NEW LONDON, Texas — A new partnership between two East Texas ministries will now offer a wider range of services to aid both men and women who struggle to turn their lives around.
Whether if someone is suffering from abuse or addiction, the new Wiseman Lighthouse Ministry is here to serve East Texans and many others in and outside of the area.
WLM is a shelter for women and children made possible through a merge between Sonshine Lighthouse Ministry and Wiseman Ministries. This new addition stands alongside other shelters for men and women across the Piney Woods through Wiseman Ministries. They collectively have several locations like House of Disciples in Longview, Wiseman Life Recovery in Henderson and Isaiah 58 Farms in DeBerry.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the founders of WLM said approximately half of their residents seeking recovery suffer from domestic abuse. Allison Staggs, 25, from Tennessee, came to the shelter to find that second chance.
"I found my hope again here," Staggs said. "I always say I found my freedom here like I found freedom from feeling like I need love from a man or anything. I was pregnant with his kids, and he would hit me, choke me, slap me on the ground and I felt worthless."
Board members of SLM and directors of Wiseman Ministries said they have heard these stories too often and decided to merge to offer a wider range of services through faith.
"It's fantastic to see that women are given the freedom to become independent and realize that with their relationship with Christ," said Tabitha Wiseman, senior program director of WLM. "They're able to stand on their own two feet and they don't have to continue to go back to abusive situations."
Beverly Hall, founding board member of SLM, said she's personally seen abused women seeking shelter with them and finding their personal road to recovery.
"It's a hard thing," Hall said. "They're faces are dark, their eyes are dark and before long they start to have a sparkle in their eye again and life comes back. One of our tagline says we like to love them back to life."
This collective ministry will now be able to help entire families as they just don’t house women, but also men who are seeking help as well at different locations. They are working to make sure families can get back on their feet and hopefully stay together through education and faith.
Stagg said when the ministries merged, the women have taken advantage of the opportunities given to them.
"It's been beautiful so now there's over 40 women and children in-house whereas whenever we got here there were seven," Staggs said. "We've only been here for less than two months so it's awesome to just see the growth and the change in people like the unity that we have here. I love it."
After a completed year, the ministry hosts a graduation for those ready to move on and take back their life. Their next ceremony is set for this Saturday.
To find out how to get help or offer volunteer services, people can reach the ministry through their Facebook page with this link. They are open and in need of more volunteers and counselors.