The original idea for SHN was born out of the heartache of one former pastor named George Harrington. After a tragic series of twists and turns left George with no desire to be in a church, to say the word “pastor,” or to have any fellowship with Christians at all, George fell so deep into despair, he considered taking his own life. But the Holy Spirit had other things in mind.

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In the aftermath of these tragedies, George found himself asking: “What is really important in life?” So he took a trip to visit old, trusted ministry friends, who had also formerly been disillusioned by the church. One after the other, the reunited friends reminded him of how God used him as a younger man. George’s faith was building as he caught up with friends who encouraged him to rise in faith, heal, and find the joy of his salvation again. And sure enough, God was doing a work, one much bigger than him.

As George and three of his ministry friends conversed, God continued to bring to their minds all the people hurting with all manner of hard stories, both similar and dissimilar to theirs. Good people who were disillusioned just like they were. The Lord began to lay them heavy on the hearts of these men, and they began to discuss putting their ideas and their heart for people into reality. And this is the birthplace of Safe Harbor Network.

The primary objective of SHN is to be a safe haven for hurting people to heal. There is no other agenda. We do hope that as people find a release from their burdens, whatever they are, eventually we together would become a helpful friend and influence on others who are hurting as well. To us at SHN, it doesn’t matter what your source of hurt or pain came from. We want to be a friend and help in anyone we can. Whether it means standing with someone who has suffered addictions, loneliness, trauma, loss, or the abuse of ungodly leaders.

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Safe Harbor Network is currently a small group of folks who are praying and asking God for wisdom in how we can help, even in the small beginnings. We have big dreams of what this could become, but we want to approach those big dreams with helping one hurting person at a time as God gives us the ability and opportunity to do so. We hope that those who have received grace and healing would have the same heart of compassion to go and do the same for others God may bring them into contact with. Knowing we serve a big God, and the hundreds of thousands of hurting people that are out there, we know there will be opportunity. For now, it starts with each of us being a vessel that the Holy Spirit can change and bring new hope, one life at a time.