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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Building on faith: Dozens of workers come from across the South to help fellow Christians

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photo Members of Builders for Christ continue construction on two new barn-shaped cabins at the ministry based Tennessee Guest Ranch in Dunlap, Tenn., on Wednesday.
photo Bryce Young rides Domingo as his mother Tammy Young leads a worship service for members of Builders for Christ before they continue construction on two new barn-shaped cabins at the ministry based Tennessee Guest Ranch in Dunlap, Tenn.

GUEST RANCHWhat: The Tennessee Guest Ranch consists of a 7,000-square-foot home, a sweeping barn and stables. The Christian ministry operates a small boarding school on site and supports mission programs like a pair of orphanages in Honduras.Where: Sequatchie ValleyFor more information: www.tnhorsevacation.com.

BUILDERS FOR CHRISTThe volunteer crew is made up of plumbers, electricians and just plain old helping hands. The group consists of helpers from across the South who usually gather in the first week of June. They generally stay at a site for about a week, working to complete most of the framing, electrical work and plumbing.There are dozens of similar groups across the country, some even of the same name.

DUNLAP, Tenn. – It felt like an Amish barn-raising.

Dozens of men massed deep in the Sequatchie Valley to swing hammers, lay pipe and praise God. The Mississippi-based group Builders for Christ is spending this week at the Tennessee Guest Ranch, a Christian ministry and boarding school northwest of Dunlap.

Early Wednesday, before the morning fog had lifted, men in church T-shirts and dirty jeans stood in a dusty wooden horse pen to hear the Word. Then it was on to doing what they came for: building for Christ.