Frequently Asked Questions

What's your family's history?
Who can vouch for you?
Why do you feel the need to create homes for children?
Why Brown County?
Who are the kid's you will care for?
How long will the children stay and how will their parents be involved?
Are there similar places to New Song?
What will the homes and families be like?
Will the children be well supervised? What are the house parent qualifications?
How did you develop the master site plan?
What will the property look like from the road?
How will the kids be educated?
Will the local Brown County communities be involved?
How will the ministry impact Brown County?
Will the kids be involved in the local community?
Will there be accountability?
What is the religious background of those involved in the organization?
How are you financed?
Will the land development damage the natural environment?
Do you have a list of model organizations?

What’s your family’s background?
Lisa and I began dating in high school during our junior year at Fort Wayne South Side High and have been married for 19 years.
We have four happy, healthy boys. Our family lives in a nice neighborhood on the north side of Columbus and attends a good
sized, friendly church called Berean Bible Church. I practiced law in Warsaw and Columbia City in northeastern Indiana as a
deputy prosecuting attorney and a civil attorney, representing clients in a variety of legal matters. Before moving to Columbus in
2003, I was a senior administrator for five years at one of the oldest and largest children’s homes in Indiana, White’s
Residential and Family Services. My wife, Lisa, is a wonderful woman, a great wife and a fantastic mom. She has a masters
degree in social work, is a licensed clinical social worker, has counseled children and adults in private practice, and worked for
seven years in the public school system before becoming an at-home mom.

Our boys are all involved in 4H and have always played summer baseball from T-ball on up. They are very energetic and polite
kids. Our two younger boys, 13 year-old James and 11 year-old Thomas love fishing and wildlife and are anxious to begin hunting
after having archery lessons last fall. They can outsmart both of us on the facts about most critters and bugs. Fifteen year-old
Scott is a bookworm and plays the piano. He also loves to draw and has created his own cartoon strip. Nathan is 17, loves
tractors and big machines in general. Recently he began racing his bicycle in BMX races. He’s a big boy with a huge heart. Our
children are the joy of our lives.

Who can vouch for you?
Living in south-central Indiana for the past two years, I’ve gotten to know a number of good folks from the region. In Brown
County, Sheriff Buck Stoggsdill, long-time general contractor, Lee Waltman, and Pastor Gary Williamson come to mind. Other
folks from the greater south-central Indiana area include Mr. Brady Hansel, an accountant from Indianapolis, and steve Schultz, an attorney from Columbus. Some, like Director Payne, have joined in the leadership of our organization, either as
Advisory Council members or Board members. We also have nearly forty wonderful pastors from six different denominations in the area who have endorsed
the ministry. Folks who I have known a good deal longer include Mr. Dee Gibson, who is the Executive Director of White’s
Residential and Family Services and my former supervisor, Tim Manges, who is the City Attorney of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I
grew up, and Mr. Dan Hampton, who is the Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney from Warsaw, Indiana. All of our leaders, as well
as our endorsing pastors, can be checked out under the “Leadership Team” and “Endorsing Pastors” sections of this web
page.

Why do you feel the need to create homes for children?
Lisa and I have been personally and professionally involved in the lives of hurting children and their families for more than 18
years. During this time we’ve served in the child welfare system, the courts, on our community’s Child Protection Team, in the
schools, and in the administration of a large children’s home (White’s). We were county foster parents for the Office of Family
and Children in Whitley and Kosciusko Counties for seven years. These experiences gave us an understanding of the pain that
children are experiencing because of abuse and neglect. Most abused kids feel unlovable, unworthy, and incapable. They feel
helpless and hopeless and believe that they have no future.

Some of the hurting kids we’ll help are headed for placement in the child welfare system—a system that is financially strapped
and which needs the help of private non-profit organizations. We’ll work with courts, providing judges and child welfare officials
with an alternative to offer parents. Other children who need care are not involved in the system, but their situations are no less
tragic. These are kids who are living in situations where their parents are incapable of raising their kids due to drug addiction or
other series issues. We’ll offer parents an option of hope for their kids.

Why Brown County?
There are children in Brown County and the surrounding communities who need help. There are no foster care communities in
the six counties surrounding Brown County that have a warm, friendly, neighborhood setting like we envision. Abuse and neglect
rates in these counties remain high, and the serious methamphetamine use among parents in these communities is creating
very dangerous situations for their children. South-central Indiana kids need help, and we hope to provide them loving and
affirming homes.

