There is Hope in Hohenwald

Although Hohenwald is a great place to call home, when it comes to substance abuse and misuse, it falls in line with other rural communities that are being ravaged by drugs.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported rural communities tend to be more adversely affected by drug abuse, and it continues to worsen each year across the state. In 2019, 2,000 Tennesseans were lost to an overdose.

In 2021, the TDH reported Lewis County had a total of 31 non-fatal overdoses and 7 fatal. Although the rate of overdoses in Lewis County was lower than in most counties, any lives lost to drugs is a loss for Lewis County.

One local organization, Hope Center Ministries, decided they had to take action and try to rehabilitate those who have addictions in a way that lasts.

Hope Center Ministries is a faith-based recovery program seeking to help those with addictions to get to the root of the problem and begin a 12 month journey that will ultimately change their lives.

"Drugs aren't the problem," said Blondy's Pastor Jeff Gandy. "There's something in these peoples' lives that has hurt them, something that caused them to try and kill the pain through drugs.. So you'll never fix a drug problem or an alcohol problem until you fix the spiritual problem."

Hohenwald is currently home to a men's facility and will soon be home to a women's facility.

Hope Center Ministries started in Waverly in 2007 and has since grown to have 33 centers nationwide. They plan on adding 13 more this year.

Without God and Unity, You have Nothing

Pastor Gandy is a part of the Lewis County Faith-Based Recovery Coalition that consists of 12 pastors from all different denominations that meet every month.

"We decided not to argue about the things we disagree on, and instead decided to focus on what we did agree on; Jesus is the answer and He's the only one who can help these men and women," said Pastor Gandy. "So these churches come together and we pray. We pray over our city and sometimes we cry over those we've lost."

Before the coalition had the opportunity to invest in the Hope Center, Pastor Gandy recalled, "We didn't know what to do... We felt like there was no hope. So we'd send people off [to rehab], trying to do the best we could [for them]."

After years of meeting together and praying, Pastor Gandy said God was leading the coalition the whole time up to September of 2020 when Blondy Church had the opportunity to get involved in Hope Center Ministries.

"Blondy Church felt led to step out in faith and we wrote a check for the first men's center," said Pastor Gandy. "We didn't find a home until December of 2020 and we closed on Christmas Eve."

On the first week of January, they went in and gutted the house, repainted it, rebuilt walls, redid plumbing and electrical, installed new floors and in just 18 days opened Hohenwald's first Hope Center. A few weeks later, they began to build a 1200 square foot addition with a 130 foot porch right behind it, and finished in only three months. Now they are working on building and finalizing a women's facility.

Their ultimate goal was to have the Hohenwald Hope Centers be a home for these men and women, instead of a hospital. Another one of their major goals is to make recovery affordable.

The Lewis County Recovery Coalition helps in many ways, but one of the biggest is by sponsoring individuals who go through the program by paying their way up front, then Blondy invests about $200 per person to buy clothing and other essentials.

Because Blondy Church took the initiative to start the program, they are called the host church due to allowing the organization to have classes and other functions at their church. But at every chance he got, Gandy made sure to point out how important the teamwork of everyone involved really was.

"It's not about us or our church. It's about all of us... None of this is possible, first, without God and second, without the unity of these churches. Absolutely none of thi s could have happened," Pastor Gandy said.

Faith-Based Recovery

The Hope Center's mission is to ultimately change the lives of each individual who comes through the program, not only through changing their relationship with drugs, but changing and facilitating a relationship with God.

"Our motto here is that if you chase God the way you chased dope, then you have nothing to fear," said Gandy.

The program takes place over the course of 12 months, or longer if the individual needs it, and is broken down into three phases and 12 weekly (or daily)-practiced steps.

Phase One lasts a period of six weeks that gives residents time to build a solid foundation based on Christ. They meet with a counselor at least twice a week, and try to get to the core causes of their drug or alcohol addiction, and begin to practice their 12 steps.

The 12 steps are as follows: (1.)I can't, (2.) God can, (3.) Let God, (4.) Look within, (5.) Admit wrongs, (6.) Ready for self change, (7.) Seek God's help, (8.) Become willing, (9.) Make Amends, (10.) Daily inventory, (11.) Pray and meditate, (12.) Give it away.

Recovery Coordinator, Michael Trent, said steps 1-3 are all about salvation and strengthening their relationship with God. Steps 4-9 are about sanctification or "cleaning out your past." The last three steps are all about self-maintenance.

