A local church focussed on helping families and addicts through the recovery process will celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday.
WEST DEPTFORD TWP. -- A local church focussed on helping families and addicts through the recovery process will celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday.
The Lord's Vineyard: A Family Recovery Church, will mark the occasion with food, music and guest speakers.
Pastor Neil Murphy and his wife, Laura, founded The Lord's Vineyard church 10 years ago. (Submitted photo)Speakers will include Freeholder Jim Jefferson, National Park resident Kass Foster, who founded the group Parent to Parent after losing a son to a drug overdose, and Kelly Masters, founder of Dining with Dignity, a human trafficking awareness organization.
The Saturday celebration will also include the official kick-off of the church's transition from a traditional church to a family recovery church, explained Pastor Neil Murphy.
Among the goals of the church is creating a family recovery center, which would offer various free support programs on a regular basis, Murphy said.
The requests for help -- from addicts, families struggling with an addiction issues or parents who have lost someone to addiction -- has been substantial, Murphy said.
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"The phone has been ringing off the hook," he said. "We've heard from so many people with no resources and nowhere to go."
In addition to regular services, the church hosts a program called The Meeting each Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. to offer addicts, family members and friends an opportunity to share their struggles and draw support from others facing similar challenges.
Murphy founded the church, located at 301 Colonial Ave., with his wife, Laura, 10 years ago.
"It's been hard, but as long as we are touching lives and helping people, that's the main thing," Murphy said.
The Saturday anniversary program begins with the barbecue at 5 p.m., followed by music at 6:30 and speakers at 7 p.m.
To learn more, call 609-221-6641 or email thelordsvineyard@gmail.com.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.