Community Heroes: Zac Holt provides opportunity for sobriety

BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — This week’s community hero is changing lives, starting with those who are down on their luck and battling addiction. Zac Holt brings a message of hope and love to those in desperate need.

As Founding Pastor and Director of Bristol Lifestyle Recovery, Zac Holt helps men who often times are at their worst.

Holt can relate. He said he battled addiction, as well.

“There were a lot of years in my life where I struggled with substance abuse,” he said. “That took me to some really dark places, had me in and out of jail, on and off the streets. And eventually it landed me back in jail where I had kind of an encounter and experience. And my eyes were opened to God’s love in a way I’d never experienced before.”

From there, Holt went to seminary school and opened Bristol Lifestyle Recovery. The organization has many branches, including a residential recovery center, where clients are taught if you want to keep your recovery and faith, you need to give it away.

“I teach these men how to give away their faith, give away their lives, give away their recovery, how to live on mission, how to live lives that are not about themselves,” he said. “But in response to the grace of God they experienced in their ability to find freedom from narcotics. And so these guys started our haircut ministry, our flea market ministry, our basketball ministry.”

The outreach is growing, and Holt says lives are changing.

“And so just getting to celebrate with them in these victories, in these wins and because a lot of these guys have never had anybody say, like, I believe in you, like you can you can do this like and so to to see them come alive in that but not just for themselves, but to see it replicate to guys that they’re not pouring into who are learning how to pour into other guys.”

Holt has big plans to expand, and continue helping those who are struggling.

“We always say, if, if we can, we will. And if we’re able to, we’ll come beside them.”

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