Loy, director of Renewal Ranch in Conway, stands on the porch of the organization’s new building.

HOUSTON — The vision has become a reality.

An idea that began as a dream in the heart of Larry Pillow and was shared with others over the years, including James Loy, Renewal Ranch has opened its doors.

Loy, director of Renewal Ranch, said the men, who come from as far away as Tulsa and Jonesboro and points in between, will be in “intensive, daily study of God’s word for several months.

“We are so excited to have 10 pastors from central Arkansas and Christian counselors who will be investing in these men’s lives,” Loy said.

He said Pillow, a longtime pastor in Conway who dreamed of such a facility more than 20 years ago, is chaplain at Renewal Ranch.

“Larry had a vision for this years ago,” said Loy, who suffered for years from addiction before he found help at a similar rehabilitation facility, John 3:16 Ministry in Charlotte, near Batesville. “And I’ve known since the ’90s that God wanted me to give back. My whole life, my testament, has prepared me for this point in my life.”

Loy, a former employee of The Home Depot, both in Batesville and Conway, resigned from that position in November and is now the full-time, paid director of Renewal Ranch.

“Now, we just need to get my wife, Laura, on board full time,” he said with a smile. “She is such a wonderful helpmate.”

The Loys live in a house on the ranch property.

The men at Renewal Ranch prepare their own meals.

“There is one man in this first group who has experience cooking,” Loy said. “He will serve as the main cook, but we are looking for men and women from the community to share the responsibility of cooking a meal once a week.”

Anyone interested in cooking at Renewal Ranch is asked to contact Heather Vankampen at (501) 358-1646 or heathervankampen@conwaycorp.net. The ranch is also seeking volunteers to do its weekly grocery shopping. Each volunteer will shop for groceries once every six weeks; Renewal Ranch will pay for the groceries.

“We have already broken ground for a garden,” Loy said. “We are a working ministry. We will grow our own vegetables and will raise our own pigs and cattle. We have almost 100 acres that can take care of all of this.”

Loy said residents will also build future structures planned for the site, at 29 Lake Drive (a Houston address) in Perry County near the community of Toad Suck.

“All of these things will give the men a sense of accomplishment,” he said.

“We’ve been so blessed to have a combination of community volunteers, as well as paid labor in areas where we could not find volunteers to help us build this place,” Loy said. “We’ve had the help of many church men’s groups and businesses, as well as volunteers from the community and from The Home Depot. We had a community shower that provided us with such things as linens, household items and food — all the things the men will need to live here. Everyone has been so supportive.”

The 3,200-square-foot building has six bedrooms, two baths, two utility rooms, a large lounge area and a multipurpose room with a kitchen area. Bible study and chapel services will be held in the multipurpose room. This facility can accommodate 12 men, with two sharing rooms that have bunk beds.

“We’ll soon be looking for opportunities in the community where these men can go out and work, to follow the example of Christ and serve,” Loy said. “The men will also attend services in various churches throughout the area.”

Loy said Renewal Ranch residents would attend church at 10 a.m. today at Four Winds Church in Conway. A benefit concert for Renewal Ranch is planned for 6 p.m. Saturday at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, and a pancake breakfast fundraiser is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at Stoby’s Restaurant in Conway.

“These men have been through a lot,” Loy said. “I was talking to one 40-something-year-old, and I shared with him what we are trying to do here.

“I told him that we love him, that God loves him,” Loy said. “He burst into tears and said, ‘Nobody has even taken the time to show me the love of the Lord or has invested in my life.’

“That just broke my heart,” Loy said. “Many of them have no hope. They’ve tried other programs but failed. We are trying to show them where the true hope lies, and that is in Jesus Christ.

“God has blessed us so much. We want him to be the glory in everything we do. I know the very dark place he has brought me from, and I know he can do it for these men, too.”

Donations — both in-kind and monetary — are still needed at Renewal Ranch. Loy said the organization already has the materials to build second and third structures, and he hopes the ranch will someday accommodate 50 men.

“We would encourage any church or other organization to support us on a monthly basis,” he said. “We depend on their support, but we also want to give back to this community, as we are a working ministry.”

For more information, call Loy at (501) 680-4895. Monetary donations, which are tax-deductible, may be sent to Renewal Ranch, P.O. Box 11128, Conway, AR 72034.

The first residents arriving with all their gear–One of them takes a look out over the beautiful landscape.

A resident lifts his hands in surrender and awe to the Lord Jesus Christ.