On Saturday May 18, Ephesus Baptist Church in Winchester once again hosted the Baptist Bikers of Kentucky for their annual Ride or Drive to the Ranch to benefit Sunrise Children’s Services’ Solid Rock Children’s Ranch.
Twenty-two motorcycles, several trucks and cars (or “cages” as the Baptist Bikers call them!), and two church vans made the trip from the Rockcastle Baptist Association office in Rockcastle County to Liberty Avenue Baptist Church in Berea to pick up more riders, and then finally to Ephesus Baptist Church in Winchester, where they celebrated with a lunch. Churches who participated in the drive were Fairview Baptist Church and Freedom Baptist Church, both in Mt. Vernon.
Dr. Todd Rader, Pastor of Ephesus Baptist Church, welcomed participants in their parking lot. Randy McPheron, Founder and President of Baptist Bikers of Kentucky, received $9,1000 from bikers and churches that will benefit Sunrise’s Solid Rock Children’s Ranch. McPheron, who is also the current Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) President and Associational Mission Strategist for the Rockcastle Association of Kentucky Baptists, handed the money over to Judy Singleton who accepted on behalf of Solid Rock.
(It has been Singleton’s dream for many years for the creation of Solid Rock Children’s Ranch. In 2016, the former teacher from Clark County, generously donated her land of 130 acres in Winchester to Sunrise to be used to establish a new community of care for sibling groups in foster care. Sunrise is excited to share that Singleton’s dream is now becoming reality. Thanks to the generous gifts from community leaders and faithful supporters like Baptist Bikers of Kentucky, the first two Solid Rock houses will be constructed this summer).
As everyone made it into the church building from the parking lot, lunch was served. While they were enjoying their meal, Bob Jeffries, a special guest of McPheron, was invited to speak. Jeffries shared his own foster kid story. As a young boy and part of a large sibling group, he was cared for by Sunrise (known then as Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children). He was eventually adopted and throughout his life encountered several positive role models from the KBC. Jeffries shared his support of Solid Rock, and after lunch, all riders and drivers were invited to visit the land where Solid Rock will be constructed.
Sunrise wishes to thank everyone who made this Ride or Drive to the Ranch such a success, including: Liberty Avenue Baptist Church for providing snacks, Church of the Living God in Winchester for providing lunch, Dr. Todd Rader and Ephesus Baptist Church for hosting, Randy McPheron and the Baptist Bikers of Kentucky for their continued support of Sunrise, and of course to Ms. Judy Singleton for her dream of Solid Rock.
Show your support of Sunrise Children’s Services with this exclusive Coffeetarian charity partnership t-shirt. This shirt is only available for a limited time! All proceeds go directly towards Sunrise, helping them to make a difference in thousands of families around Kentucky.
On September 12, the second annual “Run for the Ranch” was held in Winchester to raise money for the Solid Rock Children’s Ranch. The 5K run/walk began and ended at Mt. Zion Christian Church, with 106 runners and walkers participating. Among those participants were four ladies calling themselves “Tina’s Tribe.” They walked in memory of their dear friend, Tina. This is their story:
“Our friendship began in 1996. We were all living in Columbus, Ohio with small children and similar life circumstances. We met at church and became fast friends. Laughing, crying, hours of talking and sharing, good times, and bad times. We bonded as sisters through the years. We started girls’ trips with weekend shopping when our children were small, life was busy, and there were gifts to buy. As time progressed and our children got older, we traded those shopping trips for destination trips where we continued our sisterly bond. We loved encouraging one another, laughing, crying, and eating together. We always felt renewed after these trips, and eagerly awaited and planned for the next one.
“Sadly, on February 11, 2020, we got the shocking call that our sister Tina had very unexpectedly, and instantly, passed away. The feeling of devastation is an understatement. We sisters could not imagine this terrible loss.
“During our mourning it was quickly decided that we needed a way to honor her memory. Tina had a love of races, and these were an important part of her life. She also had a deep love of children, whom she served for many years in our church. We decided that we would find a way that would incorporate both of those.
“One of us now lives in Kentucky and found a race that fit the bill. The first annual 5K for #Tinastribe began on Saturday, September 12 with four of us able to physically participate in Sunrise’s “Run for the Ranch” in Winchester, while Tina’s daughter ran in spirit with us from Reynoldsburg, Ohio. We will continue to participate in 5K’s as #Tinastribe until none of us are able to make the walk.”
Judy Singleton sits outside her property in Winchester.
The Beginning
Judy Singleton from Winchester has a dream. Her dream is to provide a new community of care for sibling groups in foster care on her property. The dream began when Judy was a child.
“Mom and Dad came here in 1940. They bought the farm during the war. I grew up on this farm, and my heart is here,” Judy shared.
“When I was a child, one of the things that Mom and Dad and I did on Sunday afternoons was to drive up Kentucky Route 15 toward Natural Bridge,” said Judy. “I was maybe eight or nine, and I remember Dad looking over and pointing at a house and saying, ‘It’s a shame that old man didn’t get to do with his land what he wanted to do.’” Judy’s dad told her that the man wanted to build an orphan’s home on his property, but it never materialized. “It laid on Dad’s heart,” said Judy.