"It's about keeping yourself in between the navigational beakers of this new life. We so quickly fall into autopilot, and will start veering off left or will go too far right where we're trying to control everybody else," said Trent. "But if you'll work on these last three steps everyday, they will keep you moving in the right direction."

Phase Two is all about the residents learning responsibilities and how to assimilate back into normal life.

Hope Center Ministries partners with businesses and other organizations to allow their residents to learn a vocation and get used to working 40 hours a week again.

Phase Three is the last two months of the program. During this time, they pay back the $700 it costs to go through the program and are able to keep their last two months of pay to help start their new life once they graduate from the program.

Phase Four is the newest phase that allows residents to stay a few weeks or months longer, or whatever it takes.

"Most of these people have no where to go and they have to restart from scratch," said Pastor Gandy. "So we allow them whatever time they need to help them transition out [of the Hope Center]."

At every phase in the program, residents go to bible studies and are given many more opportunities to establish meaningful relationships and learn life lessons. They also attend classes, taught by Bonnie Freeh, where they learn how to manage their money.

Residents aren't the only ones who feel Hope's impact

Counselor Andy Freeh and his wife Bonnie were present for the interview, and provided another perspective for how impactful Hope Canter Ministries really was.

Andy and Bonnie moved here two years ago, and one of the first things they noticed was that there was a lot of people overdosing in our community, and at very young ages.

Andy said he began to pray to God and ask for a way to reach out to those who are hurting. Shortly after, he heard that Hope Center Ministries were looking for counselors to guide these men.

"I'm 63 years old, and my whole life up to this point, i knew that for me personally, there was nothing more important for me to do with my life than to give it totally to God," said Andy.

He served in many positions over the years where he was able to serve the people in his community over the years.

"They each were a part of God's development process, but I came to this ministry and got involved with these men.. it's like I felt for the first time I had really found the thing God was trying to develop me to do and to become," Andy said.

"By pouring into them and seeing how God could use me to help people change, to help them know God and to love Him.." he continued, "We don't have any children of our own, and they've become like our children.. It's like investing into your own children's lives. That's what changed for us. I want to honor God with my life in everything that I do, and I find great fulfillment in Hope Center Ministries."

Taught to lead

What's unique about Hope Center Ministries is those who go through the program are also given the opportunity to lead after graduating from the program.

Current interim Director for Hohenwald's Hope Center Ministries, Rodney Anthony, was a resident of the center before moving into leadership.

Anthony said he had tried everything before going to Hope Center. He moved away from Hohenwald, his hometown, to try to get away and even went to other rehabs.

One of his good friends ended up hearing about the Hope Center in Camden and eventually got Anthony in.

He said the biggest difference in going to Hope Center was that it was faith-based, and the counselors and everyone around him really invested in him.

He went through schooling to become a counselor, eventually a recovery coordinator and has now made it to becoming a director.

"It's like my counselor used to tell me, and I never understood," said Anthony, "He said counseling [and being a part of Hope Center] helped him just as much as it was helping me.. Now I really understand it."

As Director, his main job is to oversee the financial side of the Hope Center as well as make executive decisions.

Recovery Coordinator Trent was also a resident at the Hope Center before coming into leadership. Before coming into the Hope Center, he was looking at 16 years of jail time for drug and drug-related charges in two counties.

"I was expecting to walk into a treatment facility and I walked into a home.. We're not a hospital. This is a place where you'll live for the next year and you'll create relationships. It's more like a brotherhood or a family, where those relationships will last for life."

Now, as a Recovery Coordinator, Trent's responsibilities include overseeing counseling and meetings, as well as finding "Godly men to volunteer as a counselor and pour into these men's lives."

Throughout the interview, it was evident that big and positive change is taking place at Hohenwald's Hope Center Ministries. And at every turn, each person I talked to made it evident that they were hungry to keep expanding and to reach out to more people. They were also grateful to our whole community for the support they have received.

"I've been involved in five different Hope Centers in some capacity, and I have not seen this kind of involvement and support from the communities as I have seen here," said Trent. "We have so much support and so many volunteers. The churches come together and just love on these men."

Pastor Gandy then took the opportunity to welcome any other churches that would like to be a part of the Lewis County Recovery Coalition. They meet at Blondy Church at 6:00 p.m. on the first Monday of each month.

"We just love each other and plead for God to touch our city. It's a beautiful thing and the biggest thing I've ever been a part of," said Gandy.