A local church is becoming more involved in social issues to try to help community members.

Sunday, August 19, 2001

A local church is becoming more involved in social issues to try to help community members.

Informational workshops will be held this fall and spring at Memorial United Methodist Church, 226 Memorial St., in Ironton.

The sessions will be led by Phil McFarland, a former pastor and member of the evangelism committee at Memorial United Methodist.

"I feel that the church should be involved in (dealing with) these social issues," McFarland said. "It’s something I feel strongly about."

Topics will include domestic violence, child abuse and possibly single parenting.

These issues are difficult to address because the problems don’t go away, McFarland said. They are also issues many people prefer to ignore, he added.

It is often hard to determine how to help in these circumstances, but these workshops are part of an effort for the church to become more active, McFarland said.

"At the church, we’ll definitely be there for these people, for their spiritual needs," he said.

The first fall workshop, which will be about domestic violence, is scheduled for Sept. 29. A program on child abuse, including children who abuse other children, will be Oct. 27. The final fall workshop, on Dec. 1, will focus on violence in dating for young people.

Those interested can call the church at 532-5610 or McFarland at 533-0357 for more information or to register for the workshops.

There is no fee, but participants need to register before the sessions.