PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Addiction doesn't discriminate.
It takes from whomever falls victim to it, until there's nothing left.
Chance Sweet knows that pain first hand.
“18 years of trips to jail. I ended up on meth, pills, the needle. I ended up homeless and everything. I’ve been to the bottom," Sweet said.
Sweet found sobriety through re-establishing his faith, bringing him back home to Kentucky to help others living through the same struggles.
It led to the creation of Leap of Faith Outreach.
“We started a little over two years ago in the basement of the church that we outgrew in two meetings. Now, sometimes we’ll have anywhere from 100-400+ people come," Sweet said
"They come from all over the place to fight this battle against addiction because our region, our state our nation is really hurting from this.”
Every third Saturday, hundreds of people flock to the lot of Barnesburg Baptist Church to make the hurt go away.
Food, music, prayer.
A full day of fellowship that has helped people like James Horne heal.
“I was addicted to the drug amphetamines for 20 years…I’d lost kids, I’d lost family. I’ve buried just about every member of my family. I’d lost everything but the clothes on my back," Horne said.
“May of 2023 I came to rehab here in Kentucky. When we came in, I’d had about two weeks of clean time. I remember coming in and the atmosphere, you could just feel the love in the place.”
Love has been the medicine so many have needed walking into Leap of Faith.
People like Adam Burks who very well might not be alive today without this community outreach.
“July 24, I was working in Tennessee, doing a job installing tanks. I hit that low spot and had no intention of coming home other than in a body bag," Burks said.
“I hit my knees that night (at Leap of Faith) and it was the most peaceful calming feel I’d ever had in my life that came over me that night. I had probably 10-15 people around me with hands on me just praying.”
As Sweet says, addiction doesn't discriminate, but neither does faith.
His outreach has expanded out of state, aiming to touch as many people as possible through their personal fights.
“We have testimonies of how people have overcome these problems and these issues because at the end of the day someone is dying to hear what somebody else has been through. It might be the thing that gets them through that day.”
“When you have hundreds of people that were broken, that were beat down and they’re in here putting their hands up. Everyone gets something from it. These people are beat down enough so we get them in here and we love on them.”
The next rally for Leap of Faith Outreach is set for Saturday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m. at 1200 Barnesburg Road in Somerset.
If you want to learn more about Leap of Faith Outreach, click here.
