Welcome to UMTV’s web brief. I’m Reed Galin.

Baltimore has a drug problem. That’s a bit of an understatement given that one in 10 people there is said to be a heroin addict. And that's why, in 1990, United Methodist Bishop Felton May started "Saving Stations" – ministries that combine social services with prayer, to offer addicts help. Most of those who use the program wouldn't be comfortable in traditional churches ... so the church comes to them.

“What’s your addiction?”

“Heroin.”

CHARLENE WILLIAMS KNOWS HOW IT FEELS TO BE TORN … BETWEEN DOPE, AND HOPE.

Charlene Williams: “My drug of choice was heroin. And I would do a little bit, and I would put it away so I wouldn’t get sick in church, and I would go to church.”

A UNITED METHODIST “SAVING STATION” LIKE THIS ONE HELPED CHARLENE RECOVER. NOW SHE’S A COUNSELOR, HELPING OTHERS FIGHT THEIR ADDICTIONS.

Charlene Williams: “We can get you into a recovery program. We can find out what you want to do in life, if you’d like to go back to school. All the dreams you lost because of drug addiction, we’re going to help you revive some of those dreams, or if you have some new ones, we’re going to help you with those.”

THIS OUTREACH PROGRAM IS PART OF THE “LOVE THE HELL OUT OF BALTIMORE” INITIATIVE, MOVING THE CHURCH INTO THE STREETS, AND GIVING THESE NEIGHBORS, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG, A GLIMPSE OF ANOTHER SIDE OF LIFE.

The Rev. Mark Waddell: “I’m thrilled to hear about lives changed and to see children, instead of watching crap games and drug deals, watching something that was really fun and maybe filled them with a little wonder and a little of the mystery of God.”

IT’S A MINISTRY DEALING HAPPY TIMES AND TOUGH LOVE … A MINISTRY CHANGING AT LEAST SOME LIVES.

Charlene Williams: “It’s a blessing because once you’re in an addiction sometimes you feel like there’s nothing I’m going to ever be capable of doing again. But then He shows you that there is something you can do. It’s not just us. It’s the work of God.”

This year, 225 addicts from Baltimore were given treatment. This summer, the Baltimore-Washington Conference had 18 Saving Stations.

Brian Jackson is the pastor at St. Mark's United Methodist Church today – but in his early years he was a drug addict, and eventually a homeless person.

I personally believe that Jesus can fix anything.

I have some intrinsic knowledge of living in the trenches. I entered the homeless population in Baltimore City toward the end of 1979, and for a year I was homeless. That was after a number of years of addiction to alcohol and abuse of almost any kind of drug I could get my hands on.

People walked by me; they crossed the street to avoid me.

I was a teenage alcoholic, and a United Methodist who was not a Christian. In fact, I was president of the youth department of this church. So I’ve kind of come full circle.

They say I’m a good preacher. I encourage people to never give up hope.

I don’t care; AIDS, cancer, addiction, whatever the brokenness that is transpiring in people’s lives, I tell them don’t stop calling on Jesus.

They say the best way to man’s heart is through his stomach. That’s the route one United Methodist church is using to reach prisoners. It’s the church’s version of a spiritual “Happy Meal.”

“These are casseroles …”

FOOD HAS BECOME THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE AT VALLEY VIEW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.

John Dalton, Inmate: “You can’t put into words how great the meal is.”

THANKS TO A COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT, THESE TENNESSEE INMATES TASTE A KIND OF FREEDOM – AND SOME GREAT SOUTHERN COOKING.

Ricky Latham, Inmate: “We eat sometimes until we’re just almost ashamed, because we just eat so much.”

WHEN THE CHURCH PROVIDES THE MATERIALS, ROOF REPAIRS AND OTHER BUILDING PROJECTS COME FREE OF CHARGE.

Pastor Bill Cahill: “These past two years they’ve saved us over $35,000 in labor alone.”

HARD LABOR DOES HAVE ITS REWARDS.

IT’S AN UNLIKELY GROUP FOR SHARING A MEAL, YET IT’S BECOME A RECIPE FOR MUTUAL RESPECT.

Pauline Phillippi, Church Member: “I consider them a blessing, I really do. Because we learn to be respectful of people, no matter what troubles they’ve had.”

THIS IS COMFORT FOOD.

Pauline Phillippi: “We feel that we can share with them and maybe influence their lives.”

CAN A MEAL BECOME MINISTRY? MAYBE IT DEPENDS ON HOW WELL IT’S PREPARED.

Ricky Latham “To sit down like that and be around nice people and eat a good meal, it makes a big difference. Y’all just don’t know how we appreciate it.”

NO ONE GOES HOME HUNGRY – AND FOR THESE CHURCH WOMEN, THAT IS SATISFACTION ENOUGH.

Pauline Phillippi “Because they’re people just like we are, and it makes them feel good.”

The church has expanded its prison ministry to help the inmates’ families with a food bank, a used clothing collection, and a summer camp program for the inmates’ children.

On the next UMTV web brief, a Hispanic minister literally uses his head to reach his community.