Mercy House Teen Challenge Sells Crosses, Ole Miss Plaques in Oxford for Fundraiser

These crosses and plaques are made by the students at MHTC.

If you see two men carrying wooden crosses and Ole Miss plaques around Oxford today, it is Neil Pettigrew and Brian Anderson from Mercy House Teen Challenge of Georgetown, Mississippi.

Pettigrew, a graduate of MHTC, and Anderson, a student of MHTC, are spending the day fundraising for the non-profit ministry by selling the crosses and plaques.

An Ole Miss plaque made by the students at Teen Challenge.

“We have a machine that cuts the wood, but we paint them,” Anderson said. “‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ is the first verse we learn in the program.”

MHTC of Georgetown, Mississippi, is a faith-based ministry dedicated to helping men, who struggle with drug or alcohol problems, become free of their addictions. It is part of Teen Challenge International, which has locations in 49 U.S. states and in 110 nations around the world. Though, named Teen Challenge, the program is open for ages 18 to 65, and there is a women’s Teen Challenge program in Pearl, Mississippi.

“”We take in people from all over the state. There is a great need for expansion,” Pettigrew said. “We try to get out there and pray with people and spread the Gospel. God always provides. We had just prayed for the Lord to guide us to where we need to be and I guess it was here.”

Pettigrew and Anderson said their first stop for the day was at the offices of Hottytoddy.com.

According to statistics from Teen Challenge, there are 370 million people that struggle with drug abuse around the world. The program is focused on changing that statistic.

“I started in June of this year and I’ve been there since then. I quit drinking and smoking after 35 years,” Anderson said. “I’ve got to give God all the credit. He uses me for His vessel. We all have a lot to learn.”

Pettigrew graduated from the program in November, but still helps out and mentors other students. The program lasts for at least 14 months. There are two phases the men of MHTC go through to complete the program. The first phase teaches the students about accountability through a Teen Challenge curriculum, and it takes about six months to complete. The second phase is the advanced training as it takes a deeper look into the Word of God.

“I keep a journal. I urge readers to journal everyday,” Pettigrew said about His daily devotion time. “One way of discipline is writing Scripture, too.”

The mission of MHTC is to “provide adult men with an effective and comprehensive Christian faith-based solution to life-controlling drug and alcohol problems in order to become productive members of society. By applying biblical principals, Mercy House Teen Challenge endeavors to help people become mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, physically well and spiritually alive.”

Neil Pettigrew holds two crosses made by the students at MHTC.

Teen Challenge was birthed when Pentecostal preacher, David Wilkerson, traveled to New York to tell a group of teenaged gangsters, who were on trial for murder, about Jesus Christ in 1958. Since then, the ministry and program has expanded, but it is funded by the students selling crosses, donations and other types of fundraisers.

“We are real big on being self-less, teaching God first. We’re faced all day long on decisions,” Pettigrew said. “All things work together for the good of those who work for God, who are called according to His purpose.”

To support the men of the Mercy House Teen Challenge of Georgetown, Mississippi, click here to purchase a cross and here to order an Ole Miss plaque, among various other items and plaques.

Emily Newton is a staff writer for hottytoddy.com and the editor of Experience Oxford magazine. Teen Challenge has blessed her life for many years as she has heard many testimonies from the students she meets when they sell crosses to the public. Emily can be reached at emily.newton@hottytoddy.com.