Judy would eventually leave the farm to pursue teaching, but those words from her dad would have profound impact on her. “I feel like, even back then, God was placing in my heart the need for something like that,” she said. That may have been the first time God began talking to her about the Solid Rock dream, but it would not be the last.
The Fire
Judy was living in Richmond in 1980 when one day that year, her mom and dad were looking at the hay in their barn. The barn was completely full with hay bales. “Everything was fine. It looked good,” said Judy. Her parents left the barn and went into the house. Thirty minutes later, they came back outside. The barn was blazing.
“The flame and the blazes went so high that people all around could see the smoke and the fire,” Judy said. “People came from all around putting water on the garage and on the side of the house that faced the barn.” Paint had already begun to peel on both the house and the garage. At that moment, according to what Judy’s parents had told her, everyone there knew that they were not going to be successful in saving the house. It would take a miracle. And then a miracle happened.
“In an instant, the wind changed,” said Judy. “The wind blew the other way. It took the flames, it took the smoke, it took everything in the opposite direction.” Judy knew of only one reason for the dramatic turn of events. “I think that God knew that the house had to remain here for me to come back,” she said. “So, I know that in 1980 God saved the house and saved Mom and Dad.” A few years later, God would speak to her again.
The Gas Line
One cold winter night, after the fire, the temperature had dropped to thirty-two degrees below zero. Judy was still not living at the house, but again, her parents told her exactly what had happened. Her dad was awake in the middle of the night. This was unusual. “I could make all kinds of noise. Mom didn’t sleep well, but Dad didn’t wake up,” said Judy. “But this time, Mom was sleeping, and Dad was awake.”
And then it happened. A pop. Judy’s dad heard the noise and, in an instant, went down to the basement and discovered that the gas line had frozen and broken. He immediately turned the gas off in the house. “Had Dad not been awake when that happened, the house would have exploded, and Mom and Dad would have died. So, I feel like God woke Dad up to hear it and check it out,” said Judy. “There’s two times that this house should have gone. And it didn’t. So, it’s here for a reason. I know it is. I feel like God has been leading me in this direction a long time. It’s the last thing, I think, He has planned for me.”
The Vision
Judy remembers having a talk with her dad shortly before he died. Having no brothers and sisters, Judy knew that she would be acquiring the farm. Her dad wanted to talk to her about it and said, “I want you to do something for children or animals, and maybe children and animals.” Judy’s response was quick: “Yeah, Dad, I would like to do that too.”
Judy always loved kids and loved working with kids. She taught children for 35 years and continued teaching part time after she retired. “Seeing kids at school and seeing sibling groups separated, and seeing how hard it was on them – that is when God began to place on my heart that I could be more than just their teacher.,” Judy explained. “So, from there, God started placing into my mind and heart the idea for starting Solid Rock Children’s Ranch.”
The Future
In February, 2016, Judy met with Sunrise to discuss her idea of Solid Rock Children’s Ranch. “I found out I needed to really give all of the farm for it to be enough for Sunrise financially to take the risk,” Judy said. “That was the hardest part, but then I went on and did that.”
Although Judy does not know when the Solid Rock Children’s Ranch will be realized, she does have a clear idea of what she wants it to be and what she wants it to look like. “It’s going to be like a regular home. A set of foster parents are going to have kids there,” explained Judy. “We’re going to focus on sibling groups.” She also wants the kids living there to experience the country. “It’s just a lot of land to do things on,” she said. I envision down the road that this could be a place where we could bring other foster kids to have some fun.”
Above all, Judy wants Solid Rock to make a difference in kids’ lives. She knows of only one way this can happen. “You can put the kids in homes and try to help them, even with drug rehabs,” stated Judy. “But it takes God to be the permanent change.”
And about that property along Kentucky Route 15 . . .
According to Dr. Todd Rader, pastor of Ephesus Baptist Church in Winchester, the property that Judy’s dad would point to each time he would drive on Kentucky 15 was owned by John Nelson Bush. John Bush was a bachelor, had no children, and was a life-long member of Ephesus Baptist Church. In 1931, he wrote in his will that his property of more than 600 acres in Winchester would be donated, upon his death, to the Boones Creek Baptist Association and the Friendship Association for the purpose of constructing an orphanage.
Dr. Todd Rader (left) shares with Sunrise Associate Director of Communications David Lyninger.
In May of 1936, there was a groundbreaking ceremony on the property. The next month, the cornerstone was laid. But less than two weeks after the cornerstone was laid, John Bush died.
By the end of 1936, his will was contested by his sister and nephew. In 1938, children were moved into John Bush’s former home, and the orphanage was begun. But just a year later, the sister was awarded all of her brother’s property, and the orphanage soon closed.
“Having the story of Judy and her father passing the property, and seeing the impact of Mr. Bush’s dream still inspire and birth this dream in Judy – even though his dream did not happen in his lifetime where he wanted to – is just a reminder to me that God’s will is always accomplished,” shared Pastor Todd. “It may not be in the time or the way that we would prefer, but God’s will is always accomplished.”
