SCOTLAND NECK, N.C. (ABP) — James walked in Union Mission’s building with purpose. He stood tall, proud but worried. His shift had been eliminated and now he didn’t have a job or a place to live. He spent the previous night sleeping in an abandoned building in Roanoke Rapids, N.C. The next day he decided to come to nearby Union Mission — a place he said he’d never thought he’d need — for help and hope.
His restless legs shook with anxiety as he sat across the table from LaCount Anderson, the director of the men’s recovery program at Union Mission, the area’s largest homeless shelter. Anderson listened to James’ story and said, “The Lord has sent you here. Why don’t you sleep here tonight? We have a bed for you.”
That invitation spelled not only immediate relief but also a chance for a new beginning for James and the dozens of other men that Anderson has led through the recovery program. Anderson, who was appointed as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel at CBF’s General Assembly in July, has been working at Union Mission for two years — the best two years of his life, he said.
“All of the training and other ministry I’ve done in my life has led me to be here,” said Anderson, who has served previously as a pastor and in education ministry. “I see miracles every day. I see God impact lives.”
LaCount Anderson, one of CBF’s field personnel, leads a Bible study for men in the Union Mission recovery program, which he directs. (CBF photo by Carla Wynn Davis)
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One of those lives belongs to Jimmy, who used cocaine for 20 years before accepting Christ in Anderson’s office and stopping his drug use. Another is Phil, who spent 13 years in prison before going through the recovery program. Now, he’s the manager of a local thrift store. And there are dozens of other success stories — of men who came in homeless and left with a better vision and purpose for their life.
The recovery program has three stages, including an initial three months of basics — Bible study, discipleship, life skills and the development of a life plan. During the second stage the men pursue any necessary education or training, and in the third stage they prepare to find a job.
“We’re small. We can’t help everybody, but we want to make a difference in some people,” said Anderson of the program and its 55 percent success rate, which is high compared to similar ministries.
Most of all, the recovery program gives men hope.
“The hope we give them is Jesus,” said Ron Weeks, the mission’s director. “Jesus is the hope and light.”
In recent months Anderson has widened his focus to include additional local ministries, such as two community gardens that will help provide food to needy people in Halifax County. He’s also partnering with Faith House, a ministry in the small community of Enfield, N.C.
Faith House is led by Gloria Caudle, who started the homeless shelter for women and children in 2007. Her shelter houses up to eight women as they recover from drugs, abusive relationships, depression and other life-altering situations. At Faith House they get their lives back on track, just like Caudle did many years ago. When she escaped a bad marriage — one where the poverty was so great that she was down to just a tray of ice in the refrigerator — she promised God she would give back to others.
“God can transform,” she said. “This is my assignment. I have been commissioned to do this.”
What Faith House needs is a little extra help — repairing the house, providing toiletries and other essential items. And that’s where Anderson began to think he could help. As a CBF affiliate, he aims to connect Fellowship partner churches with ministries among the homeless in eastern North Carolina, which has some of the state’s poorest areas.
“I want to help churches discover a way to reach out in their neighborhood,” said Anderson, a native of Savannah, Ga.
Reaching out to neighbors is something Anderson knows about. Two years ago he unexpectedly lost his job and, while looking for another position, he decided to visit Union Mission, which had mailed him a letter. He went in one day to volunteer and came home to tell his wife, Anna, that he thought God was calling him to work there. A few days later he was hired and hasn’t stopped enjoying what he calls his new dream job.
“I share God more now than I ever did before in my 30 years of ministry. I get no greater thrill than watching someone give their life to Christ,” he said.
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Carla Wynn Davis writes for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Commnications.