The vision for "Our Father's Arms" came on December 2, 1994 during an unusual funeral service in Jacksonville, Alabama. The chapel was filled with an assortment of people from all walks of life ranging from dignitaries to derelicts. We were assembled there for the funeral of a life long friend whose name was Ken. 30 years earlier Ken had been a young minister, a loving and faithful husband and father; one who appeared to have an incredibly bright future. Ken's life took a tragic turn however. He became an alcoholic, lost his family and was caught in an endless downward spiral of futile recovery attempts; in and out of hospitals, rehab centers and halfway houses only to find his hell on Earth inescapable. Ken was virtually homeless and at the time of his death he was an inmate in the city jail.
  

    It was the troubled life and death of Ken that begin opening our eyes to the cause and solution for the tragic plight of so many like him. The cause is selfishness caused by rejection resulting in rebellion, sin, guilt and self hatred. The solution is disciplined love and acceptance not more rejection and ridicule. The foundational Bible verse of "Our Father's Arms" is 
1 Corinthians 13:8 "...love never fails!"

    We are learning how to receive and express love of God that never fails and we are seeing, in many cases, the chains of addiction broken, lives mended and families restored.
 

    We believe that a vital part of the success were experiencing is because of the interest, compassion, involvement and integration of a healthy community. We have church groups, youth groups, civic clubs and many neighbors who feel at home at Our Father's Arms. We have a hospitality suite for overnight guests.
 

    Our plans are to expand and continue to bring help and hope to the increasing number of hurting and broken people, and in particular, young mothers with children who are trapped in abusive situations.