A New Neighbor

This month One Write joined other Lancaster eastside residents in welcoming a newcomer into the neighborhood.

The Refuge, a Christian Recovery Center, has moved into the building formerly occupied by the Trillium Health Center.

The website for The Refuge is www.mensliveschanged.org and that name is significant. Founded eleven years ago by Tom Thompson, the organization’s mission is to provide a way out for men caught up in destructive patterns of living.

The Lancaster site will be used for men entering the program as a three-to-four week orientation period. Here, they’ll learn the discipline that will be required to complete their recovery. It is not a twelve-step plan; it is a one-step plan and that one step is turning it all over to God and living as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Following the orientation time comes the centerpiece of the Refuge journey for each man. It is an extended period of time living at The Farm in Vinton County, Ohio. There the men study and pray with others on the same journey, strengthening themselves in the Word of God.

The final piece is rejoining the workforce through the Marketplace Ministry phase of the program. That is located in Columbus, Ohio and includes HIS Marketplace Services (a temporary agency) as well as other businesses that partner with The Refuge.

We are very excited about the ways in which One Write can support The Refuge in its mission to bring about restoration and healing to those who are living in the darkness of addiction, alcoholism and brokenness.