Rebuilding and Rehabilitation Men of Society For 19 Years, ChristTown Ministries

A ministry dedicated to the rehabilitation of men from all walks of life for 19 years, ChristTown Ministries.

Laura Wells-Linton says ChristTown Ministries was inspired by the journey of her deceased husband and founder of the ministry, Pastor Bob Wells. ChristTown Ministries’ male only program mirrors Bob and Laura’s road to the redemption of their emotional and physical health. A pure transformation of the mind, body and soul.

The Wells were married 25 years but together for 29 years. Laura and Bob Wells met in a bar at a dark time for Wells-Linton. After a conversation, the Wells found themselves in love, they were inseparable. Even though Wells’ drinking was already causing problems within the union, her love for him triumphed when he asked for her hand in marriage.

Bob started socially drinking and using drugs in early twenties, which would be the leading cause of his journey to recovery.

“Bob would always say, I started doing drugs and then drugs started doing me,” says Wells-Linton

After marrying, Laura and Bob took up counseling at Laura’s job at the time. The married couple took individual and combined sessions to assist with the recovery process. At one of her sessions, the counselor showed Laura the Jellineck curve, which illustrates the different stages alcohol addiction can take you through. The counselor advised Wells-Linton to discover the path Wells was heading on and for her to run the opposite direction, as hard and fast as she could.

On the ride home from the counseling session Wells asked Wells-Linton what the counselor spoke to her about, and she looked at him and repeated the counselor's advice. Wells asked Wells-Linton what her final decision would be, and she replied, “I love you and I’m going to marry you, your drinking will just have to make or break this marriage.”

The Wells got married in 1990 and had their first child together in February 1992, Josh Wells.

One evening in 1996, Laura and Josh found Bob faced down on the floor, with drug paraphernalia surrounding him. Bob had experienced an overdose and upon waking, the first glimpse of his son Josh was the image that initiated his commitment to his recovery at the Addiction Recovery Center Program at Tallahassee Community Hospital. After Wells spent Father’s Day Weekend of 1996 at the Addiction Recovery Center, Bob proclaimed that was “his end”.

Although Laura had already taken counseling classes with Bob before, she was more than happy to stand alongside him in family meetings, to begin her recovery process as well. Laura discovered while her husband was suffering from addiction, she was also suffering from codependency. She was able to take advantage of some of the classes they offered that would assist her in her healing as well.

“I was with him everyday, very active in church in choir, nursery duty and I have tons of bible study notes from the time we both spent devoted to our church. After my husband passed, the church told me several years later that they’d caught him using drugs once in the church’s bathroom but instead of throwing us out, they took the opportunity to come minister to him and not tell anyone about it.

Our relationship was amazing after three years of recovery. I remember looking at him and saying God didn’t do this for us to just exist and he grabbed my hand and agreed. We both knelt on our couch and surrendered to God together and we let him know we’d do whatever it is that he’d have us to do,” says Wells-Linton.

ChristTown Ministries is patterned after her and Bob's journey, on a much larger scale.

Spiritual awakening is one of the 12 steps of recovery for an alcoholic. Bob expressed a lot of gratitude for that step and he embodied that step with his service to other men.

“It really all started with Bob bringing men home off of the street when he worked at Haven of Rest Rescue Mission, washing their clothes, feeding them and allowing them to stay with us for a few days before he could find them a home. He’d pick men up and bring them to church with us. When he was first called to do this, I was in complete awe. We were living in a family property owned by Bob and his sister, Martha-Ann Wells. We were coming up with plans for some family land Bob and his sister owned for Bob to generate steady income. We had a pull to start the ministry but we both worked in mortgage, we didn't know how. One morning he heard God tell him that he was kneeling on the way to start the ministry and that’s when he knew what he would do with it. He was ready to do what God had called him to do,” said Wells-Linton.

ChristTown Ministries Inc. was established Aug. 1, 2002. ChristTown Ministries Inc. has one residence for the program that houses up to 12 men. They aren’t allowed to work for the first year, ChristTown allows the men to volunteer for compensation at the two largest contributing fundraisers for the program, ChristTown Thrift Store and ChristTown Ministries Inc. Professional Movers. ChristTown Ministries requires the men to complete several tasks to complete the curriculum that includes two phases.

