Jodi Faith and her husband Bob entertained an intimate group at the Trinity Pentecostal church on September 14. Faith is the Canadian 2013 female vocalist of the year for the CGMA and has received 18 awards in North America and Europe.
Faith visited Fernie in support of Linda Johnson’s dream, Shekinah House. Shekinah House is a residential recovery house for women who are suffering from addictions to drugs or alcohol, or other life controlling behaviours such as gamling or food issues.
Johnson had the vision for Shekinah House back in 2010 while dealing with her own recovery issues.
“I realized that we needed a local recovery centre strictly for women, where they could live,” said Johnson. “It would be local so that they could still have contact with their families and when they left the recovery program they would have local support in place.
“Although this will be a Christian recovery program, biblically based, you don’t have to be a Christian to get into the program, if you felt you could work with the ‘Overcomers’ Workbook, a spiritual 12-step solution to wholeness and healing, you could certainly come.
“Since Sept, 2012 to date we have fundraised approximately $5000, we are currently in need of a corporate sponsor but are having trouble finding one because we are Christian based.”
The actual house may still be a vision but Johnson has already begun a support program based out of the Trinity Pentecostal Tabernacle. The group meets on Tuesdays at 1:00 pm and works through the ‘Overcomers’ workbook.
Faith heard about Johnson’s vision through a mutual friend and decided to hold a fundraising concert for Shekinah House.
Intermingled with her beautiful singing Faith tells the story of her own issues with drug abuse, how she and her three children ended up homeless and how she overcame these obstacles in her own life.
“I am here tonight because I support the idea of drug free living,” said Faith. “I am a living sign and wonder, an example of someone who God wasn’t finished with yet.”
“We need a place in Fernie to go, we need a recovery program in Fernie, said Faith. “We need a house, a place where women can get away.”