A couple weeks ago, I was a witness to a growing national tragedy.  Most of us have heard about the opioid epidemic on the news.  Some of us know people who have been affected.  I found myself at the hospital following an overdose by a young woman whose aunt is a member here, and who herself has attended services here and also Celebrate Recovery meetings.  She overdosed.  A day later, when life supports were removed, she was unable to breathe on her own and she passed.  Fortunately, she had a personal faith in Jesus as her Savior and I believe she passed into his presence.  Unfortunately, she had been unable to center her life sufficiently in the power and love of Jesus to enable her to walk out of addiction and into the freedom Jesus offers.

It was a hard couple of days; as was the funeral a few days later.  But I felt the privilege of being there with the family as they tried to wrap their minds around horrific news and to make soul-wrenching decisions and watch their daughter take her last breaths.  I was there to pray with them, support them and encourage them with the hope of the gospel and the comfort of the Lord’s presence.

That experience put into bold relief the planning work I have been doing with a dedicated team of people to launch a support group for family and friends of folks who are either struggling with addiction or are walking out their recovery.  How Can We Help? is the name of this initiative and it gets right to the heart of the matter.  The group will focus on education about the process of addiction and recovery, helping people get connected to recovery resources and just plain old fashioned person-to-person support.  The group is being co-sponsored by Coram Deo Recovery, Central Connecticut Health District, DMHAS and Wellspring.  I have been part of the planning team, along with some other key folks from Wellspring.

The group is not a traditional recovery meeting, but it is a support meeting for those who have friends or family members who are in recovery or who are actively in addiction.  However, like all recovery meetings, the norms of confidentiality will be followed.

The initial group meeting will be at Wellspring on Tuesday evening, May 28.  We will begin with a light meal at 6:30 PM and then the group meeting form 7:00-8:00.  This will be the schedule and format going forward.  Meetings will be each Tuesday night in The Space, here at Wellspring.

So, if you have friends or family members who are seeking to walk out of addiction you are welcome to join us for this support group.  Or, if you know of anyone else who could benefit from this kind of a group, please pass along the word.

You can find more information by visiting www.howcanwehelp.live or  www.coramdeorecovery.org

Informational flyers about the group are also available in the church office during the week, or at the Welcome Desk on Sunday mornings.  If you have further question, please contact me: rick@wellspring.net; Jody Davis: office@coramdeorecovery.org; or speak personally with Dan Rouleau, Jim Ruff, and Inez Galloza.

Pastor Rick