Bethel Bible Village has had a big influence on Chattanooga native Allen Green, both when he was young and today.
"Sometimes I drive by to see it ... to see my old room," Green said. "It's still that serious for me."
Bethel is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024, and President and CEO Rosalind Connor said several celebratory events are planned, including the Country Connection on April 25 and the Bethel Golf Classic on April 26. The Superheroes Run for Hope is set for September and will feature a special 70th birthday party to celebrate with the community.
"There will be lots of celebrating all year long," Connor said.
Green spent several years at Bethel Bible Village in Hixson and said while it was scary at first, the overall experience changed his life.
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Bethel's mission is to provide Christ-centered homes and education for children, equipping and inspiring them to fulfill God's plan for their lives, according to the Bethel website.
Connor said teachers, staff, house parents and volunteers are there to help children succeed.
"Every person who works at Bethel feels the kids come first," she said.
Green went to live at Bethel in his mid-teens, and in the beginning, he did not want to talk to the social workers or staff, but eventually, his house parents were able to make him comfortable, and he opened up.
"I had people to help me feel at ease," Green said. "They poured on to me like I was theirs."
Green said years later, he has made a point to return several times and give back to a place that shaped him.
"I can't turn away and forget," he said.
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According to a news release, Bethel Bible School was founded in 1954 on Signal Mountain when prison evangelist Floyd Hipp and his wife took in six homeless brothers as the boys' father was incarcerated and their mother was in a mental institution. Just two years later, the news of a fire at Bethel raised awareness of the work that was being done in the ministry.
As the community learned more, the need for children to be housed and cared for grew.
In 1969, the name of the ministry was changed to Bethel Bible Village, and it moved to its current location on a 50-acre campus in Hixson. While it previously housed children placed in state custody, that changed in the early 2000s after a settlement on a class action lawsuit targeting group homes eliminated its public funding.
Bethel Bible Village began to seek private funding to serve youth placed directly into its temporary care by parents and legal guardians, and today it reports receiving no government funding.
Bethel serves children ages 11-17 from a variety of backgrounds who have experienced trauma or adversity in their life.
According to its website, the Bethel campus includes residential homes, recreational facilities and Bethel Christian Academy, a fully accredited middle and high school. The academy offers a trauma-informed environment for students in a small classroom setting.
The Country Connection will start at 6 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.) April 25 at the Chattanooga Convention Center and will feature a night of food, music and fun hosted by Kelley Lovelace. The program will include a live auction and songs by Lovelace and friends. Individual tickets are $150. A table of eight is $1,300.
As a songwriter, Lovelace has had several songs recorded by top country artists, including 21 Top 10 Billboard hits, according to Bethel.
To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/BethelCC24.
The Bethel Golf Classic is two tournaments in one, with shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. April 26 at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay. The cost is $325 per player or $1,300 per team. Register at bit.ly/BethelGolf.
The Run for Hope will be Sept. 21 on the Bethel Campus.
For more information on any of those events, call Jeff Lewis at 423-362-4618 or Erica Martin at 423-362-4615.
Staff Writer Andrew Schwartz contributed to this story