By: John L. Winright
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
After going through a very difficult time in her life Tara Stiver felt driven to reach out and help other women who may be going through similar circumstances.
The Stiver’s are residents of rural Edgerton, Ohio. The family consists of Brian and Tara Stiver along with their children Joel 16, Luke 14, and Andrew 11.
Brian is from this area and Tara had lived in Ft. Wayne for half of her life and Indianapolis the other half until moving to Edgerton. Tara and Brian met at the Vinyard Community Church while they were both serving in the Kids Ministry as pastors.
They moved back to Brian’s hometown when he was called to lead the same type of Kid’s Ministry at Life Changing Realities Church. He held that position for about five years.
Tara fell in love with rural America after living in the city environment all her life. Shortly after leaving that ministry, they both went into a time of change, praying and waiting for guidance from God on what their future held in store for them.
From 2010 to 2015 Tara went through Post Partum Psychosis which was very debilitating to the point of hospitalization.
“Being in ministry as a pastor’s wife you learn that many times when you are going through something like this it draws people to you” says Tara. “When this happens, they tell you what they went through, and it builds a spiritual bond between you and them.”
A Scripture that Tara shared was Genesis 50:20 “you intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” This whole process gave Tara a “Love for emotional, mental and spiritual care for women.”
So, in 2016 after going through a major healing process, the Lord laid it upon her heart to start a retreat house for women to provide them with emotional, mental, and spiritual healing.
The first thing that was done was the forming of a board of directors and applying for a nonprofit status through a 501(c)3 with Tara serving as Founder and President.
Then the “Joyful Words and Gifts” store was opened to raise funds and start putting in place what was needed for training and learning on Biblical Counseling and Prayer. Along with this people could get an insight about what this ministry was about and where it was heading.
In 2019 they opened the Ministry Center next door which is “Joys House” where the main office is located along with two consulting and prayer rooms, which can also be used as a place of peace and quiet.
There is a large open area for praise and worship sessions, bible studies and so on. There is also a one room apartment upstairs for a day or one night convenience to pray and seek solemness.
Tara said overall since beginning they have served approximately 450 women in encouragement, healing, and prayer. They average around 175 women per year right now.
The next step that God has laid on their hearts is to expand to a 10 ½ acre property in the country west of Edgerton just before getting to the Indiana state line. Joyful Bird Ministries at that location as at the present one, will offer “Christ centered rest” for women in need of biblical counseling, prayer, and recovery!
This facility will be a retreat and have 8 rooms for healing goals for the participants. This will provide privacy for the time that these women need to reflect on things and to move on with their lives.
Many reach the point to where they need a place to escape to so they can get back on track with everything. This goal is to provide exactly that. Currently they are working on grants, fundraisers, etc. to complete this project sometime in late 2024. With this retreat being completed, the number of attendees should at least quadruple.
Tara emphasized that their ministry was not for the homeless and not for domestic violence victims, but for women who need and are seeking emotional, mental and spiritual care.
As stated earlier, she experienced the need for these things early in her life and now wants to help provide a retreat for others experiencing the same things.
