Making Room for Men: A New Season of Healing at Trees of Hope
Making Room for More Healing
What began with five women in a living room has grown into something only God could build. And now, He is opening another door.
For more than 18 years, Trees of Hope has carried a simple but sacred mission: to walk with survivors of sexual abuse toward healing, truth, and restoration.
When this ministry began, the heart was to help women heal. That was the need right in front of us, and that was the door God opened first. Over the years, we have watched women step out of silence, begin to understand their stories, and encounter the steady, restoring love of God in places that once felt too broken to touch.
When Men Started Reaching Out
As the years went on, something else began to happen.
Men started reaching out.
Some came quietly. Some came with questions. Some were looking for a resource, a group, a pastor, or simply a place where they could say, “This happened to me too.”
And for a long time, that was hard.
Not because we didn’t care, but because we did not yet have the structure in place to serve them well. We would point men toward whatever support we could find, and at times, we encouraged them to look through Shelter From The Storm because the core truths still mattered. But deep down, I knew men needed something written for them. Not something copied and pasted from the women’s study, but something created with their experience, questions, silence, and healing journey in mind.
That is why I created Renew.
At the time, my heart was simple: if we could at least place a Christ-centered healing study in the hands of a man who was ready to begin, then he would not have to start with nothing. Maybe he could walk through it on his own. Maybe he could go through it with a pastor, mentor, counselor, or trusted friend. Maybe it could become a first step toward the kind of healing he had never known how to pursue.
I knew the need was there.
I also knew we needed more than a book.
A Prayer That Stayed on My Heart
For years, it has been one of the prayers of my heart that God would raise up the right leader for this space. Not just someone who cared about men's healing in theory, but someone who understood the weight of this work and also carried a heart for the broader mission of Trees of Hope. Someone who could help us serve men with wisdom, humility, and spiritual care.
And then God began moving in a way I did not expect.
Last year, we began seeing renewed interest in the Renew study. Men were ordering books. Conversations were opening. Questions were being asked. It caught my attention enough that I brought it to prayer again and again. I remember asking, “Lord, what are You doing here?”
Over time, that question began to unfold.
Through prayer, conversations, wise counsel, and relationship, God connected us with Pastor Rob Schettler. Pastor Rob has a heart for men who are walking through healing, and his connection to Renew was not something we manufactured. It was something God seemed to be stirring long before we fully understood what He was doing.
That is one of the things I love about the Lord. He is always working in the details before we can see the full picture.
A New Season for Renew
Today, we are stepping into a new season of Renew.
Trees of Hope is now preparing to offer Renew Virtual for men who are ready to walk through the study in a live online group setting. For men in Indiana, in-person groups are also being offered through our partner ministry, SOAR, under Pastor Rob’s leadership. We are also in the process of developing Renew Online, which will allow men to access the study through prerecorded teaching videos and walk through the material at their own pace.
That matters because every man begins in a different place.
Some are ready for a group. Some are not. Some are curious but cautious. Some want to understand the content before sitting in a room with others. Some may live in another state or country and have no access to a Christ-centered healing group. Some may need to begin privately with a book, a video, and one trusted person beside them.
There is no shame in where someone starts.
The goal is not to force every man into the same pathway. The goal is to remove barriers so that healing can begin.
Renew Online will be a resource men can use independently, but it can also be used with support. A man may choose to walk through it with a pastor, mentor, counselor, Bible study leader, or trusted accountability partner. Churches and ministries may also use it as a resource to help men in their own communities, especially where trained support is not yet available.
Making Room for More Healing
This is not about building a program for the sake of building a program.
This is about responding to a need God has continued to place in front of us.
Isaiah 54:2 says, “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense!” (NLT)
For years, this verse has reminded me that God often calls us to prepare for growth before we can fully see what He is doing. Looking back, I can see how He was preparing the way long before I understood where He was leading.
That is what this next season feels like.
It feels like God expanding the tent pegs of Trees of Hope, not by pulling us away from our original mission, but by deepening it. We still believe in walking with women through healing. We still believe in prevention. We still believe in protecting the vulnerable and healing the past.
And now, we are making more room for men.
Because men are survivors too.
They carry stories that have often gone unnamed, unsupported, or misunderstood. Many have spent years believing they should be able to move on, stay strong, stay quiet, or handle it alone. But silence is not healing. Isolation is not strength. And what happened to them was not their fault.
Our prayer is that Renew becomes a steady, Christ-centered pathway for men to begin facing what was never God's design and move toward what He has always desired: truth, restoration, and freedom.
This work is tender. It is weighty. And it is holy.
I do not take lightly the fact that God has allowed Trees of Hope to step into this space. I also do not believe He is done expanding the reach of healing. What began in a living room with five women has grown into something only God could have built.
And now, we are watching Him open another door.
So we are stepping through it with prayer, humility, and expectation.
Where Do I Start?
If you are a man reading this and carrying a story of sexual abuse, we created Renew for you.
Whether you are ready to join a group, walk through the study with someone you trust, or simply take a first step on your own, we want you to know that healing is possible. You do not have to keep carrying this alone.
Join a live, facilitator-led online healing group for men.
Walk through the study at your own pace with prerecorded teaching videos and guided content.
If you are a pastor, church leader, or ministry leader, we would love to come alongside you. We know there are men in your church and community who are carrying wounds they may never have spoken about. Our desire is to equip and support you as you care for them and help create pathways toward healing.
And if you are a wife, sibling, friend, or someone who loves a man who has experienced sexual abuse, please consider sharing this article and the Renew study with him. Sometimes healing begins when one trusted person simply opens a door and says, “You are not alone.”
Healing is possible.
And there is room for you here.
