What is Tabitha Ministry?

Tabitha Ministry Inc. helps women coming from abusive situations, addictions and prison. We provide a loving faith-based home environment. Our main objective is to build their confidence and restore their dignity, while equipping them for success in society.

We approach care from several perspectives. Our ladies receive intense counseling concerning past abuse and neglect. We enroll them in Vocational Rehabilitation for job skills and education. We get them connected to Health Serve for their health care needs. We have an in-house recovery class every Friday night. They are taught communication skills. Our ladies are taught how to dress and wear make-up appropriately. Most importantly, they are taught how to be women of character so that they will have a strong ethical foundation for making future choices.

Since 2002, we graduate approximately eight women per year. Eighty percent have remained drug free and have not returned to their former lifestyle. Some have graduated from college; many have been reunited with their children. Tabitha ladies are successfully working creating new family relationships and working in the ministry. In the US, there are over 532,000 children in the foster care system. We believe that one of the best gifts we can give the next generation is healthy, drug free mothers!

Women helping women has proven successful; our volunteers have modeled selflessness and caring to our residents. No salaries are given at Tabitha Ministry, we are solely supported by volunteers and donations. All work is done on a volunteer basis, and graduates of the program are encouraged to “give back” by helping after they leave.

Currently, all of our support comes from individuals and churches. We also operate a Thrift Store (Tabitha's Closet) that helps with the day-to-day costs of running the ministry. Once a lady is employed, we expect them to pay fifty dollars per week toward living expenses. A strict accounting of all monies is required.

For every lady we take in, we turn down an average of three others. In 2010, we finished construction on a second house, in order to help more women (Click here to see our houses).

Thank you for the opportunity to share about Tabitha Ministry. We would ask that you prayerfully consider supporting us. Any amount given will go directly to client services. Bless you!

Chaplain Cindi Wagner

What does Tabitha Ministry Do?

Named after the Biblical woman who was raised from the dead (Acts 9), Tabitha Ministry was founded in May 1999 to:

• Provide help for women who are being released from prison: to setup a home of their own, to find and keep a job, and to make new relationships
• Provide hope for women who have given up
• Provide a home where women can rest, heal and grow in their relationship with their Heavenly Father

Tabitha Ministry teaches one weekly classes in the women's prison: "Life's Choices for Healing." Check out Prison Ministry to learn more about our prison ministry.

Services Provided

• Housing
• Food
• Transportation
• Financial Counseling
• Classes On Self-Esteem
• Classes on Dress and make-up
• Court Advocacy
• Addiction Counseling
• Abuse Counseling

Key Benefits

• Recidivism rate for women returning to prison drops from 75% to 28%.
• Women get off drugs, which cuts down on criminal behavior.
• Women get off the streets.
• Women learn coping skills to be successful when they leave.
• Women are able to enter the work force and become productive in society.
• Women develop a support network to help them when they leave.
• Women learn self-respect and are taught how to set boundaries.
• Families are reunited.

How is the Ministry supported?

Donations from churches, businesses and individuals in the community keep Tabitha Ministry running. We are a 501c tax exempt organization, so all donations are tax deductible. All funds go directly into the ministry, NONE are used for salaries.

Will you consider including Tabitha Ministry in your charitable giving? We supply women with furniture and household goods. Even when women qualify for government housing, furnishing a home can be impossible for a single mom working a minimum-wage job. We donate cars to low-income families. We also provide Christian counseling free of charge. The majority of these women are from our churches, and they cannot afford to pay for these services. Perhaps you have extra items that you could donate, or expertise that may help. Please consider giving your time, money, and goods.

In the last ten years, the number of women going to prison has increased 138%.  Of women prisoners, 90% are single moms. The majority of women who go to prison are convicted of economic crimes (check/credit card fraud, etc). Of the ones who committed violent crimes, most were defending themselves or their children from abuse.  

Our government has responded to this by building more prisons, more welfare programs, and giving money to those who are addicted to drugs. This is not the solution. At Tabitha Ministry, we believe that an encounter with Jesus is the only way to affect any real life change. When the heart changes, the behavior will follow. Tabitha has developed a Christ-centered program to help women and to support them as they grow in their relationship with our Lord Jesus.

Tabitha Ministry is now associated with Transforming the Triad.

If you wish to make a donation of money or household items to Tabitha, please contact Chaplain Cindi Wagner via e-mail or call 336.643.0223. You can make a difference in the life of a woman!

Who will give her hope?

Who will help them?

Who will teach another way of living?