When she voiced her concerns to her pastor, Steven
Toole, “He said, ‘That won't be a problem. If there's
anybody here that doesn't want to help these guys, then
they don't need to be in our church.’” To him, it was
common sense Christianity. Wasn’t it for the sick, the
broken, and those in need for whom Jesus gave his life?
The church family agreed.
The Hope House will be supervised by a House
Manager. “They will live together, cook for one another,
and attend house meetings every night to talk about their
day and how they may be feeling. All things you would do
in a normal home as family,” said Chastity. “Each guy will
also have a sponsor who will come by and talk with him,
take him fishing or find a friendship with him in some
way.”
“They will go to church with us on Sundays,” said
Steve, “and once or twice a week, we’ll have men from the
community come and share their testimonies to encourage
them on how to live life free of addiction.”
Drug testing will be done by a professional lab a
minimum of two times a week. “It’s a daily choice,” said
Chastity. “We can’t make anyone stay. If they don’t want
to be there, they can leave. But the consequence of not
staying and going through a rehab program is often
enough to motivate many to stay. I was visiting my son
once and asked where one of the guys had gone. He said,
‘He got caught using. They just took him and dropped him
off in the middle of town.’” Of course, if he’d had charges
against him, he would have returned to jail.
“Everyone has a sad story,” said Steve. “You have
to have rules and structure or you’ll end up with a drug
house instead of a rehab house.” The safety of a strong and
structured program, daily work, accountability with others,
and Jesus. That’s the plan.
The first day that the Hutchinsons posted information
on Facebook about The Hope House Ministry for Men,
they were bombarded with calls. The need for this ministry
in our community was more than evident. “Our plan is to
eventually build more houses and teach trades like welding
to the men while they are here,” said Steve. “We hope to
grow, but we are also practical. We’re self-supported. We’ve
not received state or federal funding.”
It’s easy to become cynical when the story is not your
own. “Every parent has the same fear that their child will
end up in jail or dead,” said Chastity. “That’s where this
road leads. We know what that feels like. For us, if we can
save one life, we will have accomplished our goal.” The first
house occupant arrived on November 15, 2020, and the
second came only four days later.
As Chastity and Steve opened to serve others, they
faced the disappointment and heartache of their own son’s
relapse at the two-year mark. He has since entered another
rehab program where he will once again go through the
process of recovery. “We opened The Hope House because
we understand this struggle,” said Chastity. “Sometimes
they have to start a dozen times before they get it right.
Alston will have to start over, but he will beat this. We
know it.”
88 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE