wfn.org | PNAODA honors two whose lives have touched substance abusers

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Note #6020 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

27-June-2000
GA00071

	PNAODA honors two whose lives have touched substance abusers

	by Alexa Smith

LONG BEACH, June 27 – Awards were given at the annual luncheon of the
Presbyterian Network on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (PNAODA) to two
Presbyterians who have created ministries to alcoholics and drug addicts.

	Dr. Beatrice Lampkin of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Rev. Ralph McCormick of
Danville, Va., were the honorees.

	  Lampkin founded the GLAD (Giving Life a Dream) House, a program designed
for children aged six to 11 whose mothers are in treatment for substance
abuse.  She was given the Margaret Fuad Award, a tribute to laypeople whose
ministries have been focused on alcohol and drug abuse.

	McCormick has spent over 50 years of his ministry developing ways to reach
and treat alcoholics, from working as an alcohol counselor to establishing a
halfway house.  He was the recipient of the David Hancock Award, PNAODA's
tribute to ministry professionals.

	"Eighty percent of Presbyterians say that alcohol and drug abuse is an area
where we ought to work in a church," PNAODA's moderator Chuck Risser told
the approximately 50 people gathered at the luncheon.  "That's a telling
statistic.  But only 20 percent [of Presbyterians] report that the work is
being done."  That's why PNAODA annually honors those whose ministries defy
the statistics.

	Three Presbyterian women including Lampkin, who attend the Pleasant Ridge
Presbyterian Church, dreamed up the idea of GLAD House to tend to the
special needs of children who are caught in the recovery process.  It offers
group and individual therapy for children who have been physically or
sexually abused, and provides education and continued care after their
completion of the formal program.

	"It was our mission to break the inter-generational cycle of drug and
alcohol abuse," Lampkin said, adding that so far the program's statistics
are hopeful.  "The behavior of children aged six to 11 can be modified and
changed with intervention." She said the goal now is to replicate the
program in other parts of the country.

	Risser commended McCormick's commitment to working with alcoholics in the
1950s, an era, he said, which "predated public awareness of their plight." 
Retaining his ties always to the Burton Memorial Presbyterian Church in
Danville, McCormick worked as an alcohol counselor for the Virginia
Department of Health and helped establish the Danville-Pittsylvania
Substance Abuse Council.  "He exemplifies compassion, tolerance and
respect," Risser said, noting that he has found multiple ways to reach
substance abusers and their families.

	When receiving his award, McCormick said, "Like Paul, I've been a tentmaker
.. Thank you for the honor."

	PNAODA's work includes having 12-Step meetings at the General Assembly and
other large Presbyterian gatherings, as well as developing materials for
churches to be used on  "Addiction Awareness Sunday," usually the first
Sunday in November.

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