Faith-Based Rehab Ministry Trial Under Way
by Allie Martin
July 28, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A Florida ministry is waging a legal battle against officials in Osceola County in an effort to remain open.Men of Destiny Ministries provides housing and Christian counseling to men with addictions to drugs and alcohol. The ministry is based in a 6,300-square-foot house in St. Cloud. Earlier this year Osceola County officials ordered the ministry to shut down because of complaints from some neighbors.
Mat Staver, founder of Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, defended the ministry during a federal trial this week. Staver says the Christian ministry has made a big difference in the lives of many men whose addictions have a their toll on their lives.
Mat Staver | |
"This is a case where a Christian ministry has an outreach of discipleship and worship to men who have been chemically addicted to drugs or alcohol," he explains. "They're not currently taking drugs, but they have addictions to take drugs -- and as a result, those addictions have destroyed their lives in many respects." But through Men of Destiny, the attorney says, lives that were once broken have been put back together and people have become productive citizens.So why did the County take action against the ministry? According to Staver, although the ministry did not violate zoning requirements, County officials bowed to local pressure. He calls the County's decision to move against Men of Destiny representative of the "NIMBY syndrome."
"'Not in my backyard,'" he says, explaining the acronym. "[They are essentially saying] 'It's a good program, but not in my backyard.'" The 14 residents of the house are no threat to its neighbors, says Staver. "These individuals ... live together under the supervision of a pastor. They work during the day, they come home in the evenings just like any other family would. They have Bible studies; they have discipleship; they have no problems or adverse reactions or impact on the neighborhood."
The trial could wrap up today.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
