Facts


but God did the hard work. It’s won- derful here.”


Finding success


Johnston began managing Faith Farm in 2010 and was named direc- tor in November 2012. Besides practical support like transportation to appointments, she offers compas- sion, gently reminding residents who threaten to retreat into dark places that they are worthy of respect. “It takes a lot of caring and under- standing,” Johnston said. “These women have been persecuted and devastated. They’ve lost jobs and homes and have no one to turn to.” Since Johnston has been at Faith Farm, more than 20 women have successfully completed the program. “They always go out blessed, with a stable, rebuilt life,” she said. Roberta Lockwood, who initially got involved with Angels House through her congregation, Christ the King Lutheran in Columbia, S.C., has also seen plenty of success stories since she became program director in 2009. A former Army drill instructor at Fort Jackson, she is a pragmatic mentor capable of dol- ing out tough love when necessary. Michelle Porterfield, for one, is


grateful. Fighting depression, she stopped showing up at work. Lock- wood, she said, encouraged her to make amends with her employer and reclaim her job.


“I’m settled here,” Porterfield said. “My brain is relaxed. My mind is on working and doing what I have to do to get on my feet.” Shelley Murray-Smith agrees that Angels House is a place to regroup. “I was starting to live my life recklessly,” said Murray-Smith, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder last year. Medication and a women’s therapy group have given her the tools to manage it. “I think it’s helpful if you use it in the right way,” she said of the sup- port available at the house. “But you have to motivate yourself.” Since it opened in 2009, Angels House has served 60 clients and has averaged about a 75 percent success rate, Lockwood said. She enjoys hearing good news from former resi- dents. One called to report that she had worked her way up from being a part-time Sam’s Club employee to supervising the whole tasting depart- ment. Such stories are gratifying for both Lockwood and Johnston. Hope is the essence of Faith Farm


and Angels House, Johnston said, adding: “These women have served their country. And now it’s our time to serve them.” 


Lutheran Services Carolinas also operates transitional housing for male veterans at Kinard Manor in Greenwood, S.C. Learn more at 800-435-7464.


• Nearly 63,000 male and female veterans are homeless on any given night. They make up 13 percent of the U.S. homeless population. Female veterans are twice as likely to be homeless as women who haven’t served in the military. • 8 percent of homeless vets are women. • 50 percent of all veterans have disabilities and/or serious mental illness. • 70 percent have substance abuse problems.


SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS VETERANS


Gathering the Lutheran Community


in New York City Lodging for


Servant Trips Youth Ministry


Parish Getaways Clergy Meetings


The view from the top of the “Rock”


and always Sacred Hospitality


Convenient ●Comfortable ●Affordable Clergy Discounts


Seafarers & International House


Wk 1- Dr. Karoline Lewis: Greater Works Than These: God’s Call to Us in the 21st Century


Wk 2- Dr. Julia Fogg: A Migrant People Called by the Spirit...Evolving & Becoming


Worship+Music - Both weeks by Tom Witt & Mary Preus


123 East 15th Street New York, NY 10003 info@sihnyc.org www.sihnyc.org


An ELCA mission for seafarers and sojourners, with an 84-room guesthouse in the Union Square neighborhood that facilitates your congregational mission while you facilitate


ours. Collectively, God’s Work, Our Hands. November 2013 29


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