Pubdate: Mon, 21 Nov 2005
Source: Athens Review (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Athens Daily Review
Contact:  http://www.athensreview.com/news/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3011
Author: Brad Bennett

CHURCH ON THE MOVE: MISSION, CHURCH OFFERING "HOPE TO THE HOPELESS"

For recovery for broken families, a new facility in Athens is offering help.

"We want to be giving hope to the hopeless, life to the lifeless, 
power to the powerless," said Sr. Pastor Mercury Bynum. "We currently 
already have staff on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is 
just simply how we function."

As a church, "Church on the Move," located in a former nursing home 
on Lila Street, has Sunday school and church services.

As a mission, it has programs ranging from "Mothers Against 
Methamphetamine" to "Overcomers," which helps people overcome 
everything from drugs to eating disorders.

"We have a whole host of other programs," Bynum said.

The mission was started two years ago on faith. With the 20,000 
square-foot facility in Athens, Church on the Move plans to expand 
beyond helping in recovery programs.

It will now house people down on their luck looking to make a change.

"A lot of people may be ashamed," said mission pastor Alonzo Zeigler. 
"We want them to know we have open arms."

Zeigler and his wife are the only long term residents living at the 
church. He said the stay for people will be determined case by case, 
but should last a few weeks, possibly months.

"This is about the short term," Zeigler said, showing off the abbey, 
a 12-bed facility within the church.

Zeigler compared the abbey to relief facilities offered after 
Hurricane Katrina.

Recovery, of course, is about the long term. Bynum said he hopes 
people learn methods of recovery and go out and duplicate their 
experience at Church on the Move.

The abbey is designed not only to help people overcome chemical 
dependencies, but help people put other parts of their lives back 
together as well.

Church on the Move is designed to help families rebuild by offering 
job placement and education classes.

"Currently what we are doing is getting all our ducks in a row," 
Bynum said. "Although the abbey is not officially open we are 
providing classes and resources."

The numerous classes and resources Bynum refers to go beyond what was 
started by his church.

Church on the Move he said, has partnered with organizations across 
Athens and Henderson County to offer relief.

Bynum said he would like to see these partnerships expand to include 
law enforcement and courts to offer Church on the Move programs as 
part of pleas and probation.

It is the partnership, with such organizations as Family Peace 
Project, which make the mission possible.

"So far we have been pretty busy," he said.

Those seeking more information about Church on the Move or its 
recovery programs should call 903-677-2677.
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MAP posted-by: Beth