In January of 2004, Pastor Josh Hannah of Friendship World Outreach received a frantic phone call from the mother of one of his childhood friends. Her drug addicted son, Jeremy, had been shot. She paid for him to be in a motel room for the night and said she didn't know what else to do. Pastor Josh picked Jeremy up, took him to lunch, and listened as he explained the five bullet holes that were now in his body. Jeremy had lost his home, business, family, self-respect, and will to live. Pastor Josh asked Jeremy, “Where are you going from here?” Jeremy replied, “I don’t have hope anymore.” Pastor Josh found Jeremy a place to stay and gave him a Bible. He dropped him off and on his way home thought about what Jeremy had said. The word hope, in particular, rolled over and over in his mind. Pastor Josh began to cry and parked the car on the side of the road. He thought about all of the other “Jeremy’s” he knew and asked God what to do. Immediately he heard the answer: build a Hope Center.

Two years later, in the spring of 2006, Friendship World Outreach purchased 110 acres in Waverly, TN. Within nine months of purchasing the land; construction on a 3,000+ square foot Hope Center began. Next, Hope Center Ministries applied for and received its non-profit 501(c)3 status. And on June 1, 2007 the Hope Center officially opened and admitted its first guests. Word about the center began to spread and within a few month of opening there was a waiting list of people who wanted to receive help.

Since the grand opening the Waverly Hope Center has added four cabins, a bath house, and a chapel for worship and prayer. In 2009 Hope Center Ministries expanded its reach into other cities. In February, Hope Center Ministries opened a Women’s Center in Erin, TN and in November, opened a second Men’s Center in Pegram, TN. As of April 2010 Hope Center Ministries has three centers and three transitional living homes situated on 120 acres. The Hope Center also has three work crews, an auto detailing shop, and 2 thrift stores that help financially support the organization.