Oil patch preacher bringing ‘great turn-around’

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
 
Join Ron Evitt, a “Preacher in the Patch, oil patch that is,” at 7 p.m. April 15-18 at the Weston County Event Center  for free, fun-filled evenings of music, laughter and an encouraging message of “a certain hope in times of uncertain times.” 
Music will be provided by Heather Peterson and the Alliance Band, Riley Dakota and the Sweet Crude Band and Rexella Daisy, as well as Christian singer and comedian Tim Lovelace from Nashville, Tennessee. According to event director Cody Roland, each band “has a little bit of different sound,” to provide variety to the program, and Evitt will incorporate skits and sound effects to his message to “bring it to life.” Locals will also be performing skits a few times over the four-day weekend. When the program concludes at 9 p.m., guests are invited to partake of refreshments provided by local churches. 
“It’s a different program every night,” Evitt said. 
The theme for this year’s program is “it’s time for a great turn around.” The titles of Evitt’s four messages are “It only takes a little and you’ll be just fine,” “If I had only seen it with my eyes (the power of blessing),” “Three minutes before three” and “The war banner — in times of trouble.” 
“Every night is talking about a great turnaround. Each night is a great turnaround,” Evitt said. “We’re all about really encouraging people. … I am tired of seeing people live a sad life. There’s no reason for it. God is so good; we just don’t trust him.” 
With all of the downcast spirits due to COVID-19 and the election results, regardless of which side of the fence people sit on, Evitt said, he wanted people to laugh and smile again. He has also held an annual event in North Dakota that usually hosts 400 people, but that number was doubled this year. 
“We’re thinking that people are ready to get out of the house … and see something positive,” Evitt said. 
Preacher in the Patch has visited Newcastle in previous years and was scheduled to come last year until the pandemic shut everything down.  
“Ron just loves the Newcastle community,” Roland said. “The community of Newcastle has been awesome to work with.” 
This is the 82nd Preacher in the Patch event in 21 years, and as a graduate of the University of Wyoming in petroleum engineering, Evitt said he loves coming to Wyoming and the Newcastle area specifically. His uncle Norm French used to own and operate KASL radio nearly 50 years ago, and Evitt remembers helping out at the station as a young boy. His brother Russell coined the phrase “if you listen once, we gotcha” to encourage people to tune in.
Evitt tried to have oil field Bible studies, but he said that if anyone knows anything about the oil field culture, the Bible and oil fields don’t often go together. He decided that instead of waiting for them to join his study, he would bring the study to them. 
And that’s when Preacher in the Patch was born. The idea started during Evitt’s prison ministry in North Dakota, which he has done since 1988 when he felt called to radio ministry. 
“I just felt the Lord wanted me to go on the radio,” he said.
He began doing 90-second radio advertisements delivering a short message of hope, which he  continues to this day, and eventually turned it into a gospel crusade event because he wanted to meet the people he was speaking to. Evitt wants people to know that God is there to help them through life’s trials and storms. He has seen that message of hope turn people who were formerly suicidal or addicted to drugs and alcohol into people serving the Lord, he said. 
“I have seen the greatest turnarounds,” Evitt said. 
Roland said he became a Christian 13 years ago at a Campus Crusade event, similar to Preacher in the Patch, and got involved with youth ministry, having a heart to serve communities and “the Lord first and foremost.” It was at one of these youth events where he met the Evitt family, and he joined the team in November of last year. Roland said he appreciates the heart behind the program, as well as Evitt’s love for God and people. 
The event is free, and while masks and hand sanitizer will be provided, they are not required. If anyone is interested in knowing more about the program, visit the Facebook page and website preacherinthepatch.com or stop by the fairgrounds at 7 p.m. April 15-18 to see it for yourself. 
“I’m just looking for someone who wants a great turnaround,” Evitt said. “God can do it.”