Finding Redemption Through Faith

Four local women share how faith and community led them to recovery and kept them there.

Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Ryan McGill

Addiction often tells a story of isolation, despair, and loss. Yet for some, recovery becomes a journey of hope, healing, and purpose.

For Michael-Anne Green, Deidre Wilson, Erin Johnson, and Debra Gillespie, faith has been the steady foundation they've leaned on through recovery. These four women have not only found freedom from addiction but also discovered their purpose: helping others find the same.

Faith came to each of these women at a time when they needed it most, and in ways they hadn't expected Michael-Anne's turning point came while sitting in a jail cell in Tennessee. She had lost custody of her kids, had nothing left but a bag of clothes and her purse, and her future seemed bleak. "I always believed in God," she admits, "but I didn't know what it meant to have a relationship with Him."

Then, one day, a group of women visited the jail, sharing the gospel. One of them had even been in that very jail before, and that simple connection sparked something in Michael-Anne. For the first time, she felt hope. "A light went on for me," she recalls. "I gave my life to Christ, and from that moment, everything changed."

Erin also found herself at rock bottom before faith took hold in her life. After years of struggle, she entered rehab in 2020. "My life had burnt to the ground. I was lost and broken," she says.

Growing up in a military family and moving frequently meant Erin didn't grow up in church, so the idea of having a relationship with God was foreign to her. Rehab became the place where she discovered God's love and learned what it meant to surrender. "I realized I couldn't do it alone," she says, and that realization became the first step in her healing.

During her time in rehab, Erin visited several different churches with her group. One of those churches was where Michael-Anne attended. "I was so sick that day," Erin recalls. "But Michael-Anne and her husband prayed over me, and that was the first time I ever believed that it would get better."

This experience marked a pivotal moment in Erin's recovery and connected her with someone who would become an important figure in her life and journey. Today, Erin and Michael-Anne walk the path of recovery together, deeply embedded in the local recovery community.

For Debra, faith also came when she was at her lowest, consumed by addiction. She had reached a point where she felt there was nothing left to live for. "I was tired of it all," she remembers. But God spoke to her in that moment, telling her to bring her struggles to Him. "I did, and He showed up," she says. Today, Debra leads outreach efforts, offering others the same hope and redemption she found in God.

If faith was the first step toward healing, community became the foundation that kept these women grounded. Addiction isolates, but recovery flourishes in connection. The local recovery community in Walker County has become a lifeline for Michael-Anne, Deidre, Erin, Debra, and so many others.

"When I was in addiction, I was completely alone," Erin shares. "I had no idea there was such a strong community of people in recovery."

Today, Erin is part of that very community she once didn't know existed. She and two friends started 3D Revolution, a faith-based recovery discipleship program for women. They offer the support and love that Erin once desperately needed, and now gets to give. Erin also cites Desperation Church as being instrumental in her walk with the Lord and her recovery. "I found my family there. They have supported, loved, and encouraged me from the moment I first walked through the door," she says.

For Michael-Anne, finding her place in a church was also pivotal. "When I went inside, I felt like these total strangers loved me," she says. This love genuine and unconditional helped her stay on the path of recovery. Now, she works at the Recovery Resource Center, serves as a chaplain at Walker County Jail, and leads outreach with Storehouse Jasper, offering the same message of hope and redemption she once received.

Debra's work with Desperation Church's Recovering Redemption and 13 Life Ministries brings her face-to-face with people who feel the same sense of hopelessness she once did. "The people we work with all have one thing in common they feel like they're not welcome anywhere, especially churches," she says. But through outreach and building relationships, Debra has seen lives change. "We tell people about Jesus, we answer their questions, and eventually, they start to see that there is hope."

Deidre, who now works at Fellowship House and is in discipleship at Covenant Church of the Nazarene, played a key role in bringing together Walker County's recovery community. In 2014, when she was still freshly recovered, she saw the need for local leaders to work together and share resources, and her efforts helped lay the groundwork for the support systems that exist today. Certified recovery support peers, like Deidre, have become vital in showing others that recovery is possible and that a whole community is waiting to walk alongside them.

"I wanted to see a strong recovery community in Walker County," she says. "So, to see that now, and to see it continue growing, that's a blessing."

While faith and community are central to their recovery, these women are also quick to point out that recovery is a lifelong journey. It isn't always easy, and they still face challenges. But through faith, they've found the tools to keep moving forward.

"Having the right support systems, staying connected to my faith and church that's what keeps me going," says Michael-Anne. She knows the importance of staying plugged in and is committed to helping others find that same strength.

Deidre speaks honestly about the ups and downs of recovery. "None of us have it all together, even now," she admits. There are still days when she struggles with mental health, but she's learned how to pull herself out of those dark places "You have to keep working on your recovery, or you'll end up back where you started." It's a sentiment all four women share: staying connected — whether through church, support groups, or daily habits — is vital to staying on the right path.

Debra echoes that sentiment, reminding others to trust in God's plan, even when life gets hard. "All you have to do is be obedient, and God will take care of the rest," she says. She's learned to stand firm in her faith, knowing God's love is unshakable even when the winds blow.

Together, these four women have woven a powerful narrative of faith, healing, and service. They've found their own redemption, and a calling to help others find theirs. Whether through jail ministries, leading recovery groups, or simply being there for a friend in need, they are living proof that recovery is possible, and that faith can light the way.

There is help. There is a community. And there is a God who loves unconditionally and offers redemption to all who seek it.

As Erin puts it, "God has been with me the whole time, even when I didn't realize it. He has a plan for my future and my life."

Through faith and community, these women continue to transform lives — starting with their own. 78