Mansfield man opens church for addicts
Jody Cole said he's been in and out of jail, a drunk, and did everything God was against.
But that is all in the past. He said he is no longer running from God.
On June 3, Cole, 58, is opening Mansfield Recovery Church, 1124 Poth Road off North Trimble Road.
The service, for recovering and active addicts, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Fridays.
"Everyone is welcome. Come as you are," said Cole, a recovering addict, from the inside of his new nondenominational church.
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A salesman by day, Cole owns Impact Sales used cars on Ashland Road. He said the income allows him to operate the church, which sits on a few grassy acres. He also ministers to individuals at the Richland County Jail and at prisons.
On Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. Cole said the church will offer "12 Steps with Jesus" meetings.
Nobody should 'feel like they're second class'
At this church, no one will be judged, he said.
"A lot of the guys have said they have been judged. They said that's the reason they won't attend. That's the reason God gave me this. They don't have to feel like they're second class. They will be the majority," he added.
People who aren't addicts or recovering addicts are welcome to come and learn about addiction, he said.
Cole said he lost a wife and many others to overdose deaths.
"God has put it on my heart to try and help others," he said.
God spoke to him
Cole said his late father was "an old Southern Baptist preacher. His father built a church on Bowman Street. At that time his dad had him put the New Testament in the foundation and pray over it. Cole was only 7.
He has been reaching out to those who are struggling for the past six years, driving to West Virginia and wherever to do services.
Cole said he was coming back from Sandusky about two months ago when God called him to the ministry. "He said go there and pray (to the church on Bowman Street)."
And he did.
"I knew God would call me to the ministry," Cole said.
Cole said he told God he needed a direct answer whether he should minister to those who are struggling with addiction.
Ten days later, Cole got a phone call from someone asking if he had ever considered opening a church for addicts.
"I announced my calling and God has blessed me ever since," Cole said.
"I about dropped my phone on the floor. The chance of anyone calling me about a church was ze-ro," he said. "I knew there was a God and I accepted the call."
Various preachers, choirs will be at his services
Cole, who attends Paradise Church, 87 Illinois Ave., said services will include music and events outdoors including picnics and activities.
Someone donated 100 chairs, he said, another sign God was opening doors for him.
He plans to have different pastors preach and different choirs every week. At 2 p.m. on June 18 and 20, the church will feature a singing group called Chastins from Haiti who range in age from 14 to 25.
He said he was a troublemaker most of his life, having gone to prison when he was 18 years old.
In 2007, Cole was a suspect in two murders that allegedly occurred in 1999 at his former home on Carol Lane. The Shelby resident proclaimed his innocence in 2007 during an interview at the Richland County Jail, the News Journal reported earlier.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
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Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Everyone is welcome at Mansfield Recovery Church, 1124 Poth Road
