Perhaps the deeper the depths of sin, the better the appreciation for redemption through Jesus.
James Bridges, pastor Living Way Christian Fellowship in Hannibal, has a heart for those in various addictions, especially drugs and alcohol. He knows first hand what it is like to be delivered.
“I’m an ex-addict. I’ve been clean 13 years. I’ve been in prison five times for a total of 10 years,” Bridges said. “I was saved and delivered in 2003. God put a burden on my heart to reach out to addicts.”
His church and companion ministry Harvest Outreach does that and more.
“Harvest Outreach started six years ago to give drug addicts a safe, sober and stable environment.”
Several homes have been purchased as well as a former building used by Calvary Baptist also in Hannibal where treatments and mandatory church participation are included. One of the houses is not only for recovering female addicts, but an emergency domestic abuse shelter.
Former classrooms in the former church building have been turned into bedrooms for clients. There are house parents in each home. Each person in the treatment center must attend five weekly sessions of a treatment program – AA, NA, Addicts Victorious, or Celebrate recovery. Mentors and pastors speak to the clients.
“We don’t take the men off the streets. They usually come from other treatment centers, jails or prisons. Parole officers monitor progress and the Hannibal Council offers drug testing. We do take some women off the street to get them out of domestic abuse situations.”
Bridges and another pastor, Larry Hinds, work to reach the addicts, with Hinds himself a recovered addict.
“The numbers are increasing, especially in heroin use. Hannibal is ‘America’s Hometown,’ but this is sad. We had three overdoses in one week (mid-July). Larry and me daily get calls from families pleading for help. I’m known as the addict pastor.
“The younger generation is not scared of heroin. The synthetic drugs that are out there are horrible.”
He and Hinds help train other churches how to help addicts be delivered through Jesus Christ. While the main emphases are alcohol and drug addictions, they also have helped clients with gambling and pornography addictions.
Baptist Builders, including those in the Bethel Association, have recently remodeled one of the homes for the women.
Some of the success stories include a man delivered from alcoholism, and from who was reached before he could carry out suicide plans. Both are active in the work now of Harvest Outreach.
As important as that ministry is, Harvest Outreach also oversees the ‘Loaves and Fishes’ ministries.
“We have 30 different church groups and each comes in for one night setting their own menu, preparing and serving a meal. Anyone is welcome to have a meal from 5-6pm at the United Methodist Church. We’re serving 1,500 meals a month, and 90 to 100 children per month are served with the meals.
Harvest Outreach also is part of the Columbia Food Bank’s Share-the-Harvest program. This includes giving away dented cans and some slightly torn boxes of otherwise good, usable food At least three times a month, 1,000 pounds of food is given away.
“It’s become a community minded ministry. If all churches would step up, we would eliminate the drug problem,” Bridges said.