Our Little House has received a lot of love lately! We’ve been blessed by the time and talents of groups from Cypress Wesleyan and Grace Fellowship churches, as we sought to prepare it for a new phase of ministry. Once a home in our Family Housing program, it has transitioned to our Leadership House for women in the Recovery program. For many reasons, the little house holds a big place in our hearts.
The house was once owned by the grandparents of one of our earliest Rachel’s House participants. She made great changes in her life when she left prison and in fact, was the reason that we developed the Family Housing program in the first place. Upon graduation from the Rachel’s House program, she needed a safe place to make a home for her children, so we created 4 apartments in what is now the Holistic Leadership Center. They continued to thrive and grow in the new program and eventually, the mom was able to purchase a home of her own.
Upon the death of her grandmother, the father of the RH graduate had no use for the little house. In gratitude, the father donated the house to Lower Lights Ministries. The father said to us:
“Thanks for giving me back my daughter.”
Of course, LLM doesn’t have deep pockets for home renovations so we called upon our friends to come help us. Thankfully, the Rock City church and the Westerville Community United Church of Christ stepped up and put thousands of hours into the restoration. Friends from the Sunbury Church of the Nazarene even created handcrafted cabinets for the kitchen.
Different family groups lived in our little house over the next 6 years, finding it a safe place to establish new lifestyles and routines. Moms, Dads, and their little ones loved and laughed as they worked to overcome hard situations. When they were ready, they moved on to their next phase of life, but not out of our hearts.
The little house is now used for women taking their next big step.
With the growth of our Recovery program, we’ve decided to use our little house for women who are ready to take a big step forward in their programming. Living independently, but staying committed to their recovery goals, participants will apply the lessons they’ve learned. The “Little House” has become our “Leadership House”.
This story was shared by Renee Carden, Director of Engagement. To learn more about Urban Encounters and how your church, organization, or small group can get involved email Renee at rcarden@lowerlights.org