Phase one is dedicated to the “transformation of the mind”, several books, workbooks, readings, reports and curriculum resources are provided to the males in the program to assist them with progressing with recovery. Laura teaches several life skill courses including a 10 week anger-management course and a course expounding on resisting temptation and protecting your body against daily spiritual and mental attacks, called the bait of satan. Laura also assists with teaching a course called “steps to freedom in Christ” for the program residents.

“Ten years ago, I was just living the life of hell. I made all the money one man could have but I knew it was deeper issues I had to deal with. It started when God used my son. You think they’re not paying attention but they really are. I watched him chop up salt and acted like he snorted it with a straw. I called my brother and he told me about ChristTown. I saw a genuine love that I never experienced, not even from my own father. I knew it wasn’t about money anymore, it was about my soul. I jumped out of the car on I-75 going 70 mph, I lost custody of my son. I found Christ and Pastor Bob.He was a light in a dark dark place taught me how to be a real man. My life made a shift. They loved me for me, I talked to them about my problems and they didn’t judge me,” says ChristTown Ministries Associate Pastor and program entry director, Kevin Shulla.

ChristTown Ministries residents are all on different curriculum tracks but since the program has no expiration date for the males individually, they’re truly able to make a genuine effort toward their new lives. Most of the men’s schedules are similar but not identical, they all are required to read devotionals, memorize scriptures and attend classes and weekly meetings but their volunteering title and hours may vary due to their overall schedule.

“When I found out about them, I had a bad drug problem and was suffering from addiction. I got to a point where I didn’t want to do it anymore. They tried to offer me meds but I knew I needed substance abuse help. I was with a faith-based program prior, I just wasn’t ready to change. ChristTown is very loving, compassionate, so focused and centered around Christ, building a relationship with him and weeding out negativity and toxicity. Giving you life skills and how to mature and become a successful adult in

society. They’ve helped me reconnect with my family. They are very proud of me. There's a lot of love in this place, I grew up in foster care and I didn’t really feel like I had a purpose or meaning. I struggled with that connection and these people really are family to me. Everything I searched for, I'm now filling that void. I feel complete and whole,” said ChristTown resident, Mark Cleveland.

Once the men in the program have acclimated themselves to a level of positive and sustainable normalcy, they’ll be approved to move to the second phase of the program.

Phase two is devoted to adjusting and acclimating themselves to their new lifestyles. The men have to comprehend money management, housing and attaining employment or a certification for a trade before becoming an approved graduating resident and receiving their certificate of completion.

“My problem was structure. I really was going to stay as high as I could without working and I got robbed twice. I remember spending my last dollar on the bus trying to pawn my comic books that were worth about $10,000 to get here. I grabbed all the change from around my house to have enough money to get there. I’d lost my job because of COVID-19 and I kept getting denied unemployment. I really only collected enough money to buy a phone and use someone’s wifi. I didn’t even have enough to turn on the service. ChristTown helped me get my license and get my credit together, I never thought that would happen. I’m in great standing with my family now, my parents are stoked… I’ve been going against the grain for so long. I have no debt, no children or anything… I’m a free bird. I can go to Europe tomorrow with no problem,” says ChristTown resident, Steve Corcora.

The only requirements for male residents looking to join ChristTown Ministries, is a genuine desire to change and for the individual to be a male.

ChristTown Ministries’ family meetings are three times a year. After the passing of Pastor Bob Wells in 2016, Laura has found her place managing ChristTown with the help of the residents. She desires to do more family meetings a year because of how much she gained from the family meetings she attended to get the info she was given at the addiction recovery center when Bob first started to attend his three AA meetings a day at the recent North Florida Baptist Church, previously Temple First Baptist Church.

If you’re interested in more information about opportunities at ChristTown Ministries, contact their office at (850)-627-7181 or christtown@christtown.org.

If you're interested in entering ChristTown’s male program, contact Kevin Shulla at (850)-509-2222

You can also visit the website at www.christtown.org