Recovery ministry's aim is yielding to the Lord

FLORA — The aim at Friends of Alcoholics, a Bible-based recovery ministry founded in 1958, is learning to yield to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, says a recovering alcoholic working construction at the ministry.

“I’ve been a lot more grounded in His Word (the Bible) and I’ve grown as a person,” said Anthony Horne, who oversees anything that needs repairing or renovating at the humble, 47-acre farm-like campus in rural Hinds County off U.S. 49 just over the county line not far from Flora.

The Rev. Mike Bonner, the director for nearly three decades, retired in October and handed the reigns to his son, Aaron, under the direction of their board. Aaron Bonner had been assistant director and Mike’s wife Jane the bookkeeper.

“When I first met Mike Bonner I was at the lowest of low places,” said a man who has been clean and sober for over a year after a decade of battling the demon of addiction. 

“Alcohol and drugs had a strong grip on me and I found myself homeless, unemployable, and broke,” said the University of Mississipi graduate and former fraternity president. “FOA took me in and, through Christ, the chains of addiction were broken. I owe a large debt of gratitude to Mike and the entire FOA staff.”

FOA does not charge the men and relies strictly on gifts from churches large and small and the kindness of individuals. 

The men work and even farm while in recovery with time dedicated to studying the Bible and worshiping on the Lord’s Day and even in a Wednesday night service.

FOA was founded in 1958 under the direction of the now late Rev. Richard C. Barth. Brother Barth, or “Preacher,” as he was called, came from Pennsylvania by way of Georgia to start a Christian ministry in the old barracks at Jackson’s Hawkins Field for men who were in bondage to alcohol.

Friends of Alcoholics has one desire, and that’s to minister to men who are in a bondage of sin, specifically from alcohol or drug addictions, while applying a simple Biblical approach.  

Bonner, an ordained minister and now Director Emeritus, lives on the property with his wife Jane. In addition to son Aaron they have two daughters, Amy and Emily. 

Amy lives in Madison and works as a Certified Public Accountant. Emily is a missionary in Papua New Guinea, a country included in a cluster of islands off the coast of Australia where she teaches English. 

Mike Bonner is a graduate of Jackson’s Provine High School and attended Hinds Junior College, Delta State University on a tennis scholarship and Mississippi College. Mike and Jane have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Bonner has been with Friends of Alcoholics for 39 years. He became director following Barth in the fall of 1993 having worked under his tutelage for 11 years.

Bonner accepted Christ in 1972 when he was 18 and that’s when he felt the call to ministry. After not getting a real answer, he felt the Lord might be saying “no.” 

Between jobs in 1982, he approached Barth about working at FOA. Barth asked him to come out for a few weeks to see if FOA was where God wanted him to be and he’s still with the ministry 39 years later. 

Teaching the Bible and helping struggling men to accept Jesus Christ as their savior was — and still is — one of Bonner’s greatest joys.

Barth served as director for 35 years until handing the reigns over to Bonner. Barth stayed with the group until he passed away in 1998 at 70. 

“Richard ran Friends of Alcoholics with a specific philosophy in mind, and that was teaching the Word of God and changing lives with that Word,” Bonner said. “I’ve stuck to that, and Aaron will, too.”

Bonner said his son was chosen as the next director when the board of directors met with him. They felt Aaron would be the one to take over, he said. They met with him and presented the opportunity and he agreed to it after some prayer. 

For Mike Bonner, he tries to be the best example for everyone and hopes each and every man who comes through FOA leaves with a good understanding of Christ in their lives. 

“You sometimes have to face some challenges as director,” he said. “One of my biggest heartaches is having to ask members to leave if they’re not showing improvement and don’t straighten up,” he said. 

Bonner plans to stay with Friends of Alcoholics until the Lord calls him home, he said.

Aaron Bonner said there were people who weren’t sure about whether to congratulate him or pray for him — even more after he was chosen as the new director. 

He said his ministry can be really challenging and he prays to God for guidance each day. 

Aaron Bonner lives on the campus and has been married to his wife Brittany for 18 years. They have three children, Luke, Kate, and Joel. Her parents used to be staff members at Friends of Alcoholics.

“It’s nice being able to have my kids out here and raise them here too,” he said. “You’re seeing men whose lives have been changed by the way of the Lord and it’s great to see. We all need Christ.” 

Bonner said the focus of Friends of Alcoholics has always been to administrate the word of God, so nothing will change with that focus as far as he’s concerned. He’s grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve in the role, and FOA is home for them, he said.

Since the pandemic, Friends of Alcoholics had to change a few things, such as closing down their garage sales and minimizing the donations and amount of men allowed to stay on the property. Currently they have 33 men and the plan to have 40 by next week. 

Men commit to staying on the property for two months, working and taking classes about the Bible such as Basic Bible Doctrine Study and attending worship.

There’s a special house called the Roman’s House that’s designated for people who need to stay longer than two months, but due to the lower capacity of men, the house is being used as a quarantine house for any new members who come on to the property.

“I’m very thankful to the Lord for my father, and also my mother and two sisters,” Aaron Bonner said. “Their influence and Friends of Alcoholics has had such a positive affect on my life.”

Anthony Horne, the construction supervisor, went through the FOA program not once but twice.

After originally completing the program, Horne spoke to Bonner about getting on staff, and to do that, he was required to go through the program a second time. 

Horne has been with Friends of Alcoholics since March of 2011. He was at Gateway Rescue Mission and at the time a new Christian.

There was a guest speaker who came to Gateway and Horne spoke to him afterwards and learned of Friends of Alcoholics. 

“The key aspect of this group is learning to yield to God’s word and the Holy Spirit,” Horne said.

Horne admits he wouldn’t be where he is now if not for Mike and Aaron Bonner, all the men, and the other staff members who have come and gone throughout his time at FOA. 

“We’ll continue praying for the ministry, its current director, and we’re going to keep teaching the word of God,” he said. “I’m thankful for everyone here that helped me and taught me to live a life that was sober and clean.”

For more information about Friends of Alcoholics, visit www.friendsofalcoholics.blogspot.com, call 601-362-4275, email foaministry@aol.com or visit them on Facebook.