ETC is an 40-week long, residential, faith based program for men who are ready to make radical and dramatic changes to their lives. We refer to ourselves as a regeneration ministry because we recognize that it’s not just a minor adjustment to our old life that must be made but a brand new life, altogether, which needs to emerge. We believe God is able to create that life and nurture it to maturity.

Our Heritage

Carrying on the vision
Evans Training Center was named in honor of Brother Mickey Evans, the founder of Dunklin Memorial Church, a 70 bed residential facility in Okeechobee, FL which has been in operation for over 50 years. The current ETC executive director and program director, both graduates of Dunklin, have a combined total of 12 years training in this specific ministry. Brother Mickey’s vision was to plant “Cities of Refuge” for addicts across the world in order to combat the growing epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction. Today there are dozens of programs in this network both in the US and abroad which were birthed out of Mickey’s vision. ETC is a humble attempt to honor Mickey’s vision in the upstate of South Carolina.

WHAT TO EXPECT

When a man arrives at ETC he can expect to be welcomed and loved by the staff and other program men. He will be assigned a “Big-Brother” who will help him get acquainted with the rules and show him the ropes. Wake up is at 6:30, then breakfast and a daily structured prayer time. Classes run M-F from 8-10:30am.
Men will work through curriculum resembling a Christian 12-step approach to recovery. They will have opportunity to unload burdens from their past and be encouraged and taught how to embrace a new lifestyle. Throughout their stay they will be challenged and confronted on wrong ways of thinking and bad attitudes and behavior. High emphasis is placed on developing soft skills such as conflict resolution, building and maintaining healthy relationships and clear communication. There are regular structured opportunities for the men to hold each other accountable for previous week’s attitudes and behaviors in an accountable group setting in order to practice healthy conflict resolution and promote change. This is a program which places high expectations on the men to make real changes and a lot of those changes happen with direct help from their peers.
After class, the men volunteer their time for approximately 5 hours per day on various work projects that can include painting, landscaping, pressure cleaning, or light remodeling. If work projects are scarce, the men will volunteer at other local Spartanburg county churches and non-profits.
In the evenings there are group dinners which are often attended by the staff families, then chores and homework time. Saturday mornings the men volunteer their time on work projects from 8:30-11:30 and then are allowed approved family visitation from 1-5pm and from church through 5pm on Sundays. We worship together at Hope Church on John Dodd Rd. in Spartanburg on Sundays from 9:00am-12:30pm. As each man’s program progresses he is systematically given higher levels of responsibility and expectations in order to prepare him for reality after the program. As a man nears the end of his time we provide assistance in his transition on a case by case basis which can include help with securing different living arrangements, job placement, etc.

RESTRICTIONS

Because of the focused and intense nature of our program we work hard to limit the sort of things that can be a distraction to a man’s process while he’s here. The spirit of these restrictions isn’t meant to be legalistic but it’s based on years of witnessing the sort of things that get in the way of a man’s focus while here:
  • No tobacco products
  • No personal cell phone use
  • No television or personal music devices
  • No Internet use
  • No personal electronic devices
  • No communication or visitation, whatsoever, with romantic prospects other than spouse.
  • No visitation for initial 30 days.

LIMITATIONS

ETC is not a program that fits everybody’s unique situation or circumstance. For example, we do not employ licensed medical staff so we cannot legally prescribe medications, diagnose medical conditions, etc. Therefore we do not admit men into our program who require medical supervision. Here are some more restrictions we adhere to:

  • Pending legal issues. We don’t accept men who have scheduled court dates, warrants for their arrest, or other pending legal issues which could cause them to not be able to complete the program. Please resolve all current legal issues before applying for intake.

  • Psych meds. There are good program options available for those who need medical addiction treatment but we are not one. If you are currently on psych meds and want to come to ETC we require a signed letter from your physician stating that you are not required to take them any longer.

  • ETC is not a detox facility. We require that a man has been sober for at least 3-5 days before entering our program. Detox should not be taken lightly. In some scenarios, a man can die if not detoxed properly under the care of a doctor. Please don’t lie about this in order to come into the program, it’s not worth the risk.