God is the potter, and we are the clay. It is up to us to put our lives in His hands.

The Potter's House is merely a place where God performs his transformational work.

"It comes from the Bible," said Robert Schoonover, the executive director of The Potter's House, explaining the organization's name. "We are all His works. It's about God molding us and creating us to be what He wants us to be."

An addiction recovery center for men and women, The Potter's House is headquartered at 261 School Lane, Ephrata. The Christ-centered ministry also operates residential facilities in Leola, Brownstown and New Holland.

Overseen by a board of directors, The Potter's House takes a holistic approach to addiction recovery, one that focuses on an individual's physical, emotional and spiritual needs. The Potter's House also serves as a safe place for former inmates transitioning back into society.

The Potter's House services are provided to its clients free of charge.

"The Potter's House's goal is to administer the love of God on men and women dealing with addiction," said Schoonover. "We just want to help them heal and enter into life for the long haul. We try to be living examples. Everyone here has been in recovery themselves, and they live active and full lives. We do a lot of trauma healing. We want to be friends, encourage accountability and teach (clients) how to respect themselves."

The Potter's House's three-phase, residential programs take up to a year to complete. The programs emphasize discipleship, life skills, prayer, confidence building and character development, and they assist participants in locating and keeping jobs.

"We love these individuals. We all believe they can change and grow," said Schoonover, a resident of Conestoga. "I love seeing people being restored to hope. I like seeing the light bulb come on. You see people start to get confidence and see them live for more than themselves. They start helping people just like them. I like seeing families restored. I like seeing the cycle of brokenness changed."

Currently, The Potter's House has about 30 men and four women enrolled in its recovery programs. They are locals and individuals from outside of Lancaster County who are battling a variety of addictions. Some are fighting multiple addictions.

"These are people looking for long-term solutions," said Schoonover. "They're looking for a place to grow and heal. A lot of them are the communities' brothers and sisters and fathers. We want to focus on a person's mind, body and spirit. We're trying to address the whole package."

"Addiction is a misguided way people deal with pain," added Schoonover. "People coming out of darkness don't want to feel what they're feeling. It ends up being life controlling, and it can become physically addictive. We believe if we can lead people to Jesus Christ, a lot of them will experience peace, confidence and wholeness."

The Potter's House employs 14 staff members. The organization is financially self-sustaining and benefits from fundraisers and donations from churches, community organizations and businesses.

"People change, and there's hope in Jesus Christ," said Schoonover. "No matter where a person has gone, there's a God who cares about them. We have an open door, and people come here to grow."

The Potter's House was formally established in 2003, but its work with men experiencing addiction can be traced to seven years earlier. In 2011, The Potter's House merged with the nonprofit Transition to Community before starting its women's program in 2019.

"The original vision involved a prison ministry," said Schoonover. "People didn't have a place to go after prison. People realized there was more involved than just someone committing a crime. The community has really come together and bought into what we do. We keep refining it. We never stop trying to grow."

For additional information, go to http://www.thepottershouselancaster.com.