Local program changing lives

CELINA - They were holed up in prison or jail - lost, reeling from withdrawal and anguishing in silence - when Team Hope members reached out with an offer of redemption via Jesus Christ.

A woman nearly a year sober recalled how she was in a terrible place physically, emotionally and spiritually when Team Hope members visited the jail and cast a lifeline in the form of the Bible.

"It spiritually enlightened me in a way that I can't even explain," she said. "It changed my whole outlook on life. I was facing five years in prison, and I was humble with that, I was OK with that because I knew that God had my back."

Assembled on a recent Tuesday night at Grand Lake United Methodist Church's St. Paul Campus in Celina for the weekly session of "Brianna's Hope: A Better Life," men and women of varying ages shared deeply personal stories of how they came to embrace the participant-driven, faith-based addiction-support group.

Some heard of the program and took a chance to show up for a session.

In other cases, Team Hope members - pastors, recovering addicts and counselors - sought out those afflicted with addiction in the Mercer and Auglaize county jails and Western Ohio Regional Treatment Center in Lima.

"It was actually in Brianna's Hope in jail that I had an epiphany, an awakening of how selfish and downright rude I was being to everybody that loved me and God giving me the blessings he was (that) my whole perception changed," another recovering substance abuser said.

Team Hope was there to show them the way to a better life upon their release. Team Hope members are essentially available 24-7 to offer participants a lift to work, to talk them through a moment of darkness or temptation or to introduce them to a new trade or hobby.

"Now one of Team Hope's members makes sure that a (woman) has a ride, takes her to work, brings her to church, brings her to Brianna's Hope, until she can get on her feet. She's been there for her," Team Hope member and Pastor Diane Mendelson said.

Team Hope also hones members' social skills to ease their transition into a substance-free, productive life.

"How do you get folks to where they feel like they belong in society? You play pickle ball with them," Mendelson said of a Team Hope member nudging attendees into social activities.

Brianna's Hope began in Redkey, Indiana, on Nov. 5, 2014, as a new approach to dealing with drug addiction. It was named after a young woman who had struggled with heroin addiction and gone missing, according to the nonprofit organization. Her remains were found on Sept. 1, 2014, near the Jay County Conservation Club.

The program found a following and soon spawned other chapters, including Ohio's first chapter in Celina.

The Celina chapter this week celebrated its second anniversary of transforming lives through support, encouragement and collaboration. The program has caught fire, drawing 40 to 60 people every Tuesday night from 6-7:45 p.m. and prompting the formation of chapters in St. Marys and Greenville.

Participants have no guarantee they won't fall back into their old ways, but they have a much better chance of rebounding with the group's support structure, Mendelson said. Organizers are building relationships with men and women who are literally fighting for their lives.

"I want that awareness of what is taking place in this community to help this opioid crisis. I want the community to know that we are working really hard," Mendelson said. "We're fighting for those that want to live, and we're trying to give them the hope that maybe they never had before."
  Now, entire families, including grandparents who have become de facto guardians and non-addicts in a support role, attend regularly. In fact, anyone is welcome to come to Brianna's Hope.

"This is an opportunity for families to try to get an understanding because most people don't understand (why can't stop using substances)," Mendelson said. "Coming to the program, they have the opportunity to hear from other people, testimonials, and they get a better idea about why this might have happened."

What distinguishes Briana's Hope is a sense of unconditional, nonjudgmental love that permeates the weekly session and the frequent invocation of and reliance on Jesus Christ for comfort and strength.

"Don't judge us. We don't judge you. We don't care about your past - we care about your today and your tomorrow. We do tell them we are faith-based," Menelson said. "What Team Hope and I, what we know is that we can't get through a day without our faith."

Team Hope tries to lead by example, not browbeating.

"They have to realize that on their own. You can't push something on somebody so what we want is 'see it in us.' See that it is by faith that we are able to get through the problems of the world," she said. "We have problems. Every one of us have trials, tribulations. It's how you deal with them."

A mother and former heroin user said no one is treated differently.

"What's so beautiful to me are the people that maybe have never really had a strong relationship or relationship at all with Christ, this place is not like any church I've ever known," she said, noting she had once been told long ago that she couldn't know Christ because of her drug use.

The weekly session began with prayer followed by a meal consisting of appetizers, a main course and dessert prepared by local volunteers such as Celina Primary School teachers.

"The food is the big thing. Sometimes this is the best meal some of the folks that come have," Mendelson said. "It is neat to see because folks do come and they sit together, they eat together, they talk together. They're sharing everything."

From there, attendees celebrated even the smallest victory. They talked about securing jobs or interviews, taking steps to gain a driver's license, cutting back on cigarettes, exiting a violent domestic situation and hearing good news at a parent-teacher conference.

Next, dog tags were handed to those who have recently completed detox or rehab or have remained sober over a period of time.

After a break they start the next segment, which typically consists of watching a video, listening to a speaker or having a discussion. At the recent session they disclosed the circumstances that led them to the group.

Some spoke of how their drug or alcohol issue had alienated them from their families.

"When you're down and out you feel that you don't have anybody, and you're all alone," a young woman said.

Others wanted to restore relationships shattered by their addictions.

"It's very family-oriented, and my kids have dealt with addiction their whole life because of me and they've had to struggle, but this place helps them get back, reunify with their mother," one woman said.

Forming new friendships centered on personal growth and enjoying life without drugs or alcohol drew in others.

"I was strung out on heroin and meth, and I don't have family around here, and all my friends that I had were all drug addicts … still using," a young man said, explaining he discovered a new family that helps keep him sober.

Not everyone, though, is a former addict or alcoholic.

"I'm here as a supporter because my mom passed away two years ago from a heroin overdose, and I felt like I needed to be there for people," a young man said, adding he feels closer to those in the room than many he has known his entire life.

The evening concludes with attendees holding hands in a circle, honoring prayer requests and each reciting that they are "a beautiful child of God."

Mendelson encourages anyone who is or knows someone suffering from addiction to call Grand Lake United Methodist Church for program information.