Project PATCH Ranch recently celebrated the completion of its new Maranatha Memorial Chapel. The Project PATCH Ranch is an Adventist-owned residential treatment program for troubled teens in Garden Valley, Idaho.

For many years Project PATCH staff had felt a growing need for a separate building designated specifically as a chapel, a place of solace and worship. During the summer of 2004, Ken Casper from the Sacramento-based Maranatha Volunteers International was at the PATCH Ranch wrapping up details of recently-completed projects. Maranatha had sent teams to work at PATCH for 12 summers.

Maranatha’s schedule was getting tighter, though, and Casper warned that if PATCH hoped to reserve volunteers during the summer of 2005, it would have to get the request in early.

“We really need a chapel,” responded Tom Sanford, PATCH’s executive director.

“Great,” Casper replied. “We’ll put it on the schedule. But, do you have the money for it?”

“No,” Sanford responded. “But that has always been the last of our worries. If God wants us to have it, then He’ll provide the money.”

Little did Sanford know that Casper already had a plan in mind. Casper, along with other volunteers, had made the chapel a matter of prayer. They contacted volunteers from past PATCH projects and other ministry friends. In November 2004, the fund-raising effort began. By May 2005, $100,000 had been raised—enough to build a chapel.

Volunteers in campers, motor homes and RVs began converging at the ranch the first week of June from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Nevada and Canada. On June 5, the group broke ground for the chapel. Four weeks later, the chapel was framed and roofed and plumbing and electrical roughed in. Commercial sheet rockers then spent a month installing the sheet rock. On Aug. 24, volunteers came back to finish the work.

The Sept. 10 dedication included special recognition of Dan and Margie Rotthoff, who gifted property to Project PATCH; to Ken and Joyce Casper, who were inspired by the vision of PATCH and headed all the Maranatha projects at the ranch; and to Maranatha Volunteers International for the many years of including PATCH in its schedule.

Maranatha President Don Noble and Laura, his wife, spoke at the dedication. “As Laura and I listened to the testimonies of the teenage girls at the dedication of the Maranatha Memorial Chapel, we were impacted by the importance of Project PATCH in changing these young lives,” said Don. “The new chapel is a physical reminder of the presence and power of God to change lives. As an organization, Maranatha Volunteers International is extremely proud of our volunteers who were involved in this project. They not only committed their time, but their money as well. The sacrifices of these volunteers have truly made a difference at Project PATCH.”