Recognizing transformation in an individual is sometimes a tricky thing to do; unlike physical changes such as a haircut or a successful new diet, spiritual transformation of the kind we seek to create in Hope Center Ministries goes much deeper than the surface level, but is often the most rewarding kind of change that one can ever hope to have.
Celebrating this change, and recognizing the incredible residents of Hope Center whose commitment to both recovery and to our God who makes that change possible, is the reason we're so passionate about sharing these stories every chance we get. Today we recognize the incredible testimony of Admissions Coordinator James Rummage, who through the loving acceptance of the Church and Christ, has found freedom from addiction and a new calling in helping others experience that same opportunity for recovery!
James' story begins in Nashville, TN where he was born and raised. His upbringing was one that he describes as being marked by physical and emotional abuse from an early age, and one that lacked any spiritual grounding in the Church community or faith in God. He grew up in the suburbs of Nashville, but following his parents' divorce at age 11, he found himself living in the new environment of the city without any of the necessary social skills to establish himself in a healthy way. This desire to fit in wherever he could led him to find a social niche in the one thing he'd always known at home: violence.
His penchant for fighting led to a slow but steady turning of his moral compass away from healthy relationships and patterns of behavior and, eventually, into drugs. Finding a comfort in heroin that he'd never known in his regular life, James struggled to find a way out of his addiction until it was forced on him in the same that sobriety is forced on so many others – through prison. While in prison James was able to get clean from his addictive behavior, but found himself struggling to establish a new identity outside of the hurts, habits and hangups that had led him there in the first place. His tendency to push others away, so common in most struggling with substance abuse, was now acting to limit his ability to move forward in life.
It wasn't until a friend reached out to James to see how he was doing that James found himself surprised by the answer that he gave: that he was 'sick and tired of feeling sick and tired'. James' friend heard a call for help that day, and blessedly, God answered. He was soon put in touch with Julie Utley from Hope Center Ministries, and from there, began his journey on the road to recovery.
James came to our Oklahoma City Center from Nashville, TN, and describes his first day coming to church as a daunting one; having not grown up with the influence of the Church in his life, James was sure that he'd be judged based off of his appearance and his background - for his mohawk and his tattoos rather than the strength of his character. He waited through his whole first sermon for that judgment to come... but it never did.
James found himself embraced by the spiritual community of Compassion Church and came to realize that while he may have gotten lost on his path, he was exactly like every other member of that Church, and had been looking for exactly what those members had already found: love, acceptance, and renewal in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In the years that followed James found a new calling in life by serving both the Compassion Church that had welcomed him with open arms, and in Hope Center Ministries as an Admissions Coordinator: working tirelessly to give individuals struggling with addiction the same chance at a new life that he was offered.
James describes who he used to be as 'nothing more than a homeless junkie from Nashville', but has now defined his future as both a leading force in the Admissions department for Hope Center, and as a powerful voice in Compassion Church OKC and beyond. We could not be more proud of how far James has come since beginning his journey, and of the small part that we as a ministry have been able to play in helping him experiencing this lasting transformation! If you're currently struggling with addiction and are ready to discover what God has in store for your own journey, please don't wait!
Reach out to our Admissions Coordinators today and let Hope Center start you on your walk with Christ.
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