“A fully restored life only comes through Jesus. Hopefully, we have a platform to point them to Christ the way the blind man came to Him.”
Bringing change doesn’t come without personal investment, though. Hadden knew the wellness center needed his full-time attention. Two years ago, the church plant got its own pastor. Hadden also eventually moved to an associate pastor role at Creator’s Fellowship as Chad Deible, one of the core team members who helps at the ranch, became pastor.
The first post-COVID pandemic mission team came in the early summer of 2021, but barely. A tribal council letter at first stated no camps could be held even as a group from Pleasant Grove Baptist in Owensboro, Ky., drove up.
Things settled in the group’s favor, though.
“We were able to have a great camp and a great summer,” said Hadden.
Roughly 700-800 volunteers are needed to conduct the camp throughout the summer, he said, with approximately 80 volunteers daily helping with the wellness ministry, camps and construction needs. Hadden’s sister, Raegan, serves as Čhankú Wašté Ranch’s lone full-time employee as wellness director.
In addition to serving as the ranch’s executive director and camp director, respectively, Hadden and his wife, Amanda, also provide foster care alongside raising their three children, ages 16,13 and 9.
As its name implies, Čhankú Wašté is on a good road. Hadden envisions adding ministries for pregnancy care and parenting, among others.
“We want to walk with people through many areas of their life,” he said.
This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.
