BATESVILLE — Imagine buying a 2010 Ford truck for only $10 and getting a dinner out of the deal to boot. That could be a possibility at this year’s John 3:16 Ministries’ fifth annual Unity Fest at Batesville’s Riverside Park on Saturday, May 29.
With each $10 ticket, participants not only get a fish or chicken dinner with all the trimmings and entertainment, but they also have an opportunity to win one of three prizes, which include a 2010 Ford Ranger, a Bad Boy Mower MZ series, or a 46-inch Sanyo high-definition television. Prizes are made possible by Mark Martin Ford, First Community Bank, Citizens Bank, Bad Boy Mowers, Walmart and John 3:16 Ministries, which helps men with drug and alcohol addictions become productive citizens.
The individual or business that sells the most tickets to Unity Fest will win a 2003 Honda Rubicon 500 CC all-terrain vehicle, donated by Independence County Offroad.
John 3:16 founder Bryan Tuggle expects about 6,000 people to attend Unity Fest this year, whichis 2,000 more than last year. This is the ministry’s main fundraiser, and this year, Tuggle said, the ministry plans to add six more rooms to Unity House, a halfway house for the men at the ministry. There is no government support for the ministry, which is run by money generated either by the men who are residents or by donations.
“Everybody knows somebody who has an alcohol or drug problem,” Tuggle said.
In 2002, Tuggle and his wife, Beverly, purchased 32 acres in Charlotte that were once used as a shelter for Vietnam veterans. Even though the structures were not sound and the Tuggles had little money, they made do with what they had and opened the doors of John 3:16 to its first man on May 3, 2002.
“We started with one guy and went to five before we had our grand opening,” Tuggle said. “It’s like the ark; if you build it, they’ll come.”
To date, the ministry has graduated more than 200 men and is filled to capacity with 60 at any given time. John 3:16 Ministries is a six-month to one-year residential facility for men 21 and older who seek help in overcoming their addictions.
“When they first arrive, they have no will to live; they are like a wilted flower,” Beverly said. “Then they begin to get life breathed into them through the word of God, and they spring up and begin to bloom again.”
Tuggle often gets the question, “How much does it cost?”
His answer: Jesus Christ has paid their price.
There is no monetary cost for men to come to John 3:16; however, they are expected to work, but the ministry allows them to keep what they earn in their jobs within the community. Tuggle said it is the only addiction facility in Arkansas that doesn’t charge those who come for help. The ministry is primarily funded through donations and fundraising events.
“We have no government support at all,” Tuggle said. “It costs $33 per man per day to stay here.”
Tuggle asks each man to bring only a Bible, an alarm clock, a fishing pole and the willingness to change.
With 60 men at the ministry at one time, the 32-acre compound has expanded to 82 acres with cabins, dorms and a halfway house. Each dorm accommodates up to 12 men. Tuggle said the plan is to build a dorm for each of the 75 counties in Arkansas.
Unity Fest will begin with an opening prayer at 3 p.m., then Jesse and Gina Burns, Rickey and Vicki Dale and the John 3:16 Praise Team will entertain the crowd before the pie auction begins at 4 p.m. with Mooney Starr as auctioneer. Dinner will be served at 5.
Speakers will begin at 6 p.m. and include Don McSpadden, 16th Judicial District prosecuting attorney; Rick Elumbaugh, Batesville mayor; Bill Hicks, Independence County judge; Keith Bowers, former Independence County sheriff; and Thomas Baxter and Brenda Bullard, Walmart representatives.
There will be a break to draw for the television set before the next set of speakers step up to the microphone. Those speakers include state Rep. James McClean, D-Batesville; state Sens. David Wyatt, D-Batesville, and Paul Miller, D-Melbourne; U.S. Congressman Marion Berry, D-Ark.; and Robert Foster and Phil Pulley, owners of Bad Boy Mowers.
After a break during which the Bad Boy Mower will be given away, Gov. Mike Beebe, Dale Cole, Alan Bufford and Lance Landers will speak.
Prior to the entertainment by Norman Wilhite, Craig Keller and the Martins at 7:10 p.m., the Ford Ranger will be given away.
Three Rivers, Pages 57 on 05/06/2010