Renewal Ranch to stage Christmas at the Mansion

Don Bingham, administrator for the Governor’s Mansion, shows off some of the decorations that will transform the Great Hall into a Christmas cathedral. The mansion is the setting for Renewal Ranch’s fundraising Christmas dinner Friday
Don Bingham, administrator for the Governor’s Mansion, shows off some of the decorations that will transform the Great Hall into a Christmas cathedral. The mansion is the setting for Renewal Ranch’s fundraising Christmas dinner Friday

For most people, one job is enough to juggle. Don Bingham has three.

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Don Bingham devotes much of his time and energy to Renewal Ranch, mentoring men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. The Governor’s Mansion, where Bingham is administrator, is hosting the “Christmas at the Mansion” fundraising dinner for the ranch on Friday.

He's the administrator at the Governor's Mansion, as well as worship pastor at Family Life Bible Church in Conway. But his role as mentor, teacher, fundraiser and board member at Renewal Ranch could be the most important.

"It's only one of three jobs I do, but it's one that has my heart," he says.

Renewal Ranch, which is in Perry County near Conway, is a faith-based, 12-month program for men of every age, education level, class and race. The thing they have in common is their addiction to drugs and alcohol.

The program is approved for state prison re-entry programs, and many of their clients come straight from the prison system. In its five years of operation, 165 men have graduated from the program.

All clients are carefully screened and interviewed, and, to qualify they have to genuinely want to be helped. "If they don't want help bad enough, it's not going to take," Bingham says. "It's not going to work."

The focus of the program is on re-entry, on building the men's self-esteem and giving them the tools and support they need to resist temptation, reunite with their families and reach their full potential. "They come in bedraggled. Some don't even have teeth. The drugs have destroyed their ability to think and rationalize and put two sentences together."

In the course of the program, though, "Their countenance changes. Their life changes. The smile comes back. The goals come back. These family units see an entirely different individual than before going into the Renewal Ranch program."

Bingham first got involved with Renewal Ranch five years ago, through yet another one of his jobs. He also happens to be a chef, and he was asked to cook the meal for an organizational meeting. He was intrigued and began to attend the ranch's Saturday chapel services, where the men give testimony, worship together and spend time with their visiting family members.

"I began to meld into that chapel, just hiding and watching, listening, observing."

Bingham says he had no experience or background with addiction, and had never had much interest in the issue. "But when I became aware of the change that can be in these men's lives, it became a passion of mine to help."

He eventually began teaching classes at the ranch, then became a mentor. Now he's a board member and fundraiser.

He says, "It became a full-time occupation. It's a full-time volunteer job for any of us who work with it." It's a major commitment, particularly being a mentor. He explains that he has worked one-on-one with six residents so far, and those relationships are ongoing.

"You don't get through with them and move on. You get involved emotionally with them as you see them growing, small steps at a time, then blossoming into what realized potential they have as individuals."

While they're at the ranch, they work together on what they call a "Man Plan." That includes Scripture memorization, finances, setting goals for work, learning to serve the community and repairing family relationships.

As Bingham points out, addiction doesn't just affect the addict, but also the whole family, who spend time, money and energy and suffer through the disappointment and heartache. "It's really restoration of the whole family unit," he explains.

While he says it is a complete program with practical applications, he stresses that it is very much faith-based and religious training, prayer and Bible study are an integral part of the recovery process.

As residents enter what is known as Phase 2, they start to go back into the community, choosing a church home, finding housing and finding new jobs. Bingham says several former residents are actively involved in his church, and one of his full-time staff members at the Governor's Mansion is a former resident as well.

It's not necessarily a smooth transition for the men. After they spend months protected by the ranch and its programs, the old stresses and temptations can hit them full-force. But the ranch volunteers continue to offer their support and guidance.

Bingham says that he has bailed men out of jail, retrieved a former resident from a life on the streets, rushed an overdosing resident to the hospital and spent hours on the phone networking with family members to keep them in the loop.

"The beauty is to see that they get up," Bingham says. "They come back. They return."

To keep the ranch running and to expand its capacity while also spreading the word about its mission, the ranch is throwing a big Christmas celebration, Renewal Ranch Christmas at the Mansion. The ranch has had a Christmas party every year, but it started out as a simple gathering and fellowship before evolving into a fundraiser. In past years, Bingham says, "It's been more casual, Ozark Mountain, country."

This year's event will be held Friday in the Great Hall of the Governor's Mansion, where cathedral-inspired decor will create a very different ambience. It will still be a time for celebration and fellowship, with a buffet dinner, music, guest speakers and presentations by Renewal Ranch residents.

Guest speakers will be Steve Hutton, a professional golfer, founder of Man in the Mirror and a staff member for Promise Keepers, and Jennifer Smith, who is working to start a women's recovery ministry in north Arkansas.

Tickets are $100 each or sponsored tables of 10 for $1,500. Proceeds will go toward building a new 15,000-square-foot multipurpose facility that will provide more bed space, classrooms and an auditorium for chapel and events.

Christmas at the Mansion will be a chance for the community to see and experience the work the ranch does and also provide financial support for the future clients and families. And, Bingham points out, if anyone else is moved the way he was, new volunteers are always welcome.

Bingham remains an enthusiastic supporter and spokesman for a ministry that he calls "amazing," one that creates and encourages a total transformation in turning men from addicts into productive members of society.

"By the time they come out of it, they're ready to face the world again. New hope is there."

For information about Christmas at the Mansion or to make reservations, contact Bingham at (501) 475-8140 or Josh Kear at (318) 614-7413.

High Profile on 11/27/2016

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