Women find compassion in Russellville
- Dec 8, 2008
An atypical group of women gathered for the afternoon in an upscale neighborhood fronting Lake Dardanelle, inside the home of Vickie Henderson, an OB/GYN physician.
From a worldly perspective, the gathering could not be explained. It would seem there was no common ground for fellowship. But through the eyes of Christ, they had all things in common. All were sinners, saved by grace, seeking victory over life’s “hurts, hang-ups and habits.”
Chey, one of the women attending the gathering in Russellville, had only known demonic turmoil in her 30-plus years of life.
“I can remember drinking alcohol from the age of 4, and I basically raised myself,” she said. Her story included repeated cycles of drug, alcohol and sexual addictions, criminal activities and failed attempts to break free of it all. She often sought help in churches but did not find many who would even look her direction.
“Six months ago I would never have imagined that at this moment I would be sitting in this kind of house with these people, sharing my story. That just shows God is good. He’s good,” Chey marveled, adding, “I don’t always know how to act like a lady, and I never know what is going to come out of my mouth. I sat at the table earlier just hoping I was using the right fork!”
Everyone present laughed a knowing laugh. Over half of the women in Henderson’s home that day had life stories of pain, brokenness and self-destructive behaviors similar to Chey’s. They are now working on healing through a God-orchestrated amalgam of faith-based recovery ministries at First Church of Russellville, spearheaded mainly by Henderson and two other women, Nelda Alexander and Sheila Lambert. Tattoos, body piercings, spiked hair styles and bright hair colors are accepted.
Recovery ministry
Alexander operates Bruised Reed Ministries, a home for women yearning to break free from self-destructive behaviors of any kind. She also directs the church’s Celebrate Recovery (CR) ministry and serves as Arkansas’ CR state representative. Lambert facilitates a group in CR and teaches weekly Bible studies at the Bruised Reed. Henderson teaches the Heartlifters Sunday school class, a group of very diverse women attended by Bruised Reed and CR clients, among other women.
“The main thing we are seeing is changed lives way beyond what you would typically see in most churches,” said Greg Sykes, the church’s associate pastor. “Women, many of whom are at the bottom of the barrel due to issues like collapsed marriages, physical abuse, substance addictions – we’re seeing them come in and change and grow and go out into ministry areas and become fully assimilated in the life of our church.”
Noelle and Randi, who currently reside at the Bruised Reed Ministries home, are both single moms working on recovery from substance abuse. Both women agree that any one part of the ministry probably would not be enough to keep them on track with their recovery. “But having Nelda – Nelda is great – and Celebrate Recovery and Vickie’s Bible study – all of those support groups, including church, is like the balanced package needed for healthy recovery,” Noelle said.
Commenting on common fears people have of ministry to recovering addicts, Alexander said, “You have to realize it isn’t about you. All Jesus did was tell people the truth and ask them to follow Him. Plus, we all have sinful issues. When we fear ministering to people with problems, we should include ourselves. This is what the church is supposed to be about – helping people find affirmation, acceptance and healing in Jesus Christ.”
Alexander recounted the story of one of the women present at the gathering at Henderson’s home. “Donna had been living under a bridge in Nashville. She had a radio, and hit on a Christian rock station. Thinking she was just listening to rock music, she heard the gospel and was saved.”
Donna returned to Russellville, where she’d spent a good part of her life. One day when Donna was walking down a street, a woman recognized her and stopped to pick her up. Aware of Bruised Reed Ministries, she took Donna there.
Donna was pregnant at the time. Alexander, who previously had determined she would not take maternity cases, laughed, “I had to take that back. I won’t be saying I won’t do certain things. God reminded me then that this is His ministry.”
Henderson became Donna’s physician and delivered her little girl, Stella.
Donna enjoys painting and hopes one day to sell her work. Henderson showed the group one of Donna’s paintings of Christ hanging on the cross. She described another painting of a pair of feet walking down a dark path, with a lantern lighting the next step. The Scripture caption: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” That painting hangs in the Heartlifters Sunday school classroom.
After spending a year at Bruised Reed, Donna and Stella are now living on their own. Henderson, Alexander and others described the transformation in Donna as dramatic, both physically and spiritually. “I really wish we had a before and after picture of Donna,” Henderson said. “The transformation is external as well as internal.”
Scripture is the key. Sykes noted, “The ladies that come to that house submit to some high standards. It’s a total separation from your past and a total restart of your life. That’s essential for what a lot of them have been through. And they develop a new relationship with the Lord.”
Bruised Reed Ministries’ clients must agree to spend lots of time digesting God’s Word, including three weekly Bible studies, two worship services and weekly participation in the church’s Friday night Celebrate Recovery program.
About 30-40 men and women regularly attend CR meetings, which begin with a meal together, followed by a time of worship and teaching. They then break up into smaller groups for sharing, and each person has three to five minutes to express something about their problem and how they are reacting.
Sykes believes the honesty and transparency in Lambert, Alexander and Henderson are qualities that have made them effective leaders in the recovery ministry.
Alexander said it is a wonderful thing to watch the women’s transformation when God begins to work in their lives. “They come in with such hard faces. Most are emaciated when they arrive. Then their faces begin to change. They become brighter. They become the beautiful women they are,” she said.
This article is reprinted from the Arkansas Baptist News, the newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Further Learning
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