<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Pivot Ministries]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pivot Ministries]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:43:32 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.pivotministries.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Did you see us on the Today Show? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[After 23 years of addiction, Richard and Robert Williams made a decision one night, without consulting each other. Although the identical twins were living together and had been constantly connected for all of their 51 years, they each made a hard choice on their own. They reached out to different family members to ask for help. Within days, they were both on their way to treatment, in locations far from their Annapolis home. Robert went to Teen Challenge in Rochester, NY, and Richard came to...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/did-you-see-us-on-the-today-show</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ceb25ef7044e6cf7a91c01</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:29:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_2728d6cad3264ff6a00413f9e6100ea7~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pivot's Board has a new President ]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are pleased to announce that Alex Horton has assumed the role of President of Pivot Ministries’ Board of Directors effective April 1, 2026. Alex has been a valued member of the Pivot community for many years—first as Co-Chair of the Outreach Committee at Green’s Farms Church in Westport, and since 2022 as a member of the Pivot Board. He currently co-leads the Pivot Book Club and plays an active role in the Pivot Alumni Program. Alex succeeds David West, a member of Stanwich Church, who...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/pivot-s-board-has-a-new-president</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ceaed02a4608ae001d3fcb</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:04:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_d09c991257b44ba08a26d58175421019~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The life that's beyond the darkness ]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Frank Concepcion, Program Director Easter has always meant something powerful to me—something real. Growing up in New York City, I saw a lot of brokenness, and for a long time, I was part of it. I chased the world, found trouble, and nearly lost myself along the way. But when God stepped into my life, He didn’t just clean me up—He resurrected me. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead took a man with a drug habit and a hard heart and gave him new life, new purpose, and new hope....]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/the-life-that-s-beyond-the-darkness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ce96a8981022c48b1f64a2</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:19:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_96d26bee27b8477aa62e0e8cebec03fc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Pivot saved my life" ]]></title><description><![CDATA[A childhood filled with loss, abandonment, and abuse sent Donovan on a dark path. Anger led him to run away from home and get into fights in high school, then gang involvement, and, inevitably, drugs. At age 20, he lost a child of his own, which compounded his feeling that the universe was aligned against him: "The only thing I cared about was taken from me. I disliked the man I was and overdosed several time, because I wanted to die," he said. "But every time, I woke up - something kept me...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/pivot-saved-my-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ce8313981022c48b1f3bdb</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:27:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_ee8dd9e914b24efca6307c13e6a5ccee~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_552,h_618,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["I Trust in God!"]]></title><description><![CDATA["I trust in God - He will never ever fail!" resonated through Noroton Presbyterian Church recently at the annual Table of Grace event, organized in partnership with Rev. Gary Morello, leading the church's children and youth.  The men of Pivot led the singing, heads bowed and hearts were lifted as teens,  parents, pastors and Pivot students prayed together.]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/i-trust-in-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cc093bc69c7f7284370309</guid><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:58:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_99e7310abaf44f94b400ad673653b80f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[It ends and starts now]]></title><description><![CDATA[Completing the Pivot program is just the beginning for (pictured from left) Michael, Andre, Jonathan and David, with Pastor Richard Williams, and Claire England, Operations Director. Chips Restaurant in Fairfield is the monthly venue for a Completion Breakfast, where Pivot leaders celebrate the graduates and get their feedback on their program experience. What was hard? What meant the most? What could the ministry do better? Early recovery is tough, which is why Pivot provides supported...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/it-ends-and-starts-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cc06284c31bb6f64bd3ef5</guid><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:46:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_15a75512f9a84355aadb03f8be6ae231~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pivot Leaders Honor Legacy of Rev. Alonzo Smalls]]></title><description><![CDATA[Five generations of Pivot leadership gathered at the Homegoing service for Rev. Alonzo Smalls on March 17, 2026. From left: Tony Kiniry, former Executive Director and now Executive Director of Recovery Community Development, Bridgeport; Rev. Richard Williams, current Executive Director; Bishop Joseph Clemmons, co-founder of Pivot Ministries; Rev. David Smith, former Executive Director and now Vice President of Programs at Bay Area Rescue Mission, California; and Greg Wertz, former Board Member.]