Our History:

East Gate Ministries (EGM) was founded by Ilsa Weaver in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 2002 in response to women considering abortion.  As a result of an unplanned pregnancy, many women do not have the social support or the financial security required to feel equipped to become a mother.  EGM has expanded their programming to be able to reach hundreds of women through our residential program, day program, and individual counseling.  We serve women, ages 18-30, suffering from past or current sexual traumas. 

The women we serve come with a complexity of needs.  All women who have participated in the Grace House Residential have experienced some form of sexual, psychological, or emotional trauma with 95% being survivors of sexual abuse.  Some are post-abortive and seek healing from their past loss and over half of EGM’s clientele have come from prostitute or sex-trafficking.  Their wounds are deep and as a result, many suffer from addiction to illicit drugs or alcohol, self-harm, eating disorders, or other life-controlling addictions to cope. 

EGM strives to show God’s love and compassion to broken lives to demonstrate the full restoration that can only happen through Jesus.  Our founder’s prayer and hope for every woman is that they may be set free from their former life (John 8:36), heal from trauma, discover Christ’s love for them, and accept Him as Lord.  All praise to God for the lives the ministry has been able to touch throughout the years!

Our Mission: To compassionately extend God's love to young women seeking healing, hope and restoration where rape, abuse, abortion, unplanned pregnancy, prostitution/sex-trafficking, or other sexual traumas have broken lives.

Statement of Faith:

We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept. 

We believe that there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

We believe that man was created in the image of God, but as a result of sin, is lost and powerless to save himself. 

We believe that the only hope for man is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind, and who rose form the dead so that by receiving Him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood. 

We believe that Jesus Christ will personally return to earth in power and glory. 

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells those who receive Christ, for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and holy lives. 

We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ and comprised of those who, through believe in Christ, have been spiritually renewed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

Testimonials:

"It's important for you to understand how critical it is to partner with East Gate Ministries. For those of us girls who are considering abortion, adoption, or parenting, you've provided hope and a solution. For those of us who have been abused or struggling with addictions; you've given us hope and the desire to live."
-Former Grace House resident

"By being in the residential Grace House program, I have learned that there are people who truly care and who are willing to help. Once homeless and abusing drugs and alcohol, I would do anything to survive on the streets. Having nowhere to go when I learned that I was pregnant, a family friend told me about East Gate Ministries' Grace House. Being in the program was the best decision I've made in a long time. It saved and changed my life!"
-Former Grace House resident

“As a young single mom, I’ve been receiving professional counseling through East Gate’s Grace House outreach day program and it has changed my life.  I went from not being able to stay out of the psychiatric crisis unit for longer than a month, to being in a stable place of recovery for quite a while. I got my life back!”

“Our daughter has never been happier!  Before the Grace House program, she had no joy whatsoever.  She felt her life had no meaning or purpose.  Her dad and I were very concerned about her choosing life not only for herself, but our grandchild as well.  Since the Grace House program, she is thriving and has her joy restored.  Thank you for giving us our daughter back!”