Ministry hopes to bring recovery program to Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Rising Above Ministry held an informational session last week about the recovery program they plan to open in Fort St. John. 

The ministry’s communications and development manager Stephanie Hudson said the meeting at the Fort St. John Curling Club had about 30 attendees, with around 20 local organizations being represented. 

The point of the meeting was to share Rising Above’s plan for the program with the community.

The six-month residential, faith-based recovery program focuses on helping those in cycles of “defeat,” such as homelessness and addiction.

“We’re very much life skills-based, and that’s teaching people all of the life skills that they need to know in order to learn and to live a self-sufficient life,” said Hudson.

Rising Above Ministry announced its intention to bring the program to Fort St. John back in January 2023 in conjunction with New Day in the Peace Ministries. 

Hudson said that the program in Fort St. John would be run by New Day in the Peace and that the Grand Prairie-based ministry would take “a hands-off approach.” 

“We want the community to really get behind the Rising Above in Fort St. John the same way the community has here in Grand Prairie with the Grand Prairie Rising Above,” Hudson said. 

Hudson said the next steps for the organization in getting set up in Fort St. John are the more “boring” tasks of policy implementation and finding an executive director. 

Hudson also said the group will begin running community informational sessions known as Understanding Sessions, where community members can learn about and discuss things like addiction, grief, anger, and self-esteem. 

The first session hosted in Fort St. John will be on March 15th, 2023, with more details to come. 

For more information on Rising Above Ministry, visit their website.