Fresh Start Training Center

Providing Biblical Solutions for Personal Struggles

Discipleship Program

Fresh Start is a residential discipleship program, seeking to help single men & married couple’s  who are struggling in the battles of the Christian life.

We will seek to address both the surface problems as well as the root cause. We believe at the deepest level, all problems stem from the inherent sinful nature of all mankind resulting from the fall.

People who fail never plan to fail, they just fail to plan.
What are God’s plans for you?

Why?

You’re at the end of your rope. You’ve got few options left and they are dwindling fast. Maybe you’ve been caught and it’s “Fresh Start or else…”. You need to make some changes, and yesterday wouldn’t be too soon. If this sounds close to you or someone you know, may we ask the question “Why”?

Why do you desire change? Is it simply because there are no other options, or because you can no longer deal with the consequences of a life out of control? While they can sometimes motivate the initial steps toward freedom, true and lasting change needs to come from much deeper motivating factors.

Godly repentance, sorrow over sin, humility, faith, and obedience in God are essentials to finding change that lasts. Maybe you desire to make these qualities a part of your life, but you don’t know how. If you are willing to humble yourself, seek God’s face, and turn every area of your life over to him, we’re here to walk with you on this incredibly difficult but worthwhile and rewarding journey to living the life of purpose God has for you.

Who?

Fresh Start is designed for men, both single and married. Their reasons for coming vary. It should be noted that while some of the men entering the program have prior psychological diagnosis, Fresh Start is a Christian discipleship program rather than a mental institution.
Here are some of the reasons men come to Fresh Start:

  • Christian Discipleship
  • Substance Abuse (Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.)
  • Moral Sin (Pornography, Masturbation, Adultery, Sexual Abuse— both abuser and abused, Etc.)
  • Depression, Bitterness, Anger, Rebellion, Etc.
  • Relationship Problems

We will seek to address both the surface problem as well as the root cause. We believe at the deepest level, all problems stem from the inherent sinful nature of all mankind resulting from the fall. As a result, we will at times clearly confront sinful tendencies even while we hurt with you and help you begin the process of forgiveness and restoration of relationships.

What?

  • Discipleship Classes
    • You will have two classes per day. The formats vary from class to class.
    • We look at different subjects like salvation, cleaning up your past, victorious Christian living, developing a home plan.
    • You can ask questions and have a discussion about where you find yourself in life.
  • Shop Program
    • You will spend around five hours per day working in a structured environment.
    • You will learn new job skills.
    • You will learn how to relate to your employer in a healthy way.
    • You will learn to relate to others in a biblical way as you rub shoulders every day.
  • Counseling
    • You will be assigned to a counselor when you get here, and you will meet with him three days a week for 45 minutes.
    • You will be responsible to make this time of the most value by being open and honest about those things you find yourself dealing with. 
  • Interpersonal Relationships
    • You will have Sociogram every Wednesday morning. Sociogram is an intense time of group interaction where you can share blind spots and root causes with the other men and learn to handle confrontation positively and allow Jesus to bring change to your life.
    • Following Sociogram, you will have Positive-gram. Positive-gram is a time of sharing compliments with each other. This positive feedback encourages the men to continue pursuing deep inner change.

Our Beliefs

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God and is sufficient for solving mans problems.

Trusting in Jesus is the only means of Salvation.

It is possible to have the assurance of Salvation.

It is possible to turn away from God.

Being born again will produce fruit in our lives.

Faith and repentance are the first steps.

Learn more about Fresh Start

FAQ

Fresh Start is a long-term residential  Christian discipleship program for men (single or married) designed to do two primary things:

  1. Disciple men in their walk with God
  2. Assist men experiencing problems in relationships

Any single man, married couple who desires to grow in their walk with Christ.

Any man entering the program must be at least 18 years of age.

Yes, we provide counseling and classes for both the married man and his wife.

     Allow us to ask you a question. How long is life? Greater yet how long is eternity? With this perspective, Fresh Start’s program is 8 months long, split into two, four month semesters. That allows us to start a new group every four months. It’s really not that long in perspective to life itself. Remember God’s program never ends.

We have a suggested donation of $1,500/month.

We do not bill, and no records will be kept on what is paid in. The difference is offset with the shop sales and donations from churches, businesses, and individuals. 

We offer help regardless of financial ability to pay for services provided.

Download an application or call us at 812-254-3399.

The waiting list can vary from 6 months to 2 years out.

Please contact our office at 812-254-3399 for a more precise estimate. Again, the wait time is an approximation; actual wait times will likely vary somewhat from what you are told, due in to the varied length of stay and/or early dismissals.

Resources

Download Process of Enrollment
Download Application Form
Download Resident Guidelines

Process of Enrollment

1. Phone Call (which has already been done)

2. Application:

  • Complete entire interview application and mail or email back to us. (married couples need to each fill out an application)
  • mason@freshstarttrainingcenter.org

3. Setup Interview:

  • After we receive application, and review it, we will call you and setup a date for an interview.

4. The Interview:

  • This is a process that is done for: us to get to know you, and you to get to know us, getting a better understanding of what will be expected of you, & getting a tour. You can plan on the process taking probably 2-3 hours.
  • You will likely need a Pastor, Accountability (Support) team, member to come with you to the interview. We will discuss this with you in the phone call when interview is setup.

5. Commitment To Come:

  • You will find this form in your interview package. You will need to fill it out and send it back to us. It is also nice if you can call our office, ask to talk to Mason Gordon and tell him if you plan to send that commitment or not. (Office Ph. 812-254-3399)
  • If we do not receive the commitment to come you will not be put on the “Waiting List”

6. Waiting List:

  • Once you are on the waiting list, you will be given the next available date of entry.

7. Enter Program:

  • Welcome to “Fresh Start”. Here you learn to work with your hands and heart. You will be assigned a counselor that will spend three 45 min counseling sessions with you a week, doing Bible study, Bible memory, seminars, setting goals, & job training (building lawn furniture, Gazebos, & cabinet face frames etc.…)

8. Graduation:

  • After 8 months of diligent study and hard work, we help you develop a home plan to take back home with you. This is designed to bring your support group around you to help you be successful in implementing, and holding you accountable for what you would like to accomplish. (People who fail never plan to fail, they just fail to plan.

9. Follow-up Program:

  • This is a program after graduation that includes an accountability package with a few tools to assist you to walk faithfully with the Lord. As a part of that we like to see you come back somewhere around the two month mark for a time of refreshing. (This could be 2 days to a week)

HEART

We offer a 4-6 month evangelism and relationship training for those who want to serve as mentors.

SHOP

The Shop is an integral part of the program in providing both finances for the organization, as well as training opportunities for the men.

SEMINARS

We offer seminars focused on biblical solutions to the persistent conflicts in our relationships with both God and man.

JAIL

We participate in Bible studies and discipleship classes at the local jail and we distribute Bibles to the attendees.

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