Kris battled addiction for most of his life, and he never stayed employed for long. At our Jobs for Life graduation last week, he shared how the class and working through New Leaf has helped him stay sober and employed. Watch Kris' story here: When you give $25 you can help provide the class materials for a Jobs for Life student like Kris.
On June 2, a group of seven incarcerated men at the Warren County Regional Jail graduated from Jobs for Life. During the class, they learned Biblical principals and practical applications for employment to help them get and keep a job when they are released from jail. Lonnie shares how the class impacted his life: "I wanted to find a better way of living and learn how to be a positive influence in my community when I get out of here. That's why I joined Jobs for Life, to get everything I could out of it. During the program, I experienced love. I've never been around a group of guys that take time out of their lives to come in and show us another way to live, introduce God to us, and show how that plays out in our lives. I've never had anyone do that, so it was a great experience.
We read the story of Jonah in our book. I've been running away from God my whole life. God's been trying to protect me, and I always ran away from Him. That's the story of Jonah. He ran, he didn't want to do God's word, even though he knew what God's word was. You know, I feel like I was in the fish, I feel like he spit me back out, and I still ignored God. This class brought to my attention that I've been doing that because I had never seen that story before. That showed so much light to me and let me know that I can do it, I can change my ways. I've just been running. My plan is to use this class to take the step toward employment, to stay in contact with sober people, and allow this to grow in my life. I'll do volunteer work... wherever it goes. God only knows that." Jacob graduated from Program Living for Men in January, 2022, after struggling with addiction and incarceration for 20 years. He started following Jesus during his time in the program, and he shared his testimony at the Program Living graduation in May. Watch the video to hear his story. You can change the life of a resident like Jacob by supporting our Program Living ministry. When you sponsor a resident, you are helping to cover the cost of their programming and ensuring that we can continue providing this service.
With your help, we exceeded our fundraising goal for the 12th Annual Cooking for Hope and raised $84,000! Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, and donated. We are so grateful for the pastors who competed in the Chef Scott Wilson Cooking Competition from Living Hope, Burton Memorial, Transformation Christian Center, Hillvue Heights, Rich Pond Baptist, First Baptist, Eastwood Baptist, Christ Fellowship, Mission Church and Crossland. Congratulations to this year's winning team, Pastor Eric from Mission and Pastor Joel from Crossland! Thank you to our sponsors, First Southern National Bank, Mac's Restaurant Equipment, ISTT, SSC, Lawn Doctor, ETR, Houchens Industries, Bratcher Financial Group, and Jack Wright for County Judge Executive. Enjoy this highlight video and photos from the event! Jonathan graduated from Program Living in 2020, and he began to follow Jesus while he was in the program. He now works as our resident coordinator for Program Living for Men and loves the chance to help other men who struggle with addiction like he has. Watch him tell his story: |