Jennifer Lee
Virginia Religious Herald
Paul Smith once lived in New Orleans as a drug addict – now, he works
on the streets of Big Stone Gap, Va., to help others avoid and overcome addictions
to drugs and alcohol.
Paul Smith once lived in New Orleans as a drug addict – now, he works
on the streets of Big Stone Gap, Va., to help others avoid and overcome addictions
to drugs and alcohol.
Drug abuse in Southwest Virginia has made headlines during
the past year, especially with the rise of OxyContin abuse in the Appalachian
region.
Virginia Baptists are responding to the needs and have partnered
with the His Ministries, Inc., drug and alcohol referral and outreach program
run by Smith.
Smith and his wife, Shirley, founded the ministry in 1996 to
help persons avoid and deal with the troubles of addiction.
Smith is all too familiar with those troubles. Indeed, it was
just 10 years ago that he was caught in the grips of drug addiction as well.
Smith grew up in his fathers hometown of Big Stone Gap,
but he lived in Florida and Louisiana with his mother and sister as well. He
also lived on the street at times, growing up around drug and alcohol abuse.
By age 17, Smith was a drug addict.
By age 22, he was a “junkie,” he admits.
In 1991, Smith hitchhiked to Anderson, S.C., and stayed in
a homeless shelter where he attended a play sponsored by Northside Baptist Church
there.
“That night, I gave my life to Jesus, and I havent
craved drugs or alcohol since,” Smith emphasizes.
Northside Baptist Church quickly became Smiths home.
Church members supported him and helped him find employment and housing. Eventually,
he met and married his wife while at the church.
“The relationship these men formed with Paul led him to
caring for others as they cared for him,” Shirley Smith says now.
In 1993, the couple traveled to Big Stone Gap to locate Smiths
father. They both say now that they felt God calling them to move to the town.
“When we moved here, we knew no one, but we knew God had something for
us to do, and he was going to do it somehow,” Shirley Smith relates.
The couple joined First Baptist Church of Big Stone Gap and
began to look for ways to minister to the community.
Smith began to work in contracting, and his wife started a
Bible study for her son, David, and the children in the trailer park where the
family was living.
Most of the children did not attend any church, she notes.
“It was through these childrens home that we began to see an alcohol
and drug problem in the area.
“Out of 17 families that were involved with the Bible
study, 15 of them had a spouse that was an alcoholic or an addict, one had divorced
her addict husband, and all families had immediate family members with drug
and alcohol problems,” she says.
Aside from the substance abuse the Smiths found in those families,
they also saw that drugs and alcohol were a prevalent part of the weekend “cruising”
scene involving Big Stone Gap young people.
“Our little community had a big problem,” Smith points
out.
The Smiths acted to help people struggling with a problem that
had touched them personally. They continued the Bible study and began incorporating
drug and alcohol abuse prevention messages.
“We have about 22 youth, and almost none of them go to
church,” Smith notes. “Were all the church they know. It breaks
my heart, because I know what path theyre heading down.”
To offer an alternative to the cruising scene, the Smiths eventually
opened a game room in a Big Stone Gap storefront building. The buildings
address was 421-B, and after searching the Bible, the couple named the youth
hangout “I John 4:21b.”
They say the passage aptly suited their purpose. It reads:
“Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
The game room was open on weekend evenings for all young people
to play ping-pong and listen to Christian music.
However, the Smiths eventually outgrew their facility and decided
to launch His Ministries, Inc. as “a non-denominational drug and alcohol
referral and outreach center directing youths and adults to life-changing programs.”
Along with their youth program, the Smiths began helping adults
with their drug and alcohol addictions through the ministry – and response
has been strong.
In the past year, the ministry received more than 1,200 calls
about addiction-related problems, Shirley Smith reports.
The Smiths usually refer persons to rehabilitation programs.
Since most of those centers are three to six hours away, the couple also works
to assist in practical ways.
They have transported persons to centers, paid some fees and
assisted in court appearances. “We try to keep a relationship with the
individual, so if they come back to the (Big Stone Gap) area, they have a support
system,” Shirley Smith says.
This summer, His Ministries, Inc., hosted its first resident
in an onsite rehab program. The couple plan to allow up to three residents at
a time initially, then expand.
The Smiths say they will use their own resources and those
of other agencies to assist persons with employment, schooling, housing and
support groups.
Meanwhile, the youth involved with His Ministries run a hangout
called “The Edge.” They meet with the Smiths each Saturday evening
for Bible study and training. Then, “The Edge” is open for three hours
as a safe, drug- and alcohol-free environment with games, music and snacks.
The Smiths also seek to minister by speaking to various youth
groups. “We really have a desire to be able to minister to other youth
in the churches, because I know they struggle with the same temptation that
my son does,” Smith says.
“I think their success has been among children and youth,
showing them that someone loves them and cares for them and showing them the
dangers of substance abuse and showing them the love of God,” saysRick
Lancaster, pastor at Vandola Baptist Church in Danville, Va., who has worked
with the couple through His Ministries, Inc.
Shirley Smith tells of one young person who knew them before
he became involved in drug addiction and legal problems.
The Smiths became part of his support system through his recovery.
“We drove him to a center that was five hours away, and Paul would sometimes
pick him up for court hearings. He stayed a year at the program, and now, hes
moved to another state with his job, and hes doing well.”
The young man and his parents now help to support His Ministries
financially.
The ministry is non-denominational but has strong Baptist ties.
The Smiths are members at First Baptist Church in Big Stone Gap, a church that
helps support their ministry. His Ministries also has received money from Virginia
Baptists and the local association as well.
(This article appeared in the July 26 issue of the Virginia Religious Herald
newspaper)