This article is brought to you by Turning Point A System of Care.

A near-capacity crowd filled the Bel-Air Event Center on Jan. 14 to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Reba Harris. The founder of Gilead House, a substance abuse treatment center focused on women, retired from her role as executive director on Jan. 1.

But she won’t be leaving her life of service anytime soon.

With a captive audience before her, Harris explained her next mission. She intends to develop programming and support for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and great-grandchildren due to their children’s addiction.

Before she could unveil those plans, however, the many people in attendance who have been touched by Harris over the past 25 years took time to celebrate her and show heartfelt appreciation for the impact she has had on the entire community.

Local artist and Gilead House activist Ramona Daniels explained how Harris put her on the right track when she arrived in Kokomo.

“Miss Reba caught me straight out of Philadelphia, running through here like a bull in a china shop,” said Daniels. “Working with Reba at the Gilead House slowly humbled me. I love this woman so much, and I’m just so grateful to have been a part of her vision and to work with the ladies; just to hear their testimonies and to see how beautiful they are inside and out.”

A parade of former and current clients also took the microphone to share their gratitude.

“The first thing I remember was the love and being able to trust an adult for like the first time in my life.”

“At a time where there was no evidence, she told me that there was a lot of God me, and I'm grateful for that.”

“I watched her stand up and be a strength for women who felt they didn't have any. I watched her breathe life into dry bones.”

Even her pastor, Rev. Lonnie Anderson of Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, joined in giving accolades to Harris.

“On behalf of Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, we applaud you,” said Anderson. “We appreciate you. Lord knows we adore you. We want to thank you for being a voice for the disenfranchised and those who have been marginalized,

“You have been a beacon, and you have provided me the opportunity to pastor some awesome young ladies from the Gilead House. We love you, and there's nothing you can do about it!”

Once the words spoken in honor had been heard, Harris thanked everyone. But then she turned to the issues still festering in the community; the children suffering due to absent, addicted, or even deceased parents, and the grandparents left with the burden of raising them.

“It bothers me that children suffer consequences from poor parenting,” said Harris. “They didn't do the crime, but they got the sentence. And there's something wrong if we're not upset about these 65- or 75-year-old grandparents having to take care of their grandchildren.

"We have one who has Multiple Sclerosis. She uses a walker, and three children are hanging on the walker. We have one who has COPD, and she has three grandchildren. One grandchild is autistic and is wearing diapers at eight years old. And she says, 'I can't do this.' We need to be upset about this.”

Harris made it clear that God has touched her heart for this new purpose. It is familiar territory for her, as God was the impetus behind her formation of the Gilead House. As it was then, she set aside her own plans to fulfill God’s purpose; an act she urged the crowd to replicate in their own lives.

“Ask God what He wants you to do,” said Harris. “When we pick and choose our own purpose, we pick what we can do, and we pick what's easy for us. When God tells us his purpose, one, you won't want to do it. And two, you won't know how to do it.

“But it will keep you on your knees at four o'clock in the morning when the electricity has been shut off and you don't know how you're gonna make it. We need to ask God, what is Your purpose for me in your kingdom?”

There is one thing of which Harris is certain: God’s purpose for her isn’t retirement.

“People told me it was time to retire, but God said these words to me,” said Harris. “He said, 'You can rest when you get here.' I plan on serving God for the rest of my life.”