A local church will offer hope and healing

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A local church has invited the community to pray for hope and healing in our community, while also providing connections for those affected by suicide and overdoses.

LifeWay Church’s Senior Pastor Jim Henderson met with the Muskingum County Commissioners to invite them to the Hope and Healing Community Awareness Meeting. Reverend Henderson acknowledged there is a gap between those in need of help and those wanting to help. Because of this gap those in need may not always think to call the hotlines for guidance.

“So it’s really about being kind, it’s about reaching out, and helping,” Reverend Henderson said. “So what I see is that people are hurting and people who can help, some how we want to bring them together to bridge that gap. So then in our community it’s not just a number to them, they’ve got a face, they’ve got a voice.

Rev. Henderson said this isn’t just for the LifeWay Church members, it’s for everyone.

“So we want to invite all churches,” Rev. Henderson said. “whether I’ll have the time to be able to go and visit all the pastors, ministers, and clergy in our area or not. I want you to know wholeheartedly, that’s my desire. I would also like to invite all our city officials, county officials, and our first responders. You know we’re reaching out to Muskingum, Morgan, and Perry Counties. We want to bring those folks in so that everybody feels a part.”

Health providers have been invited and with their assistance educational material and educators people can better understand the warning signs and what to do. Rev. Henderson wants this Hope and Healing meeting to continue.

“It will not just be LifeWay, this has to be bigger than us,” Rev. Henderson pointed out. “This is so much bigger than what we are and so hopefully we can be an inspiration to other folks to do something like this. This isn’t a one and done thing, this is something we’re going to have to keep working on in our future and to really bring it to the forefront of our minds.”

The meeting is April 15th at LifeWay Church located on Maysville Pike starting at 2:00 P.M. For anyone who is interested in assisting with the event is asked to call LifeWay Church at (740) 454-4889.