'Find God or die;' churches tackling opioid epidemic

There are two components to someone's drug addiction, says Kent Vandervort, the pastor for urban ministries and administration at Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene.

There's the physical part: going out to buy and use drugs.

The other, more complicated side is something Vandervort and a group of other pastors work to address through group recovery.

"The hard part is what's driving them to do it," Vandervort said. "You're still dealing with someone who's wounded."

Vandevort's church, like others in the area, hold meetings that address all types of addiction, ranging from drugs to gambling to sex. Still, he, along with other pastors and volunteers, are holding weekly meetings where a growing number of heroin users and people directly affected by the opioid epidemic can meet and talk.

It's one example of how people in York County are fighting the heroin epidemic. Emergency room doctors, nonprofits and addiction specialists, to name a few, are part of a contingent of people attempting to curb overdose deaths related to heroin use.

In 2016, drug deaths were among the top causes of death in York County. Of 123 deaths, 116 involved opioids and 76 were heroin-related, coroner Pam Gay said. Those numbers could be far higher if it were not for the antidote naloxone that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. In 2016, law enforcement officers in the county saved 232 people, according to Gay.

Church leaders may not be out on the streets saving lives with naloxone. But it is their more behind-the-scenes work that some hope will turn someone addicted to heroin to turn to a higher power.

Todd Pequignot leads a Celebrate Recovery program at Church of the Open Door at its West York campus. He came to the program only in the last year. For 25 years, he said, he struggled with alcohol addiction.

"It wasn't until I came at it from a faith-based approach that sobriety happened," Pequignot said.

Celebrate Recovery follows eight principles that include evaluating one's relationships and believing that God exists and has the power to help in recovery from addiction.

"People get to a point where they realize they can't do it on their own," he said, a sentiment that he said translates to "I need power that's greater than my addiction."

Still, Pequignot, who has been leader since January, said he has not seen a large number of people addicted to heroin or opioids turn out for his group meetings.

He isn't sure if that has to do with guilt felt by a heroin user, or because people are reluctant to reach out for help.

"I think people in York County keep to themselves with their struggles," he said.

But Pequignot and Vandervort say that turning to the church and to Celebrate Recovery is a way to get freed from the chains of drug addiction.

Vandervort said changes start with turning to Christ, who gives forgiveness.

"A lot of people feel hopeless," he said. "Drugs make them feel hopeless."

But, he continued, "you can begin to grow. You don't have to stay trapped by that lifestyle."

'From the pit of hell'

For Jeff Smith, it was find God or die.

Smith says he could not have recovered from his alcohol addiction if it were not for having people around him who understood what he was going though.

"You need God and you need others," said Smith.

Smith is the lead pastor at Grace Fellowship Church of Shrewsbury, which he likes to call a "recovery-friendly church."

And with the heroin epidemic directly affecting families in his congregation, he feels the work of his Life Recovery Ministries is all the more important.

Coroner Pam Gay said she has spoken at many churches who hold similar groups and that she supports their work. She says she reminds churches that for some people, medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, like methadone or Vivitrol, are paths to gain sobriety.

"We have to get rid of the stigma in faith-based communities that we are replacing one drug with another," Gay said. "With proper, regular support and counseling, we are helping them get their life back."

Smith said MAT could be a step in the right direction, but expressed concern over that approach to sobriety.

"The heart of the problem is a problem of the heart," Smith said. "If in fact, we're swapping out one medicator for another, I don't think we're getting to the heart of the issue."

Some members of Smith's congregation have lost loved ones to heroin overdoses in recent months; the pastor can recall one time when he was driving down Interstate 83 and he received a call to visit the home of a member who had just lost a son.

Smith said the heroin issue alarms him to the point he wants to "stand up and scream."

"It's from the pit of hell," Smith said about heroin.

He can use his personal experience with recovery to understand that someone addicted to drugs or alcohol may be trying to fill some sort of void.

"If I reach out for a whiskey bottle to try to numb my own pain or I reach out for a needle...I'm still trying to be God," Smith said. "I'm trying to take care of my own pain."

Few people, he said, find recovery without turning to a higher power.

"I tell people I got well enough to look up 32 years ago," Smith said. "It was find God or die."

But even with heroin continuing to be an issue, Smith has encountered some push back from the surrounding community in efforts to address the heroin issue.

About four years ago, he heard about an adult-type residential program for people dealing with drug addiction. Smith said he is still thinking and dreaming about having a similar program through his church, and began talking to people about the idea.

But some people, Smith said, voiced concerns about bringing recovering addicts near the community.

"I just remind people, first of all, you're talking to one," Smith said of being in recovery. "We are already here."

He continued, "Addiction strikes everywhere. It doesn't know socio-economic barriers."