Operation 6:12 helps people heal
On Saturday, June 4, the main event of Operation 6:12's big fundraiser will be former NFL quarterback and keynote speaker Tim Tebow and his wife Demi-Leigh. Tebow, whose own foundation is geared toward children’s special needs ministries, orphan care, children’s medical needs and anti-human trafficking, will bring his blend of thoughts to the event.
If you take a drive south of New Bedford and hang a left off state Route 643, you’ll find yourself deep in the heavily wooded hills near Fresno. The road winds itself around for several miles until you see a complex of buildings that upon first sight looks out of the ordinary for the setting. Sturdy, square homes form a semi-circle with a main house off to the side and outbuildings scattered throughout the verdant green of the hills — a mystery worth looking into.
The complex was once the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed Research Facility and was built by the U.S. government in the 1930s. At the time there was severe soil erosion in the nation, and the Department of Agriculture in response set up the Soil Conservation Service. The federal government bought 1,047 acres of land in the Coshocton County spot to study and develop methods of water and soil conservation. It was a farm filled with workers from the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corp. The Civilian Public Service Agency, known as CPS, also provided workers during WWII.
It was used by the OARDC beginning in 1973, but research ended in 2011. In 2016 the federal government put the property up for sale.
That’s when the farm found a new purpose: Operation 6:12 had a home.
Paul Fehr, founder and director of Operation 6:12, had a life that by all accounts was a safe and warm one. But his journey took a detour through cocaine, meth and heavy addiction. After a stint in prison for selling narcotics, he knew he needed to turn his life around. He cried out to God for help and along the way discovered he held a heavy burden for others going through addiction and other oppressions.
“Seven years after prison, we started the organization,” Fehr said. “With community support and good friends helping, we have been doing well. God has been exceedingly good to my family.”
The farm was the perfect location for the faith-based vision Fehr had begun. He wanted to provide a place where people could heal and experience freedom. This meant there would be no cost to the individual or their insurance. Anyone who needed help and was seeking treatment could enter the facility free of cost. In return for this, the clients work for their keep, learning skills and discipline by polishing them into marketable abilities and a resume.
Operation 6:12 takes no government funding and is solely supported by the clients’ work, local churches and businesses.
David Hershberger, director of public relations, said there are 24 beds at the facility for men and 12 for women. It is a level-three residential facility. The men’s facility is located at the farm, and the women’s facility is in a different location. People come in from all over the country, mostly by word of mouth.
“It doesn’t cost a thing to come here. It’s a work program. They work an average of two weeks a month or every other week,” Hershberger said. “We do events and go all over. We’ve worked with disaster relief and do things at the Mt. Hope Event Center. Every night there are Bible studies with someone from the community. It’s a mix of all cultures from everywhere and all walks of life. They play music and eat food, and it’s wonderful.”
But the core of Operation 6:12 is about finding and healing what’s missing — the spiritual connection their clients need.
“People come here mostly for addiction, but we work with couples as well as families,” Hershberger said. “We have two counselors, one being a licensed counselor. We help people with all kinds of addictions, like porn or drug abuse, as well as physical abuse and mental issues. When couples come in, we separate the men and the women into different facilities, and we have nanny families that take care of the children.”
Hershberger said instead of putting the children into the system, the parents agree to have their children taken care of by nanny families or babysitters that care for them while the parents are getting the help they need. There are frequent visits between children and parents.
“You need to have a heart change before you can change your life,” Hershberger said. “We need functioning families to help show dysfunctional families how it can be.”
It can be a long process until people begin healing.
“We’re not an Amish ministry. I’m the only Amish person working here,” Hershberger said. “But that’s good because it gets people out of their comfort zone. We could have anyone here, from a Swartzentruber Amish person to the guy living under the bridge.”
Organizations like Operation 6:12 cannot operate on good faith alone. It takes money to build and grow an endeavor as big as this one. Last year in June, they held their first big fundraiser, snagging Jase Robertson as their keynote speaker.
Robertson, of “Duck Dynasty” fame, drew a crowd of nearly 1,300 people. He also has a podcast called “Unashamed,” which recorded podcast number 291 directly after speaking at the Operation 6:12 fundraiser last year. They couldn’t say enough good things about the event.
On Saturday, June 4, the main event of this year’s big fundraiser will be former NFL quarterback and keynote speaker Tim Tebow and his wife Demi-Leigh. Tebow, whose foundation is geared toward children’s special needs ministries, orphan care, children’s medical needs and anti-human trafficking, will bring his blend of thoughts to the Operation 6:12 fundraiser. Along with the main event, there will be live music and testimonies, as well as Byler’s BBQ and fireworks at dusk.
With Operation 6:12’s array of services available to anyone in need of them, its net is cast wide to receive those who seek it. The goal is helping clients reach their full potential, providing spiritual guidance along the way. The farm was originally built to study and develop methods of avoiding erosion. Its purpose now is building people up so they don’t erode from a cycle of addiction and pain. It’s come full circle.
Tickets are available online at www.operation612.com. Presale tickets are $70 for adults or $90 at the gate. Children age 2-12 are $20, and kids under age 2 are free. You also can purchase tickets through the mail. Send a check payable to Operation 6:12 to P.O. Box 763, Sugarcreek, OH 44681. Call Hershberger at 330-600-9733 for ticketing or other questions.
The event will be held at the Operation 6:12 location, 28850 state Route 621, Fresno.