A new project to support people living with addictions spearheaded by a North Lanarkshire Church, has been recognised in the House of Commons.
The New Life Recovery Hub at South Wishaw Parish Church offers hope to vulnerable men and women from Wishaw and surrounding areas who are struggling with life-controlling issues.
The project launched last September and is based in converted rooms on the upper floor of the church building and offers people battling substance and alcohol abuse the opportunity of transformational change.
The project was developed by Rev Terry Moran who has a vision for South Wishaw Parish Church to be a missional church with a holistic approach to supporting the whole community, particularly those on the margins of society.
Terry's brother, Danny, also provides a huge helping hand with the project, despite living almost an hour away from Wishaw.
The New Life Recovery Hub is led by Danny who was recruited because he has many decades of experience in the field of social work.
Danny Moran told Lanarkshire Live : “This is a unique partnership project in Wishaw and very much needed because I have talked to nearly 200 people about the hub with only one saying that they did not know someone with an addiction.
“I have worked with people with addictions for many years and if you meet them where they are and speak to them like human beings and offer them a hand up, you can help them to change.
“The night before the interview someone tried to take their own life outside the entrance of the New Life Recovery Hub and that was enough for me to get involved.
The project was recently described in an Early Day Motion lodged by Marion Fellows, MP for Motherwell and Wishaw, as an excellent example of “innovative community work”.
Ms. Fellows visited South Wishaw Parish Church last Friday. She said: “I had a very interesting and informative time at the New Life Recovery Hub.
“I also met with caseworkers from Street Connect who work closely with local people affected by drug and alcohol addiction.
“Their work is driven by their Christian faith and they have had some remarkable successes with people they have worked with in Glasgow.
“I was shown around the centre in Wishaw and was really impressed by the facilities on offer and the fact that in a very short time they have been able to make a difference to those who need their help.”
Rev Terry Moran said: “All my working life I have had a passion for trying to help people out of circumstances that they have found themselves in, often through no fault of their own.
“I worked in prisons in London with people who had drug problems and concluded that the only way to help them is to bring the light of Christ into their lives because I saw so many of them returning time after time because they got into the same mess.
“As a minister, I want to make a difference, not just to individuals but to a community.
“So that is why we are using a holistic approach, feeding people through the food bank and spiritually through Street Connect, which is a wonderful ministry and we have a fantastic relationship.”
The minister said he is very pleased with the impact of the New Life Recovery Hub so far and is happy to have his brother on board with the project.
“Danny is so gifted with people, he has a huge heart and encourages everyone and lets them know how appreciated and loved they are.
“Marion is such a lovely woman and I was delighted that she has acknowledged the work that the people of South Wishaw Parish Church and Street Connect are doing in the House of Commons.
“It was great that she was able to come and visit the project and I am pleased that she recognises that the church has a heart for the community and wants to support everyone involved.”
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