Bethesda House of Mercy is a Christian faith-based ministry designed to help women with drug and alcohol dependencies.  A residential program located in Southeast Georgia, we provide a different approach to the recovery process.  Our program is non-clinical focusing on the root causes of addictions in a family style atmosphere.

     Some of the opportunities for recovery include pastoral counseling, biblically based classes in many different recovery issues such as anger management, co-dependency, individual relapse prevention and a Christian perspective of the 12 steps.  Residents also participate in many community ministry activities as well as being a part of Bethesda Fellowship, a church in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church denomination.

We have changed our phone number. The correct number is 912-283-8580. Office hours are from 9-5.

You may email us at sweatcathy@bellsouth.net

Bethesda House of Mercy is a quaint Victorian style home situated in the small southern community of Waycross, Ga.  Its massive front porch is inviting and homey to the residents who stay for the program as well as for their families at visitation time.  The recovery is quiet and each resident has a private room  but shares community space with others. We have only 5 beds so each women has privacy to discover her new life as a sober responsible woman. We also invite our residents back "home" for retreats during the year, so new residents can experience recovery from both sides.  Our retreats often include families and friends of the ministry.

The walking program is essential to good recovery and aids the women in developing self confidence and physical strength. The Bible studies encourage the growth of the spiritual side of the woman and also help her to find or heal her relationship with God.  The addiction education adds to the well rounded development of the women as they learn about their disease and how to fight it for life.

Rev. Sweat and Rev. Brewton have done extensive studies in the disease concept of addiction and agree with experts that addiction is truly a disease in all areas; physical, mental, and spiritual.  They teach the women that the addiction has often done some permanent brain transformation and that just as many  victims of other serious life threatening diseases are able to learn new ways of coping with life, so an addict must learn new ways of coping with life. They  believe that this new rewiring of the brain takes time and patience for everyone.  But, mostly, it takes determination by the person seeking help to stay focused and committed to the new lifestyle.

As to a success rate, the pastors believe that each person determines her own success. The tools for recovery are provided on a consistent basis and each woman must pick up her tools and work with them to truly recover.

The most important step is to become a believer and truly committed to Jesus Christ.  After that committment is squarely in place in person's life, the ministers  believe that the healing process can truly begin.