Two unique programs aim to break the chains of addiction and create new beginnings.
By Judy Marie Willis / Photos by J. Sinclair

Solus Christus: A saving grace for recovering women. 

 
Paula and Randy Borton are quite familiar with new beginnings. Not the new year variety of losing weight or starting a project, but the life-changing kinds that focus on restoration and living God’s promises. It’s a way of life the Bortons have provided since 2002 when they first started taking women 18 and older into their home, providing a safe shelter until openings are available in rehabilitation programs. Within the next five years, more than 20 women, some addicts, would have that fresh start and a new beginning at life.

While still in Winston-Salem, the couple opened a Christian-based safe house for women in addiction, and in 2007 they incorporated their 501(c)3 nonprofit, Solus Christus (In Christ Alone), and purchased what would become their six-acre farm in East Bend. Downtown Thrift located in Winston-Salem was later opened, and all proceeds go to support the ministry.

Residents participate in daily Bible study, prayer and devotions, farm upkeep, “Celebrate Recovery” meetings, church, and occasional Friday night bonfires and fellowship. “Our goal is not just to get our girls off drugs but to feed them the gospel,” says Paula, affectionately known as Ms. Paula. “Women tend to sell their bodies when they’re on drugs and as a result are filled with shame. They need to know that something different can happen in their lives.”

Since opening, Solus Christus has served 360 women and collaborated with 35 churches that support the ministry. “Christian ministries like ours have an 85 percent success rate,” says Paula. “Many of the women have put their lives back on track, gotten their children back; some have become teachers and others are going to college. To see the Lord work in this way is so rewarding.”

Solus Christus is dedicated to helping residents build their faith in Christ and get placement in a Christian rehab facility. It’s been a refuge for women like 22-year-old Ashley, who was on drugs for four years before coming to the farm. “I’ve known about God all of my life. I accepted Christ in my heart at 13,” says Ashley. “I started taking drugs at 18 after a bad breakup; they took away the pain.”

After four years, Ashley was tired of repeating her lifestyle and confided her secret to her pastor, who found Solus Christus. This month she’s headed to New York to begin rehab. “The routine of praying, reading the Bible and glorifying God in all things has allowed me to see life more abundantly. I’m taking it day by day as He leads me.”

For more information about Solus Christus, visit www.soluschristusinc.com.

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Project Cornerstone: Samaritan Ministries creates “miracles” for men in the community. 

 
Samaritan Ministries is a volunteer-based nonprofit ministry that has provided hope and healing for the hungry and the homeless since it opened its doors in March 1981. Each year, approximately 2,500 volunteers work more than 55,000 hours to run the ministry’s programs. In 2010 alone, they served over 158,177 meals at the soup kitchen (the only one in Winston-Salem); provided more than 24,187 nights of shelter for homeless men through Samaritan Inn, and marked 15 years of serving men in addiction through Project Cornerstone, a program that Executive Director Sonjia Kurosky counts as one of Samaritan’s greatest accomplishments.

“I pulled a bunch of the shelter guests into a meeting one night and asked them what kind of help they needed to stay off drugs,” says Kurosky. “We brainstormed and later decided that our goal would be to address the causes of homelessness and remove the barriers to employment, housing, and recovery.” Residents receive individual and group counseling, classes on addiction and recovery, job readiness, and basic life skills. More than 150 men have successfully completed the program.

Scott had used drugs for 35 of his 50 years of life before starting Project Cornerstone on December 27, 2010. “At first I was lying about the things I had been doing because of my addiction,” says Scott. “I looked within myself and realized that I had been using drugs as a coverup.”

When Scott realized that he couldn’t kick his addiction alone, he reached out to Project Cornerstone. “At the end of the day, this program has given me a lot of hope and encouragement to allow God back in my life. I don’t have to hide myself anymore.”

Since going through the program at Project Cornerstone, Scott has been able to reconnect and spend quality time with his three sons and five grandchildren. “I believe that I can be an inspiration to my boys,” he says. “I thank God for keeping me clean and sober, for giving me the opportunity to give back what was freely given to me.”

“I have seen so many miracles,” says Kurosky. “If we thought about hunger and homelessness not just during the holidays but throughout the year, we could make such a big difference in our community.”

For more information about Samaritan Ministries, visit www.samaritanforsyth.org.