Who are you and how did you come to know of Teamness?

We are Stephen and Cynthia Lee. We both grew up in Cookeville and met while still in high school. We’ve been married 22 years and have two teenage children, Caroline (17) and Andrew (15). We are both members of Cookeville Nazarene Church. We own and operate Blue Tractor Farm, LLC providing families in our community with locally grown farm goods. Additionally, Stephen is a civil engineer with a firm in Nashville and Cynthia ensures our home runs smoothly while also homeschooling Caroline and Andrew.  

We have always been passionate about sharing the resources God has allowed us to manage with others. In the fall of 2023, we were given the opportunity to host a children’s pastor and her husband while they searched for permanent housing after being called to serve at a church in our community. The pastor owned an RV so we quickly constructed an RV pad for them to stay on at our farm.  They stayed for about 8 months before purchasing their new home. Upon their departure, we began looking for other opportunities to use the space to host others. We had a brief conversation with friends of a family moving to Cookeville, TN from Florida, however, the family chose to move out of the country to Mexico instead! Continuing our search we found an ad posted by Evan McBroom on Facebook several months prior looking for an RV site in Middle Tennessee to host pastors. We realized that the need for the site had likely already been met; however, the idea resonated with us, especially since we had just finished hosting a pastor for 8 months. We sent an email to Evan (Teamness) to make contact, introduced ourselves, and expressed our interest in being involved should a future need arise. After initial contact with Evan, we scheduled a Zoom meeting with him and his wife, Debbie, and then visited with them at their home in Lebanon, TN. 

What about Teamness caught your attention?

In our roles of church leadership, caring for pastors has always brought joy to us. We understand many of the challenges that pastors face through our close relationships. We understand the need for rest, replenishment and encouragement.  It brings us great joy to just be present when one of their children has surgery, take care of that odd job around the church that no one else wants to deal with, offer a place to stay while a pastor makes living arrangements, take care of an unexpected bill, complete a task on the “to do” list, or just “hang out” by the fire pit and laugh with them. Upon discovering Teamness, and meeting Evan and Debbie, we immediately knew we wanted to support the mission of the organization. 

What is Blue Tractor Farm?

Blue Tractor Farm, LLC is our family business named after the first tool we needed to start the farm in 2017, a 1967 Ford tractor. The original tractor is still on the farm but doesn’t work nearly as hard these days. We own 24 acres on Double Spring Road; however, we now farm around 200 acres including multiple leased farms in proximity. Our primary farm income is from our beef and pork products. We currently offer a monthly (year-round) subscription box as well as half and whole beef and hogs in the fall of each year. Currently we provide pork and beef products to about 40 families in our community. In addition to the pork and beef, we sell hay, Nigerian Dwarf goats, Great Pyrenees (livestock guardian dogs) and provide custom hay services. 

We are blessed to own our property and home and have been praying for meaningful opportunities to use it for His glory since 2017. While we feel we are serving our community well by providing healthy food, we’ve always felt like we were missing something even more meaningful. We are excited to be partnering with Teamness. 

What prompted you to take next steps with Teamness and what were those steps?

While we were intrigued with the concept of Teamness, and felt a connection after meeting with and hearing Evan and Debbie’s vision; we were prompted to partner with Teamness because we saw it as an answer to prayer.  

What is your prayer for the guests you host on your farm?

Our prayer is that pastors and church leaders would find a place of refuge from life’s storms on our farm. We want them to have time away to connect with each other and God; to be listened to, encouraged and filled. We pray that they would have an opportunity to just sit, breathe, laugh and enjoy a time away from leadership surrounded by nature and all things of a working farm. We pray that they know they are loved and heard and supported and that many are blessed by their obedience to lead. And we pray that they run back to their home churches excited and rejuvenated to finish the race set before them with full hearts!

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