History of Fresh Hope

To understand the foundations of Fresh Hope, it is important for you to understand the history of the group. Understanding how the very first group came about helps you understand the basics of the recovery principles, and, most importantly, why Fresh Hope started in the first place.  So, in this next document you will find a brief history of the beginnings of Fresh Hope.

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History of Fresh Hope

The Fresh Hope movement began in 2009 as a Christian support group for those who suffer from mental illness and their loved ones. Pastor Brad Hoefs felt called to start a faith-based support group. For two years, he searched with no success for materials that would help him start and lead such a group from a Biblical, hope-filled point of view. With encouragement and input from his doctor, Dr. Michael Egger, Pastor Brad decided to write the materials himself. He developed six faith-based, Biblical tenets (principles) for those who have mental health issues and their loved ones. These tenets were key for him, having been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 1995. The tenets were instrumental to Brad’s personal recovery, and now have been proven to be instrumental to others in offering hope and key insights from a Christian perspective into a wellness-driven, successful journey of recovery.

Within the first eight months of starting, the group had grown significantly. Feedback from those attending was that Fresh Hope was the type of group they had been searching for, but had never found. (As is true with most secular mental health groups, those attending frequently have little or no hope. They are trying to simply figure out how to cope with their circumstances, leading mostly to discussions about medicines and “coping” skills, which can easily leave one feeling even more depressed and hopeless about their recovery than they were previously.)

During those inaugural months subsequent to starting Fresh Hope, one of the largest healthcare providers in the Omaha area, Alegent Health Systems, joined together with Fresh Hope. They began to provide their consumers with information about Fresh Hope. From this support, more Fresh Hope groups were born. Fresh Hope organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit and received several grants to help start other groups based upon the initial model. Several groups began in the Omaha metro, which continue today.

Not only did Fresh Hope receive inquiries about starting groups locally, but they also received many national inquiries. Others were finding Fresh Hope through online searches – looking for the same materials Brad had been searching for prior to writing the Fresh Hope materials. With this need providing the impetus, the volunteer Fresh Hope staff wrote and prepared a facilitator’s manual and videoed one of their three-hour local training sessions for those who were not located near Omaha. Within a short time, several groups outside of the Omaha area and outside of Nebraska had started.

The interest from churches in starting Fresh Hope groups has been, and continues to be, significant. To date, all of our research still shows that there are no other resources quite like this. There are numerous resources from a secular viewpoint, including workbooks and books on overcoming depression and bipolar issues, but these resources are not faith-based. Continued research has resulted in our finding no one offering a workbook for successful recovery from a faith-based perspective that actually offers tenets (principles) to work through to achieve success in mental health recovery. Neither have we found any materials and training, along with ongoing support, which equip someone for starting a faith-based support group for mental health issues. We say this after investing years of searching. If there is something like this written from a Christian perspective, we have not found it.

Because of the need for materials that hold to the fidelity of the Fresh Hope principles, Brad self-published a book entitled, “Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis.” Within the book is not only his story of tragedy to triumph, but very concrete examples of how he applied these tenets to his own recovery and 28 years of pastoral counseling to hundreds. Even more important than his story contained in the book, is the fact that it is truly a workbook. Hence, the subtitle, “A Wellness Workbook for Fresh Hope.” The initial plan was to offer the book to Fresh Hope group participants to empower them to work through the tenets and equip them to live out a successful recovery.

But Brad realized while writing the book that it might also useful for someone who has never been to a Fresh Hope group, and in addition, would help loved ones in their understanding of the issues of recovery. It could also serve as a resource for pastors and counselors to offer to those coming to them for help. Since the book was released in March of 20113 through Xulon Press, we have observed a growing interest in starting Fresh Hope groups.

With the death of Rick Warren’s son, we’re seeing a heightened awareness of the need to help those who suffer from mental illness and their families, and an increased need to better equip pastors and churches in how they might minister to them. Because of this, more churches and individuals have been contacting Fresh Hope to see if they, too, might receive direction and materials to help them start a group. The need is great. Every day that resources such as the Fresh Hope materials are not easily available and publicized, too many people are dying from mental illness at their own hands or due to addictions that have come about because they have been self-medicating their illness and/or moods.

As the author privately wished prior to the book’s release, it is now confirmed that Fresh Hope is far more than a resource manual for a support group. We now have a proven record of significantly helping with the journey to recovery. Those who attend Fresh Hope group meetings report a growing sense of hope for their future based upon the principles and understanding that hope is, in fact, a faith decision. They also report that their attitudes and the view of their lives are improving. While this is not a scientific study, those who participate and work the principles report fewer, if any, hospital stays.

We believe that the need is huge within the Christian Church. Why? For many years, the agreed-upon statistic in healthcare has been that every fourth person in America suffers from some type of mental health issue. New statistics determined by John M. Grohol, PSYD (“Mental Health Statistics”, World of Psychology, http://psychcentral.com, May 3, 2010) now place that number at nearly one in three. While these statistics are a national average, one would assume the same ratio within the Christian Church. Yet the Church at large offers very little in the way of help for those with mental health issues. Many pastors make referrals to counselors when someone comes to them for help. Some churches do allow outside support groups such as DBSA and NAMI to use their facilities, but these are secular groups with no particular emphasis on faith in Christ (i.e., AA speaks of a ‘higher power’).

Fresh Hope has a proven track record of offering a faith-based, hope-filled approach to wellness that is Biblical and practical. Fresh Hope is a wellness approach to recovery versus a “coping approach”, which many times inadvertently comes about as a result of utilizing only the medical model. We have found nothing like Fresh Hope that offers a workbook for individual use, while also providing the training and materials for starting and leading a Christian support group for mental health issues.

The Fresh Hope book can be a significant resource for pastors and Christian counselors to read for their own understanding of the issues surrounding mental health diagnosis and recovery. Plus, the book itself will be a resource that they will want to provide to those who come to them for help. The book is also helpful to the loved ones of those who have a mental health diagnosis.

Fresh Hope as an organization stands ready to help those who start groups, providing coaching assistance by certified facilitators, and offering continuing support.

In closing, it is important to acknowledge a grassroots movement within the mental health field today that is emphasizing the importance of peer-to-peer support for successful recovery from mental illness. It is widely recognized that peer support helps those who have a diagnosis to transition from medical care into taking back their lives and seeing themselves as much more than their diagnosis. This is even more reason for the Church-at-large to seriously consider offering Fresh Hope in their local setting.