Terry Tipton and the team at Redeemed Living Transitions have a clear mission: to help women leaving addiction recovery programs build stable, independent lives. With the donation and renovation of a home in Lynch, Kentucky, Meridzo Ministries endeavored on that mission when they dedicated and opened Northport Lodge Transitional House for Women.
Northpoint Lodge provides housing, financial education, spiritual support, personal development, and help addressing practical barriers as the women reestablish themselves in society. What they still needed was a way for residents to earn supplemental income and develop workplace skills.
The Spark: Matching Inspiration and Intention
This is the challenge Tipton and his team were trying to solve when they joined SOAR’s Social Enterprise Accelerator in 2025. They had tried a number of entrepreneurial pursuits over the years, but none of them were sustainable.
The team had no shortage of ideas, but SOAR’s team encouraged them to focus on one venture and build it intentionally. As they continued to brainstorm, Tipton found inspiration in a Bible story about the prophet Elijah.
“We asked ourselves the same question Elijah asked the woman: ‘what do we already have?’ And what we already had collecting dust was all the equipment to make candles,” Tipton says.
While one vital piece of equipment needed repair and they’d need to purchase materials, the business had no other expenses. And after graduating from the Social Enterprise Accelerator in December 2025, Redeemed Living Candles began operating in January 2026.
“The cohort taught me a lot about how to get this thing off the ground,” Tipton says. “When you see the logo on the candles, you’ll know it came from the cohort.”
More Than Making Candles
When making the candles, the women have the freedom to fully customize their candles to their liking, choosing the scents, colors, containers, and more. When they’re finished, each of them attach a personalized tag sharing their name, their recovery date, and a scripture of their choosing.
“Every time you light the candle, we ask that you say a prayer for [the woman who made it],” Leah Tipton, Terry’s wife who helps operate Redeemed Living Transitions, says.
When someone purchases a candle, the woman who made it receives a 20% commission, but they can also earn an additional percentage by working the events Redeemed Living Candles participates in like local markets and regional events.
“The more they work, the more money they get when it comes to selling,” Leah says. “And when you work the events, you tend to push your own candles.”
In addition to providing income for the women, candle-making serves as a workforce development solution, helping the women build skills that can be translated on a resume. One woman staying at Northpoint Lodge, Felisha, leveraged her experience making candles to secure part-time employment and has now earned enough money from both jobs to purchase a car soon.
Feeding the Flame
While Redeemed Living Candles are mostly in brick-and-mortar locations through local retail partners and churches, they welcome the opportunity to attend and table events in the future. Recently, Redeemed Living Candles partnered with a local childcare center in Kentucky to host a candle fundraiser, and they look forward to expanding similar fundraising opportunities with churches, schools, childcare centers, and other interested local organizations. You can also purchase candles and learn more about the women who make them on their website.
While the candle business is just getting started, the Tiptons and their team have optimistic visions for the future.
“I’d love to see it grow to where it becomes salaried,” Terry says. “Maybe even become an employment opportunity for the community.”