Addicts find love, hope — and Jesus — through ministries focused on recovery and discipleship.
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By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. — Opioids, meet Jesus.
The drugs behind a crisis that President Donald Trump characterizes as a “national emergency” are no match for the savior of the world.
That’s the message at the Grand Strand Church of Christ, which has become a haven for prodigal sons — and daughters — caught up in addiction.
“The whole congregation kind of took me in and just showed me as much love as they can,” said Jordan Taylor, a recovering heroin addict who served prison time for drug crimes. “I went through ups and downs, and they’d always accept me with open arms.
“They would never judge me or anything like that,” added Taylor, who was baptized after showing up for the church’s Celebrate Recovery program and studying the Bible.
The church in this beach town battles an epidemic — linked to opioids such as heroin and prescription painkillers like oxycodone and fentanyl — that has caused drug overdoses to skyrocket nationally.
This story appears in the September 2017 print edition of The Christian Chronicle.
The Ross News 