Support Groups

Not only does the Church proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Church also brings the good news of hope, peace, and love to a struggling community. One of the ways that Pitman United Methodist Church reaches out to the community is through the outside groups that we host.  Many resources and “programs” are in place to help people struggling with difficulties such as addiction, grief, and mental illness.  Our role at PUMC is to help deliver these services to our community by providing meeting space.  We don’t organize, plan, or in any way control these group’s programs, but we support them with our prayers and our building.

Before COVID, most of the groups stopped meeting in our church.  But as we emerge from the pandemic, they are slowly returning.  Below is a summary of the support groups which currently meet in our building.

 

Personal Healing…

Life tends to throw us a lot of curves.  Problems such as addictions, death of loved ones, violence, or illnesses may hit us at any time.  When this happens, connecting with people who are traveling the same valleys can be very helpful.  Here are some of the support groups that meet at PUMC…

 

Narcotics Anonymous

Smile Today is a weekly meeting for those who are in a day to day struggle to be free from addictions.

God wants us to be whole, healthy, and free of  addictions that grip our lives and prevent us from hearing, obeying, and serving Him.  At Pitman United Methodist Church, we  believe that all people have immense worth and  were created for God’s  glory.  After all, Christ died for all of us.  By supporting NA, we are furthering our mission of glorifying God.

Here’s an excerpt from the NA website…

Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit Fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.
–Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, page 9.

Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based association of recovering drug addicts with over 61,000 weekly meetings in over 131 countries worldwide. Narcotics Anonymous is FREEDOM from active addiction Recovery from addiction is possible and available through the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous.

There are no membership fees or dues. People who are looking for help with addiction in any way are welcome to just walk right in (the meetings are held in our Fellowship Hall). Even if there are loved ones just looking for support, they are welcome!

 

Smile Today

 

 

H.O.P.E.

 

H.O.P.E (Helping Other People to Evolve), is a support group for recent widows or widowers.   How the word “recent” is defined depends on the individual.  When your husband or wife dies, the road to “recovery” is a long journey which varies from person to person.   Even the notion of what constitutes “recovery” depends on each person.

The H.O.P.E meetings are organized around four sets of  ten-week sessions.  There is a session for each season of the year (and there is break between sessions).  You can join at any time (at the beginning of a session or during a session).  You can attend an entire ten week session or part of a session, and then continue on to the next session after the ten weeks.  Each meeting deals with a specific topic and is led by several facilitators (who are also traveling along the grieving process).  The meetings generally last about 90 minutes.

If you’re interested, just show up!  Walk-ins are welcome.  Or, you can call (see below) to register in advance. 

 

H.O.P.E.

 

 

For directions to Pitman United Methodist Church, click this link:  DIRECTIONS  

Many of our meetings are held in the upper level of the Educational Wing.  Enter the church via the main doors from the parking lot, then turn left to head upstairs (an elevator is at the foot of the steps).   Locations are subject to change, so check with each group for actual room locations.