A mission agency within The United Methodist Church is looking to increase the number of alcohol and drug abuse ministries within U.S. congregations by sponsoring a major long term series regional training events to span across 2007 and 2008.

The Special Programme on Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV), a church-wide initiative based at the General Board of Global Ministries, will use the events to equip church clergy and lay leaders with the information, tools, and support they need to launch and strengthen ministries of prevention, recovery, and advocacy.

The SPSARV will base the training on a successful model developed over the past 20 years by a ministry called Faith Partners which is currently used in churches across 12 different states to combat drug and alcohol abuse.

Faith Partners is now part of the Rush Centre of the Johnson Institute in Austin, Texas, which SPSARV partnered with last year to develop a team ministry approach to substance abuse.

Rush will conduct the training under a contractual arrangement approved by SPSARV's Interagency and Standing Committee Task Force.

"Addiction is impacting the lives of many people and families," said Trish Merrill, director of the Rush Centre. The United Methodist laywoman and pastor's wife has worked in the addiction field since 1979 and was a founder and formerly a director of Faith Partners.

"Our mission is to equip people of faith to develop caring communities where alcohol and other drug abuse prevention is promoted and addiction recovery is valued and supported," she explained.

In a historic move to promote and sustain alcohol and drug team ministries, SPSARV has created a 15-member leadership team made up of United Methodists from urban and rural settings, clergy and laity, various racial/ethnic identities, and age groups.