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/pivot-leaders-honor-legacy-of-rev-alonzo-smalls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cc0463f7044e6cf7a309a7</guid><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:30:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_d8f68cd4443b4e13b04591c81131d413~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thank you, Pastor Smalls ]]></title><description><![CDATA[An era ended for Pivot Ministries on February 28 2026 with the passing of Reverend Alonzo Smalls, the first Executive Director of the ministry, at the age of 94. His Homegoing was celebrated (pictured) on March 17 at Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ, Norwalk, one of Pivot's founding churches. Pastor Smalls was celebrated by one of the original leaders of the ministry, Rev. Dr. Joseph Clemmons, who helped hire Pastor Smalls in 1970. In 1968, in response to the needs of the community,...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/thank-you-pastor-smalls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cbfd1ac69c7f728436e346</guid><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:17:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_deb07eb993d74ac9be6bac6a45aa1b01~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Happiness and peace aren't free"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Steven Ocasio (right) with Rev. Richard Williams In 2019 Steven Ocasio hit rock bottom and out of a desperate prayer came help, then a new life.  Steven recently shared on Facebook the encounter with God that saved his life: "Today I heard something that hit me deep; if you want peace you have to be ready to defend it. There are people who'll try to steal your peace, make you feel like you don't matter. I've only had that kind of peace twice in my life. "The last time was in 2019 when I was...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/happiness-and-peace-don-t-come-free</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69839fdd4ef7940ceeef92d0</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:50:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_4d43361415d54c15be43c8a93565ebaf~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_669,h_675,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thank you for "speaking up"]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Rev. Richard Williams, Pastor &#38; Exectutive Director As I prepared for MLK Day recently, I studied Martin Luther King Jr’s sermon “A Time to Break Silence.”   It’s stirring reminder that real faith is not quiet agreement with the “way things are” but a call to courageous, costly love. As we read in Proverbs 31, we are asked to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”   That’s why I’m so proud of everyone in the Pivot community - the donors, volunteers, congregations, and alumni...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/thank-you-for-speaking-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697b90fec1bd63f263ffc219</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:02:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_6f101a7569934059a68947a7e5a812ca~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tyrell's recovery has a ripple effect ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trauma and hardship dogged Tyrell from the streets of LA where he grew up, back to his birthplace, Hartford CT, where he returned in his 20s. He was in his late 40s before he found his way to long-term recovery and Pivot Ministries. Now he's a recovery coach at another Bridgeport addiction treatment program. His recovery is rippling out to give hope to men and women coming off the street and out of the criminal justice system. "God left the residue of the streets and the pain in me to so I...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/tyrell-s-recovery-has-a-ripple-effect</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697b8be6b3cf8ba23848b873</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:52:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_46cf59f1da0a421091d731ec3cb02b4b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We love to craft! ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thanks to Black Rock Church in Fairfield for a great Valentine's themed event inJanuary. Pivot students enjoyed making cards for their loved ones - like Hamza pictured with a Valentine for his mom. Reach out to Mary Aly at maryaly@pivotministries.org  if your church or community group would like to run a crafty fellowship activity at Pivot.]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/we-love-to-craft</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697b94b9c1bd63f263ffc8f1</guid><pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:14:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_07bebf54eb4342b5acc7a9082c974d4e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_875,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Learning to take on the world]]></title><description><![CDATA[There aren't many jobs you can do these days without basic computer skills. That's why Andrew McGibbon spends Saturday mornings in the Pivot Learning Center, helping Pivot students brush up their skills or acquire new ones. Using a computer is not optional in today’s working world. So, from left, Tarell, Neal, and Robert were in Andrew  computer skills class on a recent Saturday morning.   Andrew, a member of Black Rock Church in Fairfield, is part of the Business School at CT State...]]></description><link>https://www.pivotministries.org/post/learning-to-take-on-the-world</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697b92e7c1bd63f263ffc5f3</guid><pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:09:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/34ffdf_22768e5ff46b45929d146347ee919eac~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>clairee753</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>