Hope. This simple four-letter word sums up what David Farringer and a ministry started recently in the Prattville area are giving people.
"We help them identify what those needs are; we help people that have a hole in their heart understand that the only way to get that hole filled is to live a life of faith and become more like Jesus Christ."
The ministry offers support group sessions for a number of different needs, including post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of fighting in war, grief, sexual temptation and substance abuse. There are also plans to provide a support group for people experiencing divorce with a group for their children that will meet simultaneously.
Bill Morgan, director of missions for Autauga Association, said the association got involved after hearing from local pastors and others about the "tremendous need" for this type of ministry.
While Autauga Association is helping Bridges of Hope financially, two of its churches are also providing support.
First Baptist Church, Prattville, is providing the Web site and materials for group sessions, and New Vision Baptist Church, Prattville, is providing a facility for meetings.
"We wanted to be involved in it because our church has, from the beginning, tried to reach out to individuals who might not feel comfortable someplace else," J.B. Burt, pastor of New Vision Baptist, said of the ministry.
And making people as comfortable as possible by creating a safe place for them to go is a goal of Bridges of Hope.
Burt noted that most of the counselors "have gone through these things. They offer hope because they have experienced what these people are going through."
Morgan added the ministry is even flexible about meeting hours, changing times based on what is better for group members.
All of the resources, time and labor put toward Bridges of Hope will all be worth it in the end if the ministry can reach just one, said Travis Coleman, senior minister of First, Prattville.
"If one person is helped, it is worth it," he said.
For more information, visit http://fbcprattville.org or call 334-365-0606.
Hope to overcome addictions, hope to battle grief and hope to carry on.
Bridges of Hope, sponsored by Autauga Baptist Association, provides lay counseling to people who have lost all hope.
"The long-term goal is to help people identify that they have unmet needs," said Farringer, executive director of Bridges of Hope.
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