Diane Reynolds

I am a survivor of a violent alcohol driven family. Married young, had four kids, it was marked by 16 years of violence. In 1977 there was a major wake up call via a stroke, and I suddenly realized if I did not do something to change things he would be left with my baby’s. Those decisions eventually lead to a permanent separation via divorce. I was a single mom, in the system trying to survive for the next 5 yrs.

I was given an opportunity through Evergree International Aviation to really have a career, I worked there 12 years, met and married the love of my life andleft on my own will knowing I had been blessed with favor that was unusual.

After that I did a 3 year stint (volunteer) with the Yamhill County Crime Victims Program, doing Media presentations mostly. That eventually began to bring up “stuff” that was not dealt with, so I took a sabbatical and did about 9 yrs therapy.

Once that piece was done, it was my heart to really give back. I am a faith-based person, a Christ-follower, so my focus has been inside the church, but my heart and spirit have always known and understood we have to get outside the walls of the building.

About 6.5 years ago my husband of the last 25 years and I began the Stormwalker Recovery House a ministry in our home. We have put over 45 men and women through the doors. Then in November of 2006 we began to know it was time for the next step, so the house is now closed, the property sold, i in this economy we truly believed this was a confirmation that it was the right thing to do.

Right now today we really are not totally sure what is the next step I am and will continue to be the Pastor of Recovery Ministries at the Church on the Hill in McMinnville Oregon and director of the local Confident Kids Program, a Support Group program for kids of addicts and dysfunctional parents(defined by many things, like divorce, the stressors of life in a family, separations, death), it is a life skills, behavior changing curriculum aimed at helping the kids have a voice in the chaos often around them and to learn to overcome what the system they have been raised in has taught them and it focuses on the entire family.

In keeping with that focus we also take the Parenting Support into the County Jail weekly, as well as presenting it on Thursday night alongside of Celebrate Recovery and the Confident Kids Program.

The past 2 years I have worked as the director of the committee for the Yamhill County Recovery Fair which is sponsored each year by the Faces of Recovery(that I believe is a direct result of the Stormwalker Recovery House).

I am currently completing online courses with the Church of the Nazarene and have received my pastoral licensing and am aiming to be ordained as a pastor of that denomination in the near future.

So there is the short of it…….we are on a journey and it is a true adventure! In my past training and experiences I have done;

• 1.5 years of Seminary Training with Rockbridge University, a Saddleback Sponsored Seminary
• 75 Hours of Crime Victim Advocate Training-did 3.5 years volunteer work, mostly media presentations, and was on the training team
• 65 Hours of Military Training for their Family Readiness Program-did 3 years volunteer work, director of Readiness Program at Battalion Level
• Numerous hours of workshops and training with Celebrate Recovery-did 3 years on volunteer Ministry Team, the same is true of Confident Kids Program and am on their training teams
• Developed my own workshops on Abuse Awareness and H.O.W (Hope, Opportunity and Wisdom) the how to on your journey out of the cycles of abuse and dysfunction
• In additio I have worked as a Loan Processor for Norwest Mortgage a number of years have trained for that and ran my own internet business from 1995-99