Oasis addiction recovery will open at Eagle Heights Church

Local News

Related Photos

July 1, 2009

By TRICIA NEAL, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Wed Jul 01, 2009, 09:01 PM EDT

When an addiction turns your soul into a desert, an oasis is just what you need.

Soon, there will be an oasis right here in Somerset for individuals seeking help with their addictions.

Plans are in the works to open the Oasis Care Center, an outreach ministry of Eagle Heights Church that will come to the aid of men and women dealing with various types of addictions.

The ministry will be officially introduced this weekend — appropriately, in the midst of the nation’s celebration of freedom — with a Summer Celebration at Eagle Heights Church, located on the Ky. 914 Bypass near Ky. 192.

The public is invited to celebrate Independence Day on Friday, July 3, beginning at 4 p.m. on the church grounds. Games, food, and a giant yard sale will be featured in the evening, and, as night falls, guests can stay and watch SomerBlast’s fireworks display from one of the best spots in town.

On Sunday, July 5, Eagle Heights will hold its church service from the porch of the new Oasis Center — a 8,000-square-foot-plus log cabin which used to house the Backwaters store — at 10 a.m. The service will feature Cecil Johnson, a recovered alcoholic who is currently having a movie made about his life.

A cookout will be held following the church service, and more activities will be available in the afternoon. The meal is free, but donations to the Oasis ministry will be accepted.

The Oasis will offer meeting space for various support groups and one-on-one counseling.

A thrift store will also be housed in the building. Proceeds will fund operation of the Oasis.

The facility will eventually offer two residential rehabilitation buildings for men and women who are facing long-term recoveries. A $200,000 anonymous donation was recently received to help fund the construction of the residential buildings, which should be completed by the end of this year.

Later, those involved in the Oasis ministry hope to offer free help to individuals who need help in other areas. A shelter for children and a pregnancy support center are just two of several options.

Eagle Heights Discipleship and Small Groups Pastor Joey Simmons said the Oasis is the realization of a longtime dream of Senior Pastor David Bullock.

“There is nothing like this in Somerset yet,” Simmons said.

“We expect this ministry to be huge, but we don’t expect to do it all ourselves. We think that when people start hearing about what it is, they’ll want to get involved.”

Simmons said short therapy sessions often aren’t enough to help addicts.

“We need to get these people out of our neighborhoods and into a full-time care facility,” he said.

Applications are currently being accepted for an Oasis director. The facility should be operational by the fall.

For more information about the Oasis, call Eagle Heights Church at (606) 677-9220.

Text Only

Local News

Visitors rave about beauty of Lake Cumberland in May
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Mopar Mania to highlight Cruise
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
‘Dry’ forces concerned about wet signs
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Pulaski’s Memorial Day weekend to be packed
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Locally-born Rotary leader Pigman dies at 78
May 24, 2012
Technology summit gets underway
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Local Democrats diss Obama
May 23, 2012
Floyd edges incumbent in city council run-off
May 23, 2012
Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

May 22, 2012 1 Photo
Pine Knot man leads law enforcement on chase
May 22, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Related Photos

Oasis addiction recovery will open at Eagle Heights Church

Site Map