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House to be raffled on Feb. 14
Published January 29, 2009
SEGUIN — Some people might think that debt-free living is nothing but a pipe dream.
But if they could buy a house for $100, they might change their tune pretty quickly.
That’s just the opportunity that the Genesis Christian Academy is presenting the first 3,600 people to purchase a ticket in their upcoming raffle, in which one person will end up the proud owner of a “custom two bedroom, two bath home in a quiet rural neighborhood in eastern Seguin, Texas.” The house is located at 332 Parkcreek Dr.
“We’ve heard stories about people who have had creative ideas to get around the fact that more and more people are realizing that debt-free living is the way to go,” said Gina Tillman-Young, Director and Pastor of Genesis Christian Church. “The first lament that people have about debt-free living is, ‘Well, I’m never going to be able to get a house — if I can’t get a bank mortgage, then how am I going to get a house?’ This is one of the answers to that.”
The one-story house, valued at $144,000 in 2007 will be given away at the drawing held on Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day.
While it’s a very novel approach to fundraising, Tillman-Young says that the folks at the Everything Jesus Ranch aren’t the originators of the trend.
“It happens that especially around the Corpus Christi and West Texas area, people are raffling houses, because it’s something that people in that area are excited about, and something that people support, so it’s working out very well,” Tillman-Young said. “That’s how we got the idea — it’s not an original idea at all — it’s something that’s going on all over the country now, and now it’s really picking up in Texas because Texas is a state where you have a lot of people who are self-employed and working independently and are being hit hard by the economy, especially young people who are just trying to get started.”
By law, entrants must be 18 years old and residents of either Guadalupe, Bexar, Comal, Hayes, Wilson, Caldwell, or Gonzales counties to be eligible to win the home, which is described as “contemporary,” is wheelchair accessible, and sits on a half-acre corner lot.
But for those who are able to participate in the raffle, $100 doesn’t just give them a shot at a new home, but also the opportunity to help support Christian education — specifically an organization that is struggling through these tough economic times.
“It is an excellent cause,” Tillman-Young said. “We, right now, are going through the hardest economic times that we have ever experienced in 20 years of ministering, but our resolve is to continue to be creative and get through. Every day we wake up and try to look for new ideas to try to keep this ministry going.”
The Genesis Christian Academy is a tuition-free K-12 institution located on a working ranch, which helps fund the school through the sale of organic foods and meats, raw milk, and other dairy products. More information about the school, the church, and the working dairy are available at www.moojesus.com .
Entry forms for the raffle are also available online — at www.house.genesischristianacademy.net — or can be picked up directly from the school, located at 12061 FM 466 in Seguin.
Proceeds from the raffle will help pay teacher salaries, buy books and also provide meals for the schoolchildren.
And although the school is wading through some very lean times, Tillman-Young says that the ministry’s resolve, like its faith, remains unshakable.
“We’re here, and we’re going to be here,” she said. “And we’re going to keep doing what we need to do in order to continue the ministry that God has given us.”
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