Covington VA News Article on Beauty For Ashes Ministry! A local woman is using her past to help bring hope to the future for other women. Lorri K. Booze of Clifton Forge recently founded Life Song Ministries, and through the ministry a 12-18 month residential education drug rehabilitation program called Beauty for Ashes will be offered to local women struggling with addiction. Lorri also serves as executive director of the organization. Beauty for Ashes will offer a Christian-based curriculum and recovery program. Lorri hopes to draw upon her own struggles with addiction to offer recovery to others. “I was trapped in the stronghold of addiction from prescription pain killers for over 10 years,” Lorri says in a testimonial statement which appears in a Beauty for Ashes brochure. “I lost everything, due to the consequences of addiction. I spent eight months in jail and completed 18 months in a residential rehabilitation center. The saving power of Jesus Christ has transformed my life.” Those 18 months were spent at Mercy House, a residential faith-based house located in Richmond, and her stay included a six month internship. Upon completing her stay at Mercy House, she returned to Clifton Forge where she decided to take her rehabilitation efforts a step further. “Since my life was changed through that Power, I felt like God called me to bring something like that to the Highlands,” she said. And thus in the time span of a few short months, the Beauty for Ashes ministry was born. The name Beauty for Ashes comes from the Bible. Isaiah 61:3 says “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” “When you’re in addiction, you feel like your life is dead,”said Lorri, “and the Lord says He can make something beautiful out of that. “Our hope is to reach out to people trapped in the stronghold of addiction,” she continued.That’s our number one goal. “We will be using the (Celebrate Recovery) program used by Good News Christian Fellowship which is recognized by the courts,”said Lorri. “We plan on giving back to the community by allowing the girls to intern with local businesses,”she added. Beauty for Ashes is currently limited to serving women only, but Lorri says that the program may eventually be expanded to serve men as well. The month of July was a very productive one for the organization. Life Song Ministries was officially incorporated on July 11, and a dwelling in Clifton Forge was donated to them to house the women enrolled in the Beauty for Ashes program. Lorri’s goal is to have the home ready in eight months to start accepting clients. But before that happens the home, located on Church Street, needs to be renovated. “We need a team of various laborers who are willing to restore the house,” said Lorri. “The outside needs some work, but the inside needs to be gutted and redone. “We’re going to need every type of product, from lumber to light fixtures and bulbs,” she continued. “We need it all. “This will be a secured facility. These girls will be watched at all times,”she continued. “We want to keep the community a part of this in the best way we can,” added Lorri. “This is the first time in the Highlands that we have had organizations and churches of all denominations come together for a community project.” She said that Life Song Ministries also plans to work closely with organizations such as Safehome Systems and the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. Life Song Ministries held a community meeting July 14 at Lone Star Advent Christian Church on Nicelytown Road in eastern Alleghany County. Approximately 175 people , including community leaders, turned out at the meeting to learn more about the ministry and its goals and to meet members of the Life Song Ministries board. Another meeting is being planned for September at Jackson River Sport Complex in Covington. Members of the board include the Revs. Mike Rollins, Paul Brokaw, Doug Moore, Martin Garrett, Chris Poloukis, Roger Bush, Tammy Wolfe, Linda Kagarise, Steve Noel and Tom Collins, as well as Gary Gardner, Naomi Madsen, Beverley Clark and Glynnis Garrett. For more information on theprogram, call Living Stones Ministries at 863-4576 or email ls61beautyforashes@gmail, or visit the Life Song Ministries page on Facebook.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 16:48:43 +0000
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