Monday marked a significant milestone for God's House of Hope Kilmichael with the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for two new facilities: Howell's Event Center – Bldg 54 Recovery and the Howell Sweet It Is Coffee & Sweet Shop.
During the celebration, Executive Directors Nick and Amy Shook Coyle, Assistant Executive Director Rebekah Johnson, and Director of Howell's Event Center – Bldg 54 Recovery Kaitlyn Cunningham paid tribute to Representative Bobby Howell, the facilities' namesake. Howell, who served as a Republican member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1992 to 2016, also worked as a pharmacist and formerly served as the Mayor of Kilmichael. His generous donation of the property has enabled God's House of Hope to expand its ministry footprint in Kilmichael with these new facilities.
“Mr. Bobby is who wrote the grant for the Veterans Cemetery, and made the vision possible for this community, and has also been a huge asset for God’s House of Hope to be in this community,” Johnson began. “Mr. Bobby Howell is a believer of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and is an advocate of the ministry of God’s House of Hope. Mr. Bobby is the reason this whole ministry found a new home in the caring town of Kilmichael, Mississippi, and we are beyond grateful for his mission to continue to make Kilmichael great. This truly is a great town, and we are truly thankful for you Mr. Bobby Howell.”
As part of the celebration, the directors shared how the new facilities will serve the community. Howell's Event Center – Bldg 54 is now available for community members to reserve for special occasions. Rather than charging a rental fee, the center simply requests a donation to support the God’s House of Hope ministry. Every Tuesday evening will be dedicated to recovery meetings that welcome both current GHOH program participants and individuals from the community who are seeking recovery support. The first recovery meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 1, starting at 6 p.m.
On the other side of the building, visitors will find the Howell Sweet It Is Coffee & Sweet Shop. Beginning April 1, the sweet shop will be open daily, offering pastries, biscuits, and plate lunches. Like the event center, the sweet shop will operate entirely on donations rather than set prices.
For event space reservations, please contact Kaitlyn Cunningham at 662-488-5506 or send a message through the 'Howell's Event Center – Bldg 54 Recovery' Facebook page.
These new facilities represent not only an expansion of God’s House of Hope’s physical presence in Kilmichael, but also an extension of their mission to serve. Through Representative Howell’s generosity and the organization’s dedication, these spaces will create gathering places where community connections can flourish and where the ministry can continue sharing the Word with the others.
