Over the past thirty years society has institutionalized its community service of medicine, religion, education, and welfare.
However, a radical change is now sweeping the world, and the trend is away from institudonalism to personal involvement. Formerly in meeting the problems of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs the various disciplines of medicine, psychiatry, welfare, and government agencies have taken the pre-eminence. This has placed the focus on professional services as the primary medium for relief. Christian influence for service joined the institutional trend only to find traditional Christian concepts being pushed further into the background with so-called scientific philosophy and concepts often at variance to former Christian ideals.
Today we find a world falling apart many terribly disillusioned at the grandiose concepts previously propounded and sadly wanting in presenting the reality of changed lives.
Young and old have turned to drugs, alcohol, and many other debasing practices of intemperance in an attempt to find purpose and meaning, in an attempt to secure sensual pleasure and an experience of euphoria.
To try to meet these problems with conventional approaches the church would fail in its total mission. Rather, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been given the answer to the world's need at just such a time as this.
What the community needs is a demonstration of a people who personally care, someone who believes in the power of the Lord Jesus, who can give hope and guidance toward real life. With this in mind the Home Help plan has now been developed.
A Community Service
Home Help for alcohol, tobacco, and drug problems is a Seventh-day Adventist community service. No other organization has attempted to meet the need at its basic source--the home. What we see of public problems in these practices of intemperance is but the top of the iceberg. Most families try to cover up or shield themselves from the public gaze, so struggle along hoping sometime to solve the problem. Instead the problem increases until it boils over into tragedy of one kind or another.
To help break this deadlock of family obscurity in trying to handle these problems alone, by giving an assurance of genuine help in confidence, is the aim of Home Help.
The plan is simply to get church members going two by two, visiting homes at the occupants' telephoned request after seeing a TV announcement, or reading a newspaper advertisement or story.
A training manual for the pastor will aid him in showing members how easy it is to offer this positive, rewarding alternative. Specially prepared aids will make it possible for anyone to do an effective job of visiting. Those inviting Home Help counselors will know them to be Adventists. Therefore, no embarrassment in giving spiritual aid along with practical guidelines should occur. Super 8 mm. single concept films (movie without sound) specially prepared for the specific problem in the home are to be shown on a small, modern, instamatic projector.
Additional Aids Available
Long-playing records, books, magazines, and leaflets, to give or loan, will round out the aids to present genuine help to meet the specific problem.
The visit at the home will be introduced by the use of a colorful prospectus showing the four-dimensional nature of man physical, mental, social, and spiritual and the importance of understanding the natural and divine laws that help to develop these powers toward real life.
Before leaving the home a prayer is offered for divine strength to accomplish this plan toward better living. Three further visits are planned to follow. Many will show an appreciation of these benefits for the total man and an interest in spiritual things. Follow-through will include, where possible, Bible guidelines and study programs.
Home Help, based on Spirit of Prophecy principles, has already met the zeal and enthusiasm of many church leaders. The General Conference Temperance Department function is cooperatively aided by the Lay Activities and Youth departments working with the church ministry and members.
A Home Help kit should be secured by each pastor. It may be purchased from the General Conference Temperance Department for $5. It will contain: the director's manual, the Home Help counselor's guide book, a sample poster for the church announcement, newspaper advertising and matrix, public relations guidelines, a copy of the prospectus for home visitation, and a catalog showing the film cartridges and other aids.
It is hoped that this personal temperance evangelism plan will be introduced in every city in the fall, and continue through 1972 as a great public ministry for soul saving to coordinate with MISSION 72.
Now is the time to get your church organized for practical and timely temperance evangelism--Home Help can indeed be the introduction deluxe.
Home Help Package Plan
Each church will need the super 8 mm. projector, twenty film cartridges on smoking, alcohol, drugs, and the Bible series consisting of six cartridges.
A copy also of the kit, the long-playing records, books, pamphlets, et cetera gives the items needed. The total price is $433, but each church, if ordering the total Home Help package, will receive a special reduction, making the price only $399.
Order from the Temperance Department, General Conference Office, 6840 Eastern Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. 20012.
