Teen Challenge

Last night I enjoyed an evening out at a fund-raising dinner for Teen Challenge. They are starting a new center in Baltimore. The director, Bill Parks, was interested in starting a center 30 years ago, but it wasn't until this year that the Center is becoming a reality and Bill has been asked to lead it.

He shared openly about his own troubled youth, and also shared stories by former addicts named Jacquie and a Joel (Joel was the keynote speaker for the evening).

Teen Challenge is a non-profit, faith based, residential rehabilitation program for men with life controlling problems such as drug and alcohol addiction. There is no doubt that Balitmore needs successful rehabilitation. The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates the economic impact of drugs and alcohol abuse in Baltimore exceeds $2.5 billion a year.

The DEA has stated Baltimore is "the most heroin-plauged area in the nation and faces one of the most severe crack problems as well."

What is more astounding than the outright need of Baltimore is the profound effectiveness of the program. 86% of Teen Challenge graduates remain drug and crime free compared to a 6-7% success rate for secular substance-abuse rehabilitation programs.

The stories of addicts who have found Christ and been delivered from their addiction are amazing. It offers real hope to the hopeless. That is why SRC is partnering with this group to help them accomplish bringing freedom to those that are enslaved to addiction.

In a few months we'll be having Bill come and share about the center, and there are opportunities coming now for our involvement that I hope you'll join in with.

An invitation to my readers. I know there are readers from all over the US that check into this blog regularly for whatever reason (likely not the brilliant writing). If you would like to be part of helping to launch this ministry in Baltimore you can send funds to SRC, and we will forward the gift in its entirety to Teen Challenge. Send checks payable to Severn River Church, marked Teen Challenge to:

Severn River Church
814 Barbara Ct.
Glen Burnie, MD 21060


--Ben