Our Care
We, at 447Outreach, seek to be a leading force in transforming the lives of those affected by addiction, abuse and grief. Those affected are more than the individuals themselves, but family and community also. We presently create an atmosphere of warmth, love and compassion that invites the individual to feel comfortable in embracing the difficult journey towards recovery and utilizing the tools offered to help build sustainable healthy habits of recovery.
About Marcus Patterson
I, Marcus, started using at the young age of 17, during my senior year of high school in 1984. The crack epidemic exploded, and I fell prey to the drug. Overall, I subjected myself to 26 years of habitual usage. I was a very good athlete in high school and drugs were prevalent which made it easy for me to get involved. At 30 years of age, I was already eleven years into my addiction. I changed careers at the age of 30 and became a police officer in my home city. For five years I remained clean. I lost my job as an officer and fell into relapse in 2002 and then used another fourteen years until the age of 48, when I decided I had to change. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and decided change was needed. My drug usage was so great, that I compromised my integrity and committed multiple crimes that landed me in jail for 490 days. This is the time I committed to my sobriety, changed everything about what I was before, and became regimented in my daily outlook. I had as much of a desire to be clean as I had previously wanted to use, which led me to submit my life to Christ, and I have been redeemed. It is the gift and story of redemption that I must pass along. I celebrate nine years of sobriety on June 25, 2024.
About Vanessa Patterson
I, Vanessa, wanted to share some of my personal experiences and walk with you. I am first and foremost, thankful for growing up in a home that both knew and acknowledged Jesus Christ. It was because of this that I gave my heart and life over to Him at the age of 4 years. My mom wasn't sure if I understoodd salvation, because after we prayed together, I told her that I KNEW Jesus was in my heart because I could "feel His foot". I may have only been 4, but I used the limited vocabulary of a young child to express the distinct recognition of the mighty presence of God that now resided within me. In my lifetime I was strongly influenced by both a spirit of fear and the intense desire to please others. I was molested many times starting in toddlerhood into my adult years, perpetrated by people close to me, a boss in my late teens and a complete stranger in a store. I was raped multiple times starting with date rape in my teens, with the final rape being violent at the age of 51. The fact that I also experienced domestic violence and emotional abuse throughout my life, I believe, is very prevalent with many but not acknowledged or discussed. During all that I walked, one thing that remained a constant in my heart was my desire for God's continued presence in my life and the fact that His love was unchanging. In the last 10 years, I have discovered that God not only never left me, but also used all that occurred for my equipping needed for the call that He would later place on my life. When I place my will, choices and perspective into His capable and kind hands, He brings miraculous outcomes in my mind, relationships, circumstances, and even finances. I have come to realize that ALL people, including myself, will eventually let me down in some fashion, but God NEVER will!!
A Calling and a Purpose
447Outreach ministry is a calling and a purpose that the Lord placed upon us. It is the defined purpose to give and share our witness and testimony of our life story for God to use in changing lives, and to be an example of how even the greatest of obstacles can be overcome. The experiences that we share are personal. We are an example to whom we will minster to in our outreach because we have lived it and can relate. We have lived with the torment, with the anxiety and anguish. We have shared in the disappointment in ourselves, along with others and where our Integrity has been compromised. We understand what that is like and we know that only those who have walked that walk have the greatest opportunity to be effective with those suffering, because we are just like them. This gives us the opportunity to get their undivided attention, where they are reachable.
Our Beliefs
We, at 447Outreach, have an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the One who empowers us to sustain a healthy daily life approach, supported by biblically based principles and a faith-driven determination for resolution. We believe, without the Lord, true and sustainable recovery will not be achieved.
Marcus likes to quote his one-liners that really empower others and speak to the situation at hand. Some of these that specifically resonate within our beliefs are:
- "Let go and let God"
- "Life's most valuable lessons are learned through pain"
- "Change is the most difficult thing to do in life"
- "One day at a time"
FAQ
447 represents the numerical equivalent to where the letters, MVP align in the alphabet. M is the 13th letter in the alphabet, so combining the numbers 1 and 3 gives us the first numerical number of 4. V is the 22nd letter, so 2 and 2 gives the second 4. P is the 16th letter, so combining the 1 and 6 gives us 7. So 447 signifies MVP which are the "most valuable people", whom we are catering to. For Christ himself stated that he had come for whom He considered the most valuable people.... those who are lost, sick and afflicted. It is also the initials of the cofounders, Marcus and Vanessa Patterson, which confirmed for them not only God's call on them as a couple, but also connected them in a personal way to the people to whom they are called to in this ministry.
The answer is no. At this point in 447Outreach, we are not equipped to provide that kind of service. However, if this approach is necessary, we have the ability to help by referring the individual to the proper facility.
The short answer is no. At this point in our outreach, we are not equipped to provide any sort of financial assistance or support, but these are areas that will be researched as possible future programs offered, as we grow.
Inspiring change through example
The mission of 447 Outreach is to empower individuals on their journey to recovery from addiction, abuse, and grief by providing compassionate support and healthy lifestyle choices through biblical and practical principles. We strive to build communities that foster both healing and rehabilitative sustainable behaviors so individuals are no longer a danger to themselves or others.