MOULTRIE – Crossroads Gospel Mission and Crossroads for Her are joining together again for the Crossroads Banquet. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Southern Regional Technical College.

The banquet is a joint fundraiser for the non-profit organizations, which are both faith-based transitional housing facilities.

The event will include a meal, raffle and silent auction. The program will feature testimonies from residents and from keynote speaker Stephen Dervan, lead pastor at Oak Hill Church in Williamson, Georgia.

Dervan has his Master of Divinity from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary.He has been in full-time ministry for more than two decades. Along with Georgia, he has served churches in Tennessee and Florida.

Dervan has also had acting roles in two movies, “Fireproof” in 2008 and “The Grace Card” in 2011.

Originally from Albany, Georgia, he married his high school sweetheart, Rebecca. They have five children Cade, Cole, Casen, Carrington and Caylor.

“I guess the main objective of the whole event is to bring awareness of what Crossroads does for people who are suffering from alcohol and addiction problems,” said Crossroads Gospel Mission Director Jamie Lowery.

However, he said, the organization does not limit itself to helping people who are suffering from addiction. He said they serve people with “hurts, habits and hang-ups.”

“I think that’s a good phrase,” he said, and Linda Berl who helped to start Crossroads For Her with Darlene Cox, agreed.

Lowery also said, “Both ministries, that’s one of the purposes we have. To bring them in, they come in broken. We’re prepared to handle that brokenness and then we’re able to come up with a plan to be able to mend what was destroyed.”

Crossroads Gospel Mission has been open for more than 50 years. It started as a refuge for homeless men and women. However, in 2018, under the leadership of Dr. Randy Benner, the organization redefined its mission. It was based on a program called “Firm Foundation.”

Now, the transition home follows a six-month, faith-based curriculum that exposes the residents, who are men only, to a variety of teachings facilitated by Christian men in the community.

The program includes financial responsibility, instruction in relational behavior and one-on-one mentoring and discipleship. It also introduces them to the concept of serving others through the Storehouse Thrift Center. It encourages them to use their free downtown YMCA memberships. They also participate in a weekly 12-Step “Celebrate Recovery” meeting offered at Life Under the Son with Jase Bass.

Lowery said the organization is a 22-bed facility that averages 17 residents a month who transition in and out.

“So, there’s definitely a need for the support of the community, individuals and businesses for both organizations,” he said.

Crossroads For Her opened, in 2023, with the vision: “To provide a Christian transition home for women by offering new hope, a new heart, and new beginnings.”

Berl said they get many calls from people that want temporary shelter or are looking for a rental. However that is not what the organization offers. Instead, she said, Crossroads For Her is a Christian transition home with a program that the residents must follow for three to 12 months.

She said that the women are coming in, as they had expected, from three areas: the jail, drug and alcohol rehab centers, and from homelessness.

To join the Crossroads For Her program, Berl said, a woman needs to fill out an application and do a personal interview. She also needs to have a background check and to have a drug and alcohol check.

“We want to help women who are interested in our program to transition from their hardships in life to successful independent living. Wanting God, there, at their side during this process,” she said.

Currently the transition home has about seven women with a majority of them coming from the Colquitt County Jail. The organization keeps its numbers low so as to provide maximum service to each individual, Berl said. It uses Christian mentors and partnerships with other organizations like churches the YMCA and Georgia Pines to serve the residents.

“We’ve had some really huge successes over the past year,” said Berl.

Among its successes: Three residents are working on getting their GEDs; all of the residents have part-time jobs; and one resident has completed the program and become the house manager under Cox, who is Crossroads for Her’s executive director.

Another thing Crossroads For Her is doing for the residents, Berl said, is helping them get health insurance. It’s also helping them to get documents like birth certificates, ID’s and Social Security cards.

Berl said any church that wants to have her speak to them about the transition home can contact the organization.

Along with the banquet event, donations from individuals, churches and businesses in Colquitt County fund both organizations.

There are 130 tickets available to the event and they are $30 per person. Purchase them at The Colquitt Shopper or by contacting Jamie Lowery at (229) 891-8175 or Linda Berl at (229) 850-0046.

For more information about the organizations, visit the Crossroads For Her website at http://crossroads4her.com or the Crossroads Gospel Mission website at https://crossroadsmoultrie.com.