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The Men’s program began in a single small apartment in Rockford, Illinois in 1998. As Steve Curington’s local church program of Reformers Unanimous began to grow he would meet men who needed additional help. They just couldn’t stay stable in their current environment. So, with the help of a friend, Craig Wilcox, we bought a home and moved them in under our 24 hour care. It proved to be an effective way to help those with troubled lives that could not stay stable for any long period of time.
As a result of our success, other churches and families started calling with hopes of getting their church members, children or spouses into this incredibly effective residential discipleship school. Our success rate, significantly higher than other programs could not be compromised by our growth, so we kept our tenancy down and began to duplicate the process with a second, third and then fourth school all running the same program.
In 2003 God blessed our ministry with a large facility for the Men’s discipleship school. It was a 36 bed facility that was being used as a downtown drug house by many of the people that Steve would someday help. We bought the large dilapidated building for next to nothing and the community helped us remodel it to one of the most beautiful facilities in our downtown district. The remodeling project was nothing short of spectacular. To top it all off, the construction work and remodeling was performed by the men attending the school. This made the project all the more special. However, 15 minutes before final inspections, a small explosion in the paint storage room brought the investment to an end and we had to build this school not once, but twice. The city of Rockford and it’s people came to the rescue, helping in many different ways and we moved into the home in March of 2005.
During the second remodeling process we were given limited occupancy and we moved in the men. At that time, we noticed an increase in calls from parents and pastors wanting us to begin a similar school for women. So in 2003 we placed the women in some of the same buildings the men once occupied and it became as successful as our men’s program in effectively turning around wayward people.
However, we experienced an even greater miracle in April of 2005. One month after moving into our men’s new facility on Mulberry Street in Rockford, IL. we received an incredible opportunity to purchase a old run down nursing home. With the continued growth of the men’s and women’s schools we set out to make this purchase and God subsequently sent people to help us pay for the building until we could secure proper funding.
Once again, our men began a huge remodeling project that turned a $250,000 building into a one million dollar mansion for our men! Praise the Lord! As for the ladies, they moved into the home on Mulberry…until God provided the opportunity to purchase another nursing home on the other side of town!! So a third remodeling process began on what is now affectionately known as RUTH – the Women’s School of Discipleship (RU Transitional Housing). The Mulberry location is now used for RU staff housing – for former students who graduate and are led of God to remain in Rockford to work in the ministry!
These three locations, once broken down and vacated, are now beautifully restored like the lives of those who live there and victoriously graduate the program.
Oh, and our success rate? 80% of our graduates REMAIN successful in their lives to this date
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If you, or someone that you know, struggle with addictions, this is the place for you. Please don’t pass up this opportunity to learn about the Truth that sets free.
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