Pastor John Alarid recalled vision casting for his church plant. He is a recovered heroin addict and intended to welcome addicts and ex-cons to church. Over five years later, his faith blossomed into a growing ministry. He used his church’s marquee to announce, ‘Welcome Junkies, Felons and Saints.’ He was steadfast believing for God’s promises while standing firm on Luke 15 and Matthew 25.
Ongoing challenges from the pandemic found Freedom City Church facing a crisis by late 2021, unable to meet mortgage obligations. After reaching out to local congregations, Alarid, founder and lead pastor, spoke with Pastor John Lindell of James River Church. JRC took up collections shortly after, raising enough to satisfy the loan balance along with a prophetic word, “More than enough is coming in today for this work,” Alarid wrote on Facebook.
Lindell later invited Alarid and his wife and co-pastor, Hannah-Rose, to visit the James River family. Upon taking the stage at JRC, Lindell greeted them with the words, “We have a Christmas gift for you,” presenting a check large enough to pay the balance in full, over $630,000.
Bill Wiese 
Paul McGuire 
