Brenda Scott knows the heartache of dealing with a child who is an addict.
For years, Scott watched as her son Eric, 39, struggled with drug addiction. Sensing the pain other parents must be feeling, she formed a drug and alcohol support group at her church, Pleasant View Baptist, Holly Pond, for those battling addiction and their families.
“It’s a passion that I have because of my experience with him,” Scott said of her son. “I think I can help people by approaching the situation from a parent’s perspective.”
She is not alone in her efforts to help others dealing with issues that sometimes seem overwhelming. Many Alabama Baptist churches like Scott’s are active in helping with support groups that address needs including substance abuse, raising children with special needs and grief.
“Many Alabama Baptist churches are doing more than just saying ‘be warmed and filled,’” said Marcus Merritt, an associate in the office of evangelism for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “They are actually ministering to people in all sorts of ways.”
Merritt does not have statistics on how many Baptist churches in the state host support groups but said those groups reach people with the gospel, because the church takes the time and effort to assist them in a time of need.
For Scott, helping others involves meeting with a half-dozen people, including her son, each Tuesday at Pleasant View Baptist. A member of the Blount Baptist Association church for 36 years, she has worked with two other leaders for three years in leading participants through a 12-step, Bible-based recovery program.
Most of the participants are members of other churches, and some do not attend services at any church.
Special needs
A situation in Shasta Edwards’ life also led her to coordinate a support group. This one for families of children with special needs at Coldwater Baptist Church, Oxford, in Calhoun Baptist Association.
A member of Coldwater Baptist for the past year, Edwards formed the group after her 6-month-old son Hunter was born with Down syndrome and she learned that the closest support group was an hour away in Birmingham.
Edwards’ group meets each month to focus on issues such as rights for disabled individuals and special education, provide information and allow parents to share their experiences and frustrations. The meetings are usually attended by five to 10 people.
Outreach opportunity
“People who don’t have a church family, when they visit, it’s a chance to show them God’s love,” Edwards said. “I’ve had a couple of people want to come back to the church for Bible study.”
She believes church support groups are a way to show the community that it has a place to turn.
“Even if they’re not already in church, it’s looking out for them,” Edwards said.
Stan Mills agrees.
Mills brings his experience as a hospice chaplain to the table in helping members of the grief support group he leads each week at CrossPoint Baptist Church, Argo, in St. Clair Baptist Association. He shows videos that address dealing with grief, followed by a time of sharing.
“We’re carrying people and showing them in God’s Word who the ultimate healer is. And that is our Lord, Jesus Christ,” Mills said.
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