“It is awesome to see how God is using Chaplain Mark and the Restoration Program to introduce people to Christ and His amazing grace. I have witnessed broken and hopeless men who have nowhere else to go transformed into hope dealers and Kingdom builders through the Restoration Program. This is what being the hands and feet of Jesus should look like!”
— David Stoeker
National Recovery Advocate, Author of ‘Hope Dealer’, and Credentialed Counselor: LCSW, CPS
“Change for the Poor is an incredible resource when it comes to planning and implementing a restoration program. There is no reason to recreate the wheel now thanks to Mark and this book. An easy-to-follow guide, practical applications, and informative truths about serving the poor make this book a must-read for anyone planning to start or reform a restorative process.”
— Jody Dow
Executive Director of The Springfield Dream Center
“I have worked with Mark for over five years now. The program he created is solid and it is a program we support and recommend in our community. The principles are Biblical and effective as well as proof through changes lives.”
— John Stroup
Executive Director of Freeway Ministries
“Mark McKnelly has proven to be a godly Man whose goal in life is to spread the truth of God’s grace and to pour His love into people who feel hopeless. The life of an addict is chaotic, exhausting, and heartbreaking. Mark’s genuine heart to facilitate the restoration process in the lives of those who are materially and relationally poor overflows in his book Change for the Poor. I have read my cherished copy of his book and have also thoroughly enjoyed listening to it on audio. I'm sure this will be a resource many times over as we minister to those in recovery. There are not many books that I would so wholeheartedly endorse as I do this book. Way to go Mark, for giving those of us who are ministering to people in the trenches a guideline from which to draw strength and encouragement!
— Debra Hedgcorth
Finding the Family
“I know of no other program in Southwest Missouri, or in all of Missouri and surrounding states, for that matter, that helps restore men and women to health—spiritual, mental, emotional and relational—like that of Victory Mission’s (VM) Restoration Program. As the Director of the Good Dads program, which Victory Mission incorporates into its programming for all the dads in their Restoration Program, I've seen story after story of hope and healing over the past three years. As a clinical psychologist who provides supervision for the mental health providers serving at VM, I am continually awed and blessed by the changes I've seen in the lives of their residents. Some otherwise "hopeless" cases have a new life and hope for the future because of their experience. We are all better for the work that Victory Mission does at no charge for the benefit of the men they serve. Our community is safer and more productive with people like them.”
— Jennifer L. Baker
PsyD MFT and Founder & Executive Director of Good Dads, Inc.
“Uncomfortable balance, that is what Mark McKnelly brings in Change for the Poor. This wholistic approach to chronic poverty is highlighted in chapter four where he discusses three relational approaches to helping the poor. Paternal: doing “to” others. Maternal: doing “for” others. Transformational: doing “with” others. Another uncomfortable balance is struck by the third principle of restoration: accountability for those being restored. Want real results? Then apply these principles.”
— Jack Smart
US Missionary with the Assemblies of God, CEO of Rural Freedom, Director of Living Free at James River Church
“I met Mark when he started working in outreach and recovery ministry at the church. It is his personal experience every day in the trenches that has rocketed his understanding of how to transform lives. The end product of changed lives through the restoration program are truly amazing and its graduates have been legitimately restored!”
— Alon Fisch
Executive Director of New Beginning Sanctuary, VP of Recovery Coalition of the Ozarks, President of Missouri Continuing Education Consortium, Member of Missouri chapter of National Association of Recovery Residences housing task force, Board Member of Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers, Founding Partner of Springfield Recovery Community Center
“The heart of the Restoration Program at Victory Mission is to be more than a treatment program. The Restoration Program is totally committed to the complete work of Christ in the hearts and lives of men and women, and the total restoration of the people that God created them to be.”
— Mark McDonald
Credentialed Counselor: MS, CRADC, CGDC, CRPR, MARS
“This book will challenge most of your assumptions on how to help "those" people. Get ready to listen and walk with those coming out of family chaos and poverty. Mark blends grace, compassion, truth, and story together to bring us a how to book in the process of change and life transformation.”
— Jason Hynson
Executive Director of Victory Mission + Ministry
“At The Well Church we have seen and experienced first hand the incredible life change that has come through the Restoration program and curriculum led and created by Mark McKnelly, through Victory Mission. Mark knows and understands that true restoration only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and he is committed to this truth. In Mark’s book, Change For The Poor, he allows us into this truth and process as he teaches us the 3 principles of Restoration which are Relationship, Structure, and Accountability. I am excited to use this book as a resource in our Redemption Ministry at The Well and share it with others who are answering the call of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to go and make Disciples.”
— Selena Freeman
Lead Pastor of The Well Church
“The changes and transformations I have seen through some of the men in the Restoration Program is nothing short of incredible. Some of these men have bounced back from a lifetime of challenges and adversities. It’s unbelievable to watch the improvement as these individuals advance through the phases of the Restoration Program as they are restoring their lives.”
— Sean Ziverk
Probation and Parole Officer