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Applied in 2008

Keswick Colony of Mercy

America's Keswick

Program Facts

  • Paid (FTE) Staff Working: 8
  • Program Participants Last Year: 163
  • Meets about 204 time(s) with each participant per month
  • Participants remain in the program for 12 months

Volunteers

Volunteers per month: 5

Volunteers are trained:

Volunteer Training
AlwaysRarely

Volunteers are actively recruited:

Volunteer Recruiting
AlwaysRarely

Board Activities

  • Formally reviews the performance of the chief executive officer at least once every two years.
  • Formally approves the budget.
  • Has formally approved a conflict of interest policy and regularly monitors it to ensure adherence.
  • Receives, at least quarterly, the organization's financial statement.
  • Receives, at least annually, an auditor's management letter and report.
  • Convenes an audit committee.

Outcomes & Measures: (self-reported)

Outcome 1
Active program participation and completion:

In an effort to maximize program completion the participants are encouraged/required to apply themselves to active participation in all aspects of the program. This is presented through Bible studies, morning teaching times, personal and group counseling, and participant-to-participant interaction.

Measure
Qualitative Measure: Weekly team evaluations in which the work supervisors and Addiction Recovery staff meet and evaluate each program participant regarding their progress in the program. This measures program participation.

Qualitative Measure: Exit summaries indicate the counselor's evaluation of the participant's program participation and the perceived effectiveness of the time the participant remained in the program. It also indicates the number of days the individual was a resident in the program.

Qualitative Measure: Number of Covenant graduations. When a participant successfully completes the aftercare phase of the program, that individual is awarded a certificate of completion. The number of certificates awarded each year is determined.

Outcome 2
A personal faith commitment by each participant: The foundation and structure of the program is fundamentally Christian. All aspects of the program are intentionally designed to encourage a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and to live out that faith in every aspect of life. This is accomplished through the intake process, counseling, teaching times, interaction with work supervisors and other participants, reading assignments, Chapel Services, prayer meetings, and workbook materials.

Measure
Qualitative measure: A participants own self-report is one means of measuring if a personal faith commitment has been made.

Qualitative measure: The weekly evaluation of each participant allows opportunity for progress to be noted which is often reflective of the validity of the participant's proclamation of faith commitment.

Quantitative measure: A year-end statistic is compiled based on a combination of self-report and the confirmation by the participant's counselor.

Outcome 3
Long-term sober, addiction-free life-style:

The services of the program are overwhelmingly sought by individuals suffering from a life-style that is destructive and debilitating. Every serious applicant and program participant would report that they have sought out this program to obtain and maintain sobriety or freedom from their life-dominating issues. This is accomplished through education, teaching, counseling, homework, Scripture memorization, personal Bible study and reading, determining the root causes of an individuals addiction (issues of the heart), requiring a commitment to a covenant in the 8-month aftercare phase.

Measure
Qualitative measure: Each month, the pastor or individual(s) working with the program participant upon graduation, reports the individual's progress to the Aftercare Chaplain.

Quantitative measure: The number of covenant certificates awarded each year indicates how many program participants have completed their minimum 8-month covenant to the satisfaction of their pastor and the Aftercare Chaplain and have made positive progress in the process. This statistic is calculated each year.

Outcome 4
Active, Local Church participation:

Recognizing that the participant's degree of success is largely determined by his ongoing commitment to a walk of faith within the context of a local evangelical church, each individual is required to establish a written covenant with a local church as a requirement for graduation. The 8-month covenant is designed to encourage the participant to actively pursue church involvement and to encourage active church involvement in the participant's life.

Measure
Qualitative measure: Each month the appointed church leader that is actively working with the participant reports his progress to the Aftercare Chaplain via email, phone or postcard.

Quantitative measure: the number of active covenants is tracked

Outcome 5
Restored Family Relationships:

As addiction affects not just the individual but his relationships as well, the program provides a specifically designed ministry to address relational issues and encourages reconciliation. This is done through teaching, couple to couple interaction, counseling and aftercare for the couple.

Measure
Quantitative measure: The number of Couple's Covenants is tracked along with the number of couples that return for their Certificate of Covenant Completion.

Quantitative measure: The number of current participant couples and the number of graduate couples that participate in the monthly ministry is recorded.

Change Process: (self-reported)

The Colony of Mercy is a program designed to help men to institute heart change in their lives, rather than the behavioral change pursued by most other addiction recovery programs. We recognize the human heart as the seat of motivation including the decision as to whether or not to engage in addictive behaviors. The issues of the heart are often rooted in past experiences of a traumatic nature that have not been addressed, but have been suppressed deep below the person's consciousness. Anger, bitterness, guilt and shame are often the underlying cause of self-destructive behaviors. We try to create an atmosphere of safety and trust that is conducive to the openness and honesty necessary for life change. Our caring staff attempts to come alongside the hurting and lost to counsel them with the Word of God in an applicable manner thus providing guidance for the daily activities of this life. We recognize the importance of developing relational skills in order to move from the self-centered behavior of the addict to the other-centered behavior necessary to relate to family and society. Our final objective is to have the man be able to be the husband, father or son that God desires him to become as well as a productive member of the body of Christ in his local church.