Fwd: Redemption in an Unexpected Place

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Fwd: Redemption in an Unexpected Place

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lisa Hosler, Align Life Ministries <info@alignlifeministries.org>
Date: Wed, Sep 3, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Subject: Redemption in an Unexpected Place
To: <gehmanmennonitechurch@gmail.com>

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." — James 5:16

Greetings!

"Do you guys need a larger building for your Columbia location?" a supporter asked.

It was as though he'd read our minds. We'd outgrown our current building and were about to contact a realtor.

The supporter continued, "My church has prayed for years that an active strip club in Columbia – the last one in Lancaster County – would close down. And it just did! The building is twice as big as yours."

Long story short, we purchased the building a month later and amazing God-stories began to unfold.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE

A board member was praying outside the building when a young mom came up and said, "Are you buying this place? My children and I have encountered men going in and out of here. I would kiss the feet of anyone who transforms this building."

Later, when we were onsite discussing renovations, a woman walked by and said, "I'm so glad this business closed! My church has been praying that it would! Could we have the sign as a memorial to God's faithfulness?" They took the sign down the next day.

Soon afterwards our board, leadership team, and regional church leaders prayed through the building — for God's Spirit to cleanse the property and bring salvation to the young women and men who would seek our help.

The best God-story happened after that time of prayer.

A young woman caught in sex trafficking had fled her captors and was in the Columbia area. She sensed God saying, "Go to Align Pregnancy Services. They'll help you." As she sat down with our director, she poured out her story, received prayer, and we referred her to local ministries dedicated to helping women in her situation.

And this is just the beginning.

God intends to bring "many sons and daughters to glory" through this larger facility in downtown Columbia. We'll have a medical wing for pregnancy tests and ultrasound services, ample room for prenatal and fatherhood classes, and a sizeable baby boutique.

The ballpark range for renovations is $850,000-1,000,000. Once our goal of $80,000 is reached for this letter — with a head start through a generous gift of $12,500 — all additional gifts will go toward renovations for the sake of young families in Columbia.

Will you be part of God's redemption story for the young moms, dads, and babies in the Columbia area?

YES, I WILL GIVE!

In the powerful, life-saving name of Jesus,

Lisa Hosler

President