Sponsored Content: Teen Challenge Extends Ministry to Women Through New Deborah’s House

For 55 years, Adult & Teen Challenge Mid-America has transformed men’s lives in Southeast Missouri, helping to free them from addiction and reintegrate into society through spiritual, vocational, academic and transitional residential services. Now, the Bible-based recovery program is expanding its ministry to women.

“It’s like God’s bringing it full-circle — we’re going to be able to reach the whole family,” says James Bolin, executive director of Adult & Teen Challenge Mid-America. “When people walk on the property [for the women’s ministry], they feel that it’s a place of healing.”

The current 10-acre property called Deborah’s House, located off of Route Y in Cape Girardeau County, will house up to 32 women at one time. Any woman who is 18 years old or older who struggles with an addiction, including drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling or other addiction, or who needs a place to recover from other types of trauma, is welcome to apply to the program. There is no application fee, and the 12-month program and residency are completely free. Women who apply to the program can be in any stage or no stage of the recovery process.

Similar to the men’s program, the Deborah’s House program will include the opportunity for the residents to earn their GED and learn trades. The women will also engage in Bible studies and chapel worship services to form a personal relationship with Jesus.

Formerly a winery, the property has a commercial kitchen, cafeteria, offices and housing. There are also horse stables on the grounds, which will be used for equine therapy. A local hair styling company has designed a professional salon on the property and will provide the equipment, chairs, sinks and beauty supplies free of charge for the ministry. Deborah’s House hopes to partner with local stylists who want to donate their services to do the women’s hair weekly.

Through offering classes about family life, marriage and raising children, Bolin hopes to provide positive examples of women living out these vocations for the women at Deborah’s House to connect with. Some of the residents, he says, may not have previously had a constructive role model in these areas.

“We’re kind of a three-legged stool, so to speak: spiritual, academic and vocational. … Really, what we’re doing is trying to address the whole person,” Bolin says. “We want to give them every opportunity that we can to succeed. …We want to be a place where it will truly be a healing center in every area of their life.”

Bolin says the Cape Girardeau County community has always been supportive of Teen Challenge, through its thrift stores, lawn services and church partner support. Because of this, he believes Cape Girardeau is the perfect place to open a women’s branch of the ministry, providing another opportunity for the community to partner with them in transforming lives. Bolin estimates a soft launch of the program will take place with several residents in a few months, and they will open the residence to more women after that.

The name “Deborah’s House” draws its inspiration from Deborah, who appears in Judges chapters 4 and 5 in the Bible, verses that describe her as a warrior, prophet, judge and wife. It is Bolin’s hope that, following the example of Deborah, the women who live at Deborah’s House will rise up to fulfill the purpose God has for them, too.

“God has a purpose for [the women] greater than they could ever imagine, and we want to help lead them and help them in finding what God’s purpose is for them,” Bolin says. “[Deborah] was an uncommon leader. … It is our hope that that’s what we’re going to do, that eventually, we are going to turn out uncommon leaders. That we’re going to call women who are going to be all walks of life, that’s going to be wives and moms and prophets.”