At our July 20th DBSA meeting, Pastor Glenn, the Pastor of Morning Star church where we meet every week, shared with us some thoughts on His own journey.  He shared that he began as an interim pastor of Morning Star in 2003, which is the same year that DBSA began holding their weekly meetings at Morning Star.  He shared that part of his training was to work with those that are experiencing addictions and those who also may be in dual recovery. Morning Star is currently taking part in Faith Partners, partnering along with ten different faith communities, to help support those that are in recovery, and may be experiencing addiction or mental health challenges. 

Faith Partners is located in about twenty states or so, and works with all faith communities to create a safe space. 

Pastor Glenn shared that story telling, or by sharing your own story, may change us and the person who is listening. He began by sharing a little bit of his story.  He shared that both of his parents had experienced trauma in their lives. His Dad served in the war on the battlefield, and his Mother lost both of her parents within a year of each other. He remembers his Mother learning to shut off her tears due to the trauma she had experienced. He and his Dad had a pretty contentious relationship early on, but eventually they did work things out. As he had been exposed to quite a bit of trauma in his early life, Pastor Glenn decided to go into specialized pastoral care. 

He shared that Faith Partners tries to reduce the stigma and shame that are associated with mental health challenges, and offer hope and support for recovery. 

He shared one thought that really stayed with me.  We need to remember that  we don’t have to have it all together in order to help others. We need to remember and try to understand that some people are hurting, and we need to learn to walk with them on their journey. 

Many thanks to Pastor Glenn for sharing a part of his journey with us.