The amazing landscape and natural beauty of Brown County makes it a wonderful place to raise children. The peaceful setting
is an ideal place for hurting kids to experience the healing power of nature, and the rugged terrain allows them to have exciting
adventures in their own back yard.

With the beautiful landscape, it’s easy to picture kids playing in the hills, hollers, creeks and woods, or fishing in the large pond
that we’ll put in, or riding horses in the woods. The environment fits kids like a good pair of sneakers.

We also think that Brown County is the right place for the ministry because of all of the creative, artistic folks in the community.
It’s incredibly fun and therapeutic for kids to work with their hands, learning how to spin a pottery wheel or making something
special out of wood. We’ll invite local artists to come out as volunteers and teach the children. Through sharing their talents they
may help heal a child.

Who are the kids that you’ll care for?
All of the families that we’ll serve will come to us voluntarily. The children will be Indiana kids, most from the southern half of the
state. The majority of the parents who place their kids with us will have had some dealings with courts for mistreating their kids.
Some of the parents will be facing the removal of their kids from their homes by the courts. We would give these parents and
court officials another option for the kids. The parents will probably think of us as more of a boarding school that provides an
excellent education, rather than a “children’s home”. Once in a while we might also receive a child directly from the state in
cases where the child has no parents because of abandonment or because their parents’ rights have been terminated by the
courts. If that child fits the criteria we’ve established and has no one else to care for her, we want to help. Otherwise, we won’t
take kids placed by the courts.

The kids will come to us mostly between the ages of 2nd to 6th grade; however, if a sibling group comes, I could see some kids coming
who are younger. We generally won’t accept kids who are older than 13. We won’t take in kids who are violent or kids who have
histories of sexual misconduct. These kids just won’t fit the environment that we’ll be providing. The kids that we’ll serve will just
be kids; hurting kids, but still just kids. Through the help of similar non-profit organizations, we’ve developed a thorough, five
phase admissions process that we’ll use with each family.

Here’s the typical profile of the children that we’ll care for:

         Typical Child Profile

                      Children will come to New Song while between the ages of 2nd to 6th grade. They will be:

How long will the children stay and how will their parents be involved?
Children will come to New Song while ages 8-13 and will be offered care and guidance until high school graduation, with their
parent’s permission. We hope to provide such a great environment for the kids that their parents will want them to stay until
graduation. We also hope that the kids have such good, affirming, successful experiences that they’ll feel at home and want to
remain with us until they complete high school. We’ll ask parents to place their kids for a minimum of two years. Some of the
kids will return home before high school graduation at the request of their parents, and because of this, we must always be
preparing children for a possible transition back home. We’ll encourage parents to maintain a good relationship with their kids
while they are in our care through phone calls, letters, and home visits, when appropriate.

Are there similar places to New Song?
There are many highly successful, similar places throughout the country; attached is a list of a few of these. Lisa and I have
traveled to children’s homes in Oklahoma, Virginia and Tennessee, spending 2-3 days during each visit. We’ve also talked a
great deal with founders and administrators over the phone who have similar ministries in Arizona, Alabama, Michigan,
Missouri, Georgia, and Florida. Many of these organizations have been around for 20-50 years. They’re all privately funded and
don’t take kids from the courts. They also educate the kids on site, mainly because many of the kids are academically behind
and in need of more individual help with their school work. Below is a list of Model Organizations that are similar in their vision.
We’ve either visited or have been in contact with a number of these children’s homes, which have saved the lives of thousands of
children over the years.

What will the homes and families be like?
Designed by Nashville resident and architect, Dave Kreie, the homes will be beautiful, country-style homes with big front
porches. Up to 6 kids will live in each home, with full-time house moms and dads caring for them. Some of the house parents
might also have a couple of kids of their own. A recent college graduate with an education degree will also live in each home
serving as a “big brother/big sister” mentor in the homes and a teacher in the school.

Will the children be well supervised? What are the house parents' qualifications?
The supervision of the children is obviously very important to us, for the safety of the kids. Generally, there will be one adult for
every two children in our care. Like normal families, the house moms and dads will be directly responsible for taking care of the
kids and watching over them. The house parents will have the added benefit of having a college-aged mentor living in the
homes. The longer kids are with us and the better we get to know them, they’ll naturally gain trust and have more freedom to
play in the woods, go fishing alone or take a horse for a ride. There will be a high degree of supervision, much more than is
usual with kids.

