Hope Alive Ministry has been meeting for almost three years every Sunday evening at 6:15 p.m. for a free hot meal and fellowship, followed by a recovery meeting at 7 p.m.
Meetings are held and sponsored by Mt Hermon UPC in Mt Hermon which is pastored by Randall Garcia.
Meetings are Christ-centered and faith-based, built around teaching the 12 steps of recovery. It helps people work through life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups, and equips them with the tools to navigate the struggles of life and life after addiction. There has been great success in this area with this program.
This ministry also reaches into the Washington Parish Jail every Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., with recovery teaching and ministry to both men and women and handing out Bibles.
For Recovery Month, Hope Alive presented the Empty Chair Project at the courthouse in Franklinton. This involves placing one empty chair for each life lost to an overdose in our parish this year --- approximately 16, but no more than 20, as confirmed with the coroner's office, with a purple ribbon to honor their memory.
Chairs will be kept in place for one full week so that people have the opportunity to see them and bring their children, helping foster awareness and important conversations in our community.
Parish President Ryan Seal issued a proclamation that included in part that too many families in Washington Parish and across the nation have been lost to drug overdose, leaving behind empty chairs with grieving hearts.
The Empty Chair Project honors those who have been lost and reminds us of the need for compassion, awareness, and action. National Recovery Month is a time to remember, to support those in recovery, and to strengthen our community's commitment to prevention and healing.
From left to right: Kathy Stuart (Sen Cassidy's Office), Rhonda Gunnell (ADAPT), Franklinton Mayor Darwin Sharp, Penny Jones (Sen Mizell's Office), Kim Wagner (Wash Parish Council), Suzi Bourne, Rep. John Wyble, Mandi Boyd (Hope Alive Ministry), Clerk of Court John Crain, Jr., Assessor Jimbo Stevenson, DA Collin Sims, Parish Ryan Seal, Judge Ellen Creel, and Sheriff Jason Smith
Photo Cred Danielle Folks
