In a small Alabama town of 5,000, something incredible has been happening over the last 50 years. Big Oak Ranch‘s story begins in the early ‘70s with a pivotal decision made by John Croyle, a former defensive end for Bear Bryant at The University of Alabama.
Croyle was working at a camp one summer when he met a young boy from New Orleans. He quickly learned that the boy was in an unfortunate situation. With his mother working in prostitution, he had taken on much of her adult responsibilities. Something about the young man and his circumstances affected Croyle, and he decided to share with him the path to becoming a Christian.
The following year, the boy returned. He shared with Croyle the impact that Christ had made on his life in their time apart. Deeply moved and inspired by this development, Croyle felt called to dedicate his time to providing suffering children with the relief that is found in belonging to a faith-filled home. He decided it was time to give these hurting children a chance.
This passion became the foundation that built Big Oak Ranch. In the beginning, Croyle took in five boys at the Ranch, but their numbers quickly grew. What started as a small, but incredibly meaningful effort became something much bigger over time. At one point, over a decade after the first children were brought in, a situation arose that inspired further extension of the Ranch.
There was a local court case involving a preteen girl named Shelley who had suffered severe abuse of many kinds from her father. The Ranch insisted on bringing Shelley in, but the judge did not allow it. Instead, she was sent back to live with her parents. After a short three months, she was beaten to death by their hand. In honor of Shelley, The Big Oak Girls’ Ranch was established with the guiding verse, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Having served over two thousand children since its inception, the Ranch has a clear mission, “to meet the needs of abused, neglected, and abandoned children by giving them a solid, Christian home and a chance to realize and fulfill God’s plan for their lives.” What began as a home serving a handful of young men has grown to a ministry of immeasurable size and impact across the nation.
The ministry is built upon the principle of the Four Promises, which are made to every child upon their arrival at Big Oak Ranch:
Love—We love you.
Honesty—We will never lie to you.
Perseverance—We will stick with you until you are grown.
Discipline—There are boundaries.
They share, “In those four promises, each child finds love and emotional support. They find truth and honesty. They find security, and they find discipline. But mostly, they find hope and the chance to discover God’s true purpose for their lives.”
In celebration of Big Oak Ranch’s 50th anniversary, they will be premiering their documentary Four Promises | The Story of Big Oak Ranch at The Lyric Theatre this month.
In light of the last 50 years of incredible ministry at Big Oak Ranch, they have set forth their 50/50 Vision which will propel them into the next 50 years. Big Oak Ranch has established 4 boys’ homes and 11 girls’ homes and has helped more than 200 children from a dozen states in the last year.
“And we’re just getting started,” they share.
Courtesy of SoulGrown Alabama.