House moms and dads will be the heart of the ministry. Before they are hired, house parents will undergo an extensive
application process, including background checks, reference checks, and personal interviews. They will have to show that they
are naturally gentle and loving people, that they have a high degree of patience, and that they can provide the structure that kids
need. Some will be college educated, while others will have had great life experiences—all of them will be very sharp people.
Each of our moms and dads will have to show that they have been successful in mentoring kids in the past; either their own
children or those of others. In addition, they will receive specialized foster parent training before they begin caring for kids, and
ongoing training thereafter.

How did you develop the master site plan?
All of the people who are involved in creating the master site plan are experts who have volunteered a great deal of time. These
folks, civil engineers, architects, surveyors, landscapers, and builders—about ten in all—have donated a few hundred hours of
their combined time toward creating the site layout and the home design. A few of them are from Brown County.

The master site plan was created for kids and families. We tried to think of what would make for a happy, healthy, exciting
environment for children, and considered this throughout the site planning process. In fact, I interviewed a group of 15-20 young
teens last fall and got their input. It was a great process and they had some very good ideas. The kids responded really well to
having animals such as horses and miniature goats to take care of. They also liked the thought of kids being raised in a natural, beautiful environment.

What will the property look like from the road?
As kids enter into the neighborhood for the very first time, they need to see a beautiful, warm and friendly place, so having a
pretty entryway to the property is very important to us. The new asphalt drive will wind its way right in the middle of the 20 acres of
road frontage. We’ll put an apple orchard to the south of the new drive, and think that it will look nice to our neighbors and those
who drive past. We may need a small retaining wall where our new road enters onto the county road, and we would use some
of the native brownstone to hold back the dirt. We’ll also use split rail fencing along the road. The entry way will look very natural
and welcoming.

How will the kids be educated?
Kids will be educated in our multi-purpose educational center by qualified, teachers, most of whom live at New Song. The
teachers will be recent college graduates with teaching degrees who agree to serve for 1-2 years. In addition, some of the
house moms and dads will also have backgrounds as teachers. We hope to have our educational team work in cooperation
with the local school system, and have already met with leaders in teh school systeml. Teachers will follow
Indiana state standards for Math, Language Arts and Science classes, using our state’s Scope and Sequence. In addition, we
will offer courses in the arts, drawing on some of Brown County’s creative residents to teach the kids painting, pottery,
woodworking, and music. For older students, we’ll incorporate into the curriculum vocational classes such as light construction
trades and desktop publishing.

Will the local Brown County community be involved?
It is already. A few Brown County folks have helped in the designing of the neighborhood. We’ve also gotten good feedback and
ideas from local officials and business owners. Eight Brown County pastors have given us feedback and advice, and they’ve
endorsed what we’re trying to do. Our family has attended several of the churches in Brown County, some more than once. The
people in the churches that we’ve talked with are very supportive. We continue to grow new friendships in Brown County nearly
every week. Once we start building, I hope that a number of folks from the community will come out and help us develop the
neighborhood, even building the homes. When we receive our first children, we’ll ask folks from the area to come out and
volunteer, teaching pottery, painting, woodworking, music and cross-stiching, or as teacher’s aids. Some may come once in a
while and help with yard work or house repairs.

How will the ministry impact Brown County?
Our first priority will be to provide care to the needy children of Brown County. Over the years, we’ll give many Brown County kids
a second chance at childhood. The kids will receive the love and attention and affirmation that they’ve not had before. This will be
great for the kids, and also for the community.

From a financial standpoint, property taxes on the 103 acres under the reassessment will be about $1,000 per year. While the
county would lose these funds because of our non-profit educational and religious status, the potential savings to the county
that New Song will provide is substantial. If one child comes to New Song who would otherwise be placed by the Brown County
Division of Family and Children in a similar residential community, the county would save a minimum of $43,000 over a year’s
time; or, if a child would otherwise go into a foster home, the savings would be between $10,000-$18,000 per year.

In addition, building nine homes and a multi-purpose center will mean that we have to hire builders and subcontractors. (We’ll
also use skilled volunteers, but many of the folks will need to be hired.) We understand that there are several qualified
individuals and companies in Brown County and believe that we’ll be using some of these folks during the construction phases.
We’ll also look first to Brown County businesses when purchasing equipment and supplies over the years.

