About Us

About Us:

Bethesda Boys Ranch, Inc. (BBR) was started in October 1966 by Rev. Ben and Margie Toops as a way to minister to young boys who needed a place for guidance in all areas of life. They took in their first boy into their own home with their own sons to begin, as time passed the needs grew and the need for more beds grew too. Many locations for land were sought after and prayed over, ultimately, 160 acres in a small Oklahoma town named Mounds was the final agreed location. Building soon began with help from church donations and individual support. Over time, many boys would go through the nine-month program, each one leaving with their lives being impacted with the experience from BBR. The most important impact for the young boy to leave with was their relationship with God. BBR turned its focus to young adults in 2000. With the change in age of the young men so came a change for the program’s name. Bethesda Adult Life Training Center (BALTC) began accepting young men between the ages of 18-25 years of age. Our focus has never changed on how we can benefit the person only the age that we can reach them.

Bethesda Missionary Society (BMS) has been and still is very active in foreign missions. There are active missions in Morant Bay, Jamaica; Esperanza, Belize; Peten, Guatemala; Kukurantumi, Ghana; Curaçao; and Belarus. The Great Commission to “Go into all the World and Preach the Gospel,” is a major motivation to reach the lost at any cost. Rev. Toops would teach often on Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This Scripture was not just a memory verse but a daily example lived out in front of everyone to watch how God supplied the everyday needs. Rev. Ben Toops passed on this amazing faith to the staff and residents before he left this world in August 1997. As long as God allows, the focus and goal for BBR and BMS is to reach out to that lost boy, teach them of God’s love for him, and help equip him for the next phase of his life.