Heather Ainsley
news@greenepublishing.com
Monticello man, Mark David Prevatt, is putting the finishing touches on a dream that has been eight years in the making. While serving as Pastor at the San Pedro Baptist Church in Perry, Fla., Prevatt and his family have participated in many different types of ministry work, from mission trips to community outreach. Through his various experiences, Prevatt says his eyes became open to the presence of real need in the local communities they worked with. He began contemplating a way to fulfill these needs and reach people at the core of where they needed help the most, focusing not just on their spiritual needs but their often critical physical needs as well.
In December of 2022, Prevatt incorporated his new ministry outreach company, called Skinnie P's BBQ. For now, the business handles day-to-day operations out of their family home, and travels to different locations around the communities to complete their mission of serving the public, literally. Skinnie P's BBQ is a non-profit, 501(c)3 business that focuses on providing free BBQ meals to the public, relying on donations and fundraisers to help fund their efforts. Large smokers and grills are hauled to each setup location, pulled behind the family vehicle on a pull-behind trailer, and from there, Prevatt puts his servant's attitude to good use, dishing up delicious smoked and grilled BBQ to members of the community, and ministering to those who seek help of a more spiritual nature to accompany their free meal. “People are looking for hope,” says Prevatt. “It always amazes me; so many people struggle with the concept of 'free,' that we are giving them this meal for free without any obligation or expectation. So often, they kinda look at you like, 'what's the catch?' But there's no catch! To be able to see the joy on people's faces when you're able to give them something, and there is nothing expected in return except for them knowing that you just love them and you're there to help them. That right there, is kind of the most rewarding part.”
“We want to fulfill this need in the community, both spiritually and physically. Whether that means here locally, or something nationally that we can get involved with, with missions or ministry work, to help with food or financial support or whatever the door is that God opens.”
The idea of having the Skinnie P's BBQ name as a non-profit endeavor was important to Prevatt and his wife, Rachel. “Having a non-profit is the process of, as you receive things, you're able to give them back out, and pour them back out. Also, you're able to give people the opportunity to support the ministry in a way that they can know everything that goes in comes right back out to help others. It's about having a servant's heart to serve the people, and that's the main reason we went with a non-profit, rather than a regular business. We didn't want this ministry to be about us as much as it is about the God we serve.”
Skinnie P's BBQ occasionally holds fundraisers where they sell whole, smoked meats like chicken, Boston butts and ribs to people in order to raise money that Skinnie P's BBQ can then use to fuel the community chicken dinners. Those wishing to donate money in exchange for their free meal are certainly welcome to do so, although it isn't required. Money donated goes directly back into the ministry, and used to fuel not only the free chicken dinners, but also to purchase literature that can be given to people who need it, as well as other community outreach efforts.
Prevatt says they are always looking for new ways of supporting the community through Skinnie P's BBQ, and are actively looking to work side by side with local organizations, civic groups and companies to provide food and ministry services to their events, festivals and gatherings as needed.
“We want to let the community know that we encourage anyone, it doesn't matter who, to contact us and let us know how we can serve them and how we can work along beside them. That's one thing that we want to ensure that we get across, especially here. We are open to anyone who would want to call for us to work alongside them with something they are doing, and we are open to any support. So we are open to anything that anyone may want to help us with or support us with; we are open to any of that. We look forward to hearing from people.”
Keeping in line with the requirements of a 501(c)3 organization, Prevatt says he will not work with any political parties or affiliations. Describing himself as a man who is not a “political guy,” he says he will remain firm about not getting involved with events that are politically charged in nature. Through this selfless ministry work, Prevatt enjoys facilitating a sense of faith, hope and love within the communities he serves, saying, “We want to show love, regardless of the many divisions the world can have, we want to bring unity to the communities, not just on the surface but deep down. We see it all the time; when major things happen, our communities come together in support and compassion for one another. We want to bring more of that out, and encourage that to happen more. We are excited to see what the Lord is going to do through this non-profit,” says Prevatt. “We want to fulfill this, and act on faith. This is a way for us to reach people where they are, and share the love of our Lord. We are excited to see what God is capable of through this.”
Anyone wishing to donate to help further the Skinnie P's BBQ ministry can donate via their venmo: Skinnie P's BBQ @skinniep. Outside of his non-profit work, Prevatt serves as Pastor of the San Pedro Baptist Church in Perry, and serves as Assistant Chaplain at the Jefferson County Correctional Institution. He and his wife, Rachel, have been married since Feb. 19, 2000, and have four kids, Taylor, Mark, Jeremiah and Espen. The community can expect great things from Skinnie P's BBQ, where the Prevatt family works together to spread love, faith and hope to not only their community but communities across the nation. Everyday, the family lives by the words of their Skinnie P motto, “All that we do is for the kingdom of God.”