“The idea of Whitestone is to bring redemption down here, for the broken, the forgotten, and the lost.”

Janet Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

Redemption and a new chance at life (with support to overcome past failures) are central to the Gospel message. At Whitestone, a new Ottawa-based ministry, they apply that very literally, for this life as well as the life to come.

“We help our participants find a new life, a new path, and new friends,” says John Westbrook, Whitestone’s executive director. “We also leverage our marketplace connections to help them find meaningful employment that aligns to their skills and dreams.”

Whitestone serves men and women who are leaving prison or graduating from addiction recovery. They believe that by showing people God’s unconditional love and offering strong support from a local church, their participants are better equipped to re-enter society. Whitestone aims to reinforce restoration, connection, and God’s perfect plan for the future.

Whitestone’s name was inspired by a sermon Westbrook heard about heaven. “The pastor said when you get to heaven you receive a white stone with your new name written on it. It’s the ultimate sign of redemption,” he shares. “The idea of Whitestone is to bring redemption down here, to planet Earth, for the broken, the forgotten, and the lost.”

“I have fallen pretty hard in life, but I know that if I had never fallen, I wouldn’t have found God.”

The team accepted their first participant in November 2020 and they have been building since. They begin their relationship with prospective participants by sharing the program’s details over breakfast.

“We then connect them to a church and a mentoring group,” explains Westbrook. “We have a team who prays for them each day and we check periodically to make sure they are following a good path.”

Whitestone believes the Church is a place where those coming out of incarceration and addiction will be embraced and cared for by a community of believers. There they will be spiritually fed and encouraged as they worship and pray together. The churches involved receive training in how to effectively and lovingly work with program participants, as they strive to lead transformed lives.

“Addicts and ex-offenders need to be loved and to know that they are not alone, but surrounded by a loving, supportive community.”

Peter was among the program’s first participants. He relocated to Ottawa from Brampton to be closer to his son, in October 2020. Shortly after arriving, he connected with Whitestone and has been tremendously blessed by the ministry. They helped him find work and an affordable dentist. They also helped him make new friends, who encourage and support him. Most importantly, Peter can now see how God has been present throughout his journey and lifted him through the bad times. Peter, in turn, is being equipped to help others in need.

“I am still a work in progress,” says Peter. “For me it is very difficult sometimes, because I have fallen pretty hard in life, but I know that if I had never fallen, I wouldn’t have found God.”

Peter wants to be a good dad to his son and to show him and others how God has so richly blessed him through it all.

“Addicts and ex-offenders need to be loved and to know that they are not alone, but surrounded by a loving, supportive community,” says Westbrook. “Jesus says the same thing, ‘Love one another the way I loved you.’ We know that through the power of His love, each person can experience the fullness of restoration.”