Newspaper Page Text
January 11, 1985/The Maroon Tiger/Page 15
Drug Information & Referral Service Hotline Launched
A new Drug Information and
Referral Service Hotline has
been launched in the city to
assist people with alcohol and
drug abuse problems in finding
the counseling agencies or sup
port groups best suited to the
individual's needs.
The program, one of the
ministries of the Richard Allen
Outreach Center of Big Bethel
African Methodist Episcopal
Church, will operate from 400
square feet of space donated by
the Butler Street YMCA. The
Hotline number if 589-0000.
Initial funding for the Hotline
was derived from the proceeds
of a roast honoring Atlanta Brave
first baseman Chris Chambliss,
which was attended by more
than 500 persons.
On hand for opening
ceremonies in November were
Chambliss, Richard Allen Out
reach Center board members
Police Chief Morris Redding,
Which Way....
(Continued from Page 11)
Lincoln expressed this important
principle very clearly:
I am naturally anti-slavery. If
slavery is.not wrong, nothing is
wrong. I cannot remember when
I did not so think, and feel. And
yet I have never understood that
the Presidency conferred upon
me an unrestricted right to act
officially upon thisjudgmentand
feeling... I have done no official
act in mere deference to my
abstract judgment and feeling on
slavery.... (Collected Works of
Abraham Lincoln. Rutgers Un
iversity Press, 1953, Vol. VII, pp.
281-3.
This understanding of an
office-holder’s responsibility to
the office accords well with the
Christian doctrine of vocation,
which suggests that a Christian in
public office is not called by God
to use the powers of that office to
obtain advantage for Christianity
or its teachings, but to be the
best officer possible according to
the civil canons of that office as
set forth in the Constitution and
the laws. And if an irreconcilable
conflict should arise between
official responsibilities and con
science, the proper course is for
the office-holder to resign rather
than to betray either.
This view of the proper role of
religion does not require the
office-holder to be silent about
his or her religious views when
pertinent; far from it. The office
holder should seek in every way
to advance what he or she
believes the common good
requires, and if that understan
ding of the common good
derives in while or in part from
religious teaching or doctrine all
the better! But others are not
obliged to agree. Public policy
proposals consistant with the
office-holder’s religious convic
tions should be neither secular
merits and effects, like any
others. If- they do commend
themselves to a majority as
desirable public policy and are
enacted into law, they are no
more “imposed” on others than
businessman Jesse Hill, Hawks
General Manager Stan Kasten,
YMCA President DeWitt Martin
and the Rev. McKinley Young,
senior pastor of Big Bethel AME
Church. The Rev. Mary Anne
Bellinger, director of the Out
reach Center, administers the
program.
“We hope to fill a gap that
exists in helping people with
drug or alcohol problems,” said
Bellinger. There are more than
40 listings in the Yellow Pages
under ‘Drug Abuse Informa
tion.’ For a person in crisis,
simply identifying the right kind
of help can become an insur
mountable task.”
In addition to the referral
service, the Hotline will provide
immediate support and informa
tion to individuals experiencing
personal crisis situations as a
result of drug abuse. The service
is free and callers may remain
anonymous.
are any other laws duly enacted
by the will of the majority.
What the office-holder should
not do is to use the powers of
office to advance the in
stitutional interests of his or her
faith-group at the expense of
others or of religion at the
expense of non-adherents of
religion. Likewise, the office
holder should not seek to imple
ment in public policy the doc
trinal teachings or tenets of her
or his religion unless and to the
extent they coincide with the
secular common good. And
candidates, though entitled to
express their religious views
while campaigning, should be
wary of the temptation, if
elected, to consider that they
have somehow gained a “man
date” to advance those views as
public policy without explicit
authorization from the elec
torate. The office-holder (or
candidate) should also avoid
stigmatizing critics or opponents
as irreligious or sinful just
because they disagree.
By and large, the Presidents of
the United States through more
than two centuries of history
have generally observed these
principles in practice, and in this
respect have set a good example
for public servants at all levels.
*Dr. Carter is dean of Martin
Luther King Jr. International
Chapel, associate professor of
Religion and Philosophy and
standing committee member of
the National Council of Church
of Christ, USA, Inc.
Dean Carter....
(Continued from Page 7)
moving visit to Leningrad’s large
war memorial, the site of mass
graves for over 600,000 men,
women and children, who died
in the 1941-44 seige of the city,
and one of the many reminders
during the trip of the 20 million
Soviets who died during World
War II.
The Rev. Bellinger pointed out
that the service is available to the
entire metropolitan Atlanta
community.
"We are unique in that we are
coming out of the black com
munity and out of a black
church, but we are interested in
everyone who has drug or
alcohol problems — not just
black folks, not just young peo
ple, but whoever wants the
help,” she said.
Initially the Hotline will
operate Tuesdays,Thursdays and
Saturdays from 3 to 9 p.m. When
enough volunteers have been
trained, the service plans to
operate seven days a week, 24
hours a day.
"Everyone doesn’t have a
family and holidays are times
when people alone or with
problems feel especially
depressed. Sometimes it helps if
we can just listen for a few
moments,” Bellinger said.
Training began in May for
volunteers to staff the Hotline.
Each group of volunteers must
attend fourconsecutiveSaturday
sessions where experts conduct
lectures and workshops on com
munications skills, how to make
a referral, crisis counseling, how
drugs and alcohol affect people,
and other related topics. In
terested persons can call the Rev.
Bellinger at 589-9343.
Chief Redding said the
program has the full support and
involvement of the police
bureau. “The police usually can
spot a person about to get in
trouble," Redding said. "At that
time we need an agency to which
we can refer that person and the
Hotline can find the best place
for that person to seek help."
Sponsors of the Chambliss
roast, held in February last year,
were the Braves, the Falcons, The
Coca-Cola Company, Georgia
Power Company and Atlanta Life
Insurance Company. Atlanta Life
President Jesse Hill was chair
man.
The Rev. Bellinger holds a
master of divinity degree from
Andover Newton Theological
School in Massachusetts, where
she also taught. She served as
assistant chaplain at Wellesley
College where she had counsel
ing and other pastoral respon
sibilities. She has extensive ex
perience in clinical and pastoral
counseling as well as an ad
ministrative background.
WE’RE
MATCHMAKERS.
The United Way Voluntary Action Center
(VAC) matches some of metropolitan Atlanta’s
most talented people with some very reward
ing volunteer activities. Let’s make a match,
whatever your interests or talents or wherever
you live. Call the VAC at 522-0110.
United Way’s
Voluntary Action Center
Serving Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton,
Gwinnett, and Rockdale Counties
u
MARTIN
y>
Written And Directed By:
Lamar Alford
Martin Luther King, jr. International Chapel
Morehouse College Campus
lanuary 73, 1985
6:00 p.m.