Gala honors men in Genesis House program as it shines light on addiction
Michael Neary | Herald-Standard
The Rev. Terry Sanders and the Rev. Rhonda Sanders, founders of Genesis House Ministries, address attendees at the 3rd Annual Gala for Genesis House Ministries at the Victory House in Uniontown.
Michael Neary | Herald-Standard
Jonathan Stickle delivers the keynote address at the 3rd Annual Gala for Genesis House Ministries Thursday night at the Victory House in Uniontown.
Michael Neary | Herald-Standard
Beverly Walker sings “We’ve Come This Far by Faith” at the 3rd Annual Gala for Genesis House Ministries at the Victory House in Uniontown.
As the Rev. Terry Sanders delivered a booming assertion at the 3rd Annual Gala for Genesis House Ministries that might well have encompassed all the themes of the night.
“There is help available,” he announced with fervor during the celebration at Victory House in Uniontown – and then he repeated that statement. At the same time, Sanders noted that funding is tight as he underlined the need for support from the community.
Sanders and his wife, the Rev. Rhonda Sanders, founded Genesis House about seven years ago, and the gala allowed them to raise funds, thank those who have supported the program and celebrate the new paths of several men graduating from the program. Genesis House, as described on its website, is a “faith based halfway house” that accepts “men who are transitioning from the prison system, institutions, detox centers and/or community.”
It is also a recently state-licensed facility.
The graduates who spoke at the gala, along with others who shared their stories, reflected candidly and sometimes bluntly on their experiences with addiction.
“My journey to where I am right now started about 12 years ago, out of high school,” said Ryan Krysak, a graduate who completed the nine-month program in December 2019. He described falling into addiction and losing ties with loved ones.
“I wound up sitting in Fayette County (Prison), on my knees in the shower giving my life to God, saying I couldn’t do that anymore,” he said, and then he described the way he rekindled relationships with family as he entered Genesis House.
“Through this program I’ve learned to trust God with everything I do,” Krysak said.
Joshua Miskanin, resident manager at Genesis House, also completed the program last December.
“Getting clean – that wasn’t hard,” he said. “It was figuring out what I had to do to stay clean. It was putting the work in every day.”
He called Genesis House a “golden opportunity” with “great people around you to push you and give you what you need.” He also emphasized the profound importance of helping other people who came into Genesis House while he was there.
Kyle Luko, Sanders said, was among the youngest people who ever came into the program, entering at age 19 and turning 20 while he was in the program. He’s set to complete the program on March 13. He thanked Genesis House, and he thanked God as he described his emergence from addiction.
“My life was a mess,” Luko said. “I came out of the county jail and went to Genesis House, and they helped me change my life. They gave me a bunch of opportunities – I learned a lot of trades while I was there. And I want to thank them for helping me get my family back.”
The evening featured a dinner provided by the Bruderhof, including both the Spring Valley and New Meadow Run communities in Farmington. A warm spirit also radiated throughout the night from the Genesis House founders, Terry and Rhonda Sanders. Tyler Sanders, their daughter, also played a pivotal role in speaking and organizing during the gala.
Jonathan Stickle delivered the keynote address. Terry Sanders said that Stickle, sober for more than a decade, has collaborated with Genesis House staff members on their work with men in the program. Stickle, early in the address, noted the impression Sanders has made on him.
“The Rev is a truthful man and his heart is in it,” Stickle said, before moving into his own story. Stickle said his addiction started with alcohol when he was 17 or 18 years old – and he did not trace the addiction to childhood experiences.
“My mother did everything she could for us,” he said. “I don’t ever remember being without a vehicle, without a home, without a meal, without school clothes, without anything of that nature. I could sit there and tell you, ‘I did everything I did because my father wasn’t in my life’ … but my grandfather was the epitome of a perfect man.”
He wrestled with the complexity of causes as he discussed his addiction.
“I believe that there was something in me, and when I introduced something into my system the chemicals in my brain changed,” Stickle said. He went on to describe the feelings of “self-loathing, self-centeredness and self-hatred,” and he explained the deep difficulty of leaping beyond those states of mind. He emphasized the importance of his mother and his daughter in his life – both of whom were in attendance – when he “couldn’t see a way out.”
“My daughter saved my life,” he said.
After Stickle spoke, Terry Sanders introduced Sherri Jordan to share her story, as well.
“She lost her son to the crisis of addiction,” Sanders said. “It’s great what’s going on in Jonathan’s life, but I want you to know that not every story ends this way.”
He implored the people in attendance to “take in the success but also the reality of what happens.”
Jordan then approached the front of the room and stood behind the microphone.
“This is hard,” she said quietly. “I don’t even know how to start to talk about it.”
Holding up a photo, she told the audience, “This is my son Jesse. Jesse passed away March 31, 2018, the day before Easter, of a heroin overdose.” She said her son, who was 25 when he died, left behind three children.
Jordan said her son’s picture travels to various places to raise awareness about addiction. She added that no one suspected that he might die, and she noted that he did try to work through recovery.
“We didn’t know about Genesis House, and maybe that would have been his answer – and I wish it was,” she said. Then she paused.
“It still doesn’t define who Jesse was,” she said. “He was an addict, but Jesse was loved, just like everyone else in this room.”
People seeking more information about Genesis House Ministries may visit https://genesishouseministryuniontownpa.org/.