Will the kids be involved in the local community?
We’ll have the kids involved in things like 4H, Little League baseball, and the local soccer leagues. Older kids will also help out
in the community with Habitat for Humanity or by helping elderly neighbors with yard work. On Sundays, families will choose
their own church to attend in Brown County or in one of the surrounding communities. Interaction with the community is very
important and healthy for kids because it helps them grow and mature.

Will there be accountability?
House moms and dads and others who are involved with the children will be held accountable by myself, as New Song’s
Executive Director. My family will live on campus and will care for at least a couple of the kids ourselves. Our board of directors
is also responsible for managing the ministry, and I am accountable to and evaluated by the board.. We’ll be growing the board to 7-9 people, hopefully by the end of the year. New Song ministry workers will also be
accountable to an Advisory Council of business leaders and community leaders. There are currently 14 on the Council, and we
plan to grow it to 30-40 people in the near future. And again, with the volunteers who come in to help teach the kids or assist in
the upkeep of the neighborhood, we’ll be an open community.

The organization itself will be held accountable through outside agencies. We’ll be pursuing a state license as foster homes,
group homes, a children’s residential community or as a school. There are other associations or accreditation options such as
“COA” (Council on Accreditation) that we’ll also be looking at. The local Health Department will provide guidelines and perhaps
inspections from time to time regarding sanitation, food preparation, etc.

What is the religious background of those involved in the organization?
New Song is administered by a board of directors and advisory council. Thirty pastors from six denominations and nearly 20
independent churches have endorsed the New Song vision and leadership; from Baptists to Catholics, and from the Christian
Churches to the Nazarenes. We think its wonderful that folks are laying aside denominational barriers to unite over the cause of
helping the weak and vulnerable.

How are you financed?
Funding currently comes from individuals and churches, and foundations, as well as in-kind donations from businesses. As a 501©(3) organization, all donations are tax deductible. We have 30 endorsing pastors now and 900 folks
connected with us: some of these churches and friends are already giving. Our financial books will be independently
audited by a reputable accounting firm, and we have three CPA’s on our Advisory Council.

Will land development damage the natural environment?
The beauty of the landscape and the wildlife is what first attracted us to Brown County. When our boys explore the 103 acres, I
can’t keep them out of the creek; they’re busy exploring—looking for crawdads and other critters. Lisa and I want to preserve the
natural setting and the wildlife and we’ll be able to build with a minimal impact on nature and wildlife. We’ll keep all of the woods
that we can, and all of the trees that are healthy and mature. We've walked the property with a biologist and two other
representatives of the Indiana DNR who has assured us that the neighborhood will have no negative impact on the wildlife and
environment.

Thanks for reviewing this material, and for considering the pain that children are in and the hope that can be offered.

Do you have a list of model organizations?
Listed below are successful model organizations, most of which we have either been in contact with or visited.  

Shiloh Christian Children's Ranch
Box 606
Shelbina, MO 63468
(573) 588-2191
www.shilohranch.org

Eagle Ranch
PO Box 7200
Chestnut Mountain, GA 30502
770-967-8500
www.eagleranch.org

Promise Village
P.O. Box 210
Davisburg, MI 48350
248-328-2445
www.promisevillage.com

Big Oak Boy's Ranch
250 Jake Mintz Road
Gadsden, AL 35905
Ph (256) 892-0773
Fx (256) 892-2488
www.bigoak.org

Cookson Hills Christian Ministries
Rt. 3 Box 200 Kansas, OK 74347
Phone: (918) 597-2192
Fax (918) 597-2200
www.cooksonhills.org

Bethel Bible Village Children's Home
3001 Hamill Road
PO Box 729
Hixson, TN 37343
423.842.5757
www.bvv.org

Mercy Ministries
PO Box 111060
Nashville, TN 37222-1060
(615) 831-6987
www.mercyministries.com

Mountain Mission School
1 Hurley Steet
Grundy, Virginia 24614
276-935-2954
www.mtmission.org

Sunshine Acres
3405 N. Higley Rd.
Mesa, AZ
85215-9741
480-832-2540
www.sunshineacres.org

Wears Valley Ranch
3601 Lyon Springs Road
Sevierville, TN 37862
Phone: (865) 429-KIDS
Fax: (865) 429-2104
www.wvr.org

Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes, Inc.
P.O. Box 2206,
Brentwood, TN 37024
1-800-624-8591
www.tbch4kids.org

Watersprings Ranch
7707 Sanderson Lane
Texarkana, Arkansas 71854
870-772-7187
www.watersprings.com