When Dickie Bryan bought the West Point property that once was the site of the pork processing plant founded by his father and uncle, he had a definite plan in mind. The idea was to convert the space into a ministry to serve the spiritual and physical needs of men on the margins of society — addicts, ex-convicts, the homeless.
“I had visited the Dream Center in South Carolina,” said Bryan, 77, a former evangelist who is now pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in Starkville. “They had a place where they brought the homeless in and they worked with them. That was the idea we had in mind, a place where people could provide ministries and people could come and go. We sort of floundered a little bit, trying to figure out exactly what we wanted to do.”
In February, The Mission, located on East Church Hill Road, will open is doors as a faith-based residential center for its first seven residents in the 28,000-foot building that once served as the offices for the Sara Lee Corporation.
But that wasn’t the original idea.
Beginning in 2017, the facility — renamed The Mission: A Beacon of Hope, but more commonly known as The Mission on the Hill — is home to several programs, including Celebrate Recovery (for addicts), Grief Share (counseling for those facing personal tragedies) and Bible Studies. They’ve also provided food and meals for people in community as word of the organization continues to filter through the community.
But it wasn’t until a year later that the true vision arrived in the form of Don Cotton.
A ‘leaping and jumping’ heart
In many respects, Cotton was the embodiment of what The Mission ultimately hopes to be.
A West Point native, Cotton, 58, spent most of his adult life in South Florida, most of it under the grips of alcohol and drug addiction. After escaping addiction, he went to college, earning a bachelor’s degree and psychology, which he put to use in working in residential treatment centers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
About the time Bryan was beginning his ministry at The Mission, Cotton was diagnosed with Stage 3 lunch cancer. After treatment, he decided to return home at the urging of his mother.
“It’s amazing, really,” Cotton said. “I came back because I was sick. When I got here, I said, ‘God, what is it for me to do next?’ I didn’t know.”
As fate would have it, Cotton attended one of Bryan’s Bible studies where he learned about plans for The Mission.
“Pastor Bryan showed me the place and my heart just got to leaping and jumping,” he said. “I knew God was leading me here. It was part of his plan.”
As Cotton shared his experience in South Florida, Bryan began to see the real potential of The Mission.
“He clarified, more or less, the direction we needed to go,” Bryan said. “When Don came aboard, he made it even better because he had the background and experience.”
The facility
With a clear idea of what they wanted to do, work commenced. With no paid staff, volunteers have been working on redesigning and rehabilitating the office complex, which had stood unoccupied for 10 years.
Portions of the first floor have been converted to meeting rooms and offices spaces. Portions of the second floor will have living quarters, a fully-equipped kitchen, a common area where residents can relax, watch TV or play games and showers. Transitional living spaces for those who have completed the discipleship part of the program, designed to provide living space for men ages 18 and older for up to a year, are also included.
There is plenty of space for expansion, too. Cotton said he believes the program could eventually accommodate up to 20 residents.
Discipleship
It is the six-month Discipleship Program that lies at the heart of the program.
“We focus on the hope of Jesus Christ,” Bryan said. “There’s a deep spiritual need that everyone has. At the same time, we understand with these men there are social and physical needs, too. Don uses the illustration of his own life. He said he was just going in a circle. He finally came to the realization that he had to get out of that circle. We’re hear to help people get out of that circle of lostness and whatever else their dealing with that’s holding them back.”
During the discipleship phase, residents will receive addiction treatment and counseling, if needed, as well as spiritual development and counseling.
After six months, they enter the Transition Program, where they’ll learn the skills they need to live independently, including soft skills required to land a job. Ideally, residents will go to work during this phase.
“Once they find a job, it will be mandatory that they save 80 percent of their earnings,” said Cotton who will be the director of the residential program. “When they move out, they’ll have saved five or six thousands dollars. That’s important because you have to have money to get settled. If you don’t have money for deposits and things like that, it creates a lot of stress and that can be dangerous for people with their backgrounds. We want them to get on their feet and have the money they need to do that.”
The Mission is a 501(c)3 and relies entirely on donations.
Bryan said all of the work done to prepare the facilities have been done by volunteers, but running the program is expensive, probably around $100,000 a year.
“We’re working with about a dozen groups, churches and other charities,” Bryan said. “One idea is for a church to sponsor a resident and we’ve already had that happen. Really, we’re looking for any idea that helps us raise the money we need, whether it’s a $25-per-month donation or a one-time donation. We still need volunteers, too. We’re hoping this becomes a community-wide thing. We’re counting on the support of the community.”
Those wishing to donate money or volunteer should go to www.missiongtr.com or call 662-605-5040.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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