Large numbers of people in Europe, Canada and Australia have left behind Christian affiliation. To think something similar couldn’t take place in the U.S. Midwest may come under the heading “Overconfidence”. In any event, this commentary seeks to keep “the community of the devoted” a vital light.

Clinton County Common Pleas Judge Tim Rudduck has said the faith community here is a big part of the success enjoyed by the local You-Turn Recovery Drug Court. The faith community — or, put another way, “the household of the devoted” — has yielded drug court volunteers. “Team Jesus” also has provided such organized resources as Celebrate Recovery, Hope House: A Safe Place for Women, and the Tanager House, which is a transitional residence for women.

A local lay person and an organizer of Celebrate Recovery, which is held Friday evenings at the Wilmington Church of Christ, remarked recently he really looks forward to it. I’m thinking that’s largely due to the interaction and fellowship with other participants, and the possibilities of making others’ lives more livable.

A Celebrate Recovery leaflet states, “A wide variety of hurts, hang-ups and harmful behaviors are represented at Celebrate Recovery. Examples include dependency on alcohol or drugs, pornography, low self-esteem, need to control, depression, anger, co-dependency, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, perfectionism, broken relationships, and abuse. We are all in need of recovery!”

So, aside from the heartening response by the devoted to the local opioid crisis, “the community of the committed” can of course be a part of helping people handle other problems as well.

There was a phone call from a News Journal reader who, unprompted, said churches are part of what makes Clinton County a wonderful place for residents. Of course she didn’t mean the buildings, but the people. In that connection, we trust we can be vulnerable among devoted people, and that we may become empowered among them, too.

Let me offer that I think Christianity and mankind are better served when we in the Christian community keep the focus upon our way of life.

Concerning a way of living, Messiah Jesus helps lead the way by teaching the golden rule, which he says fulfills the law and the prophets. This “other-regarding” golden rule — or similarly, love for neighbor — is a common cause among Christians.

Christianity can be pictured as Jesus’ family headed by his heavenly father. Our steadfast aim can be a Christian community where the members are brothers and sisters, and we hold positions of trust to one another.

Here then is good news: The family of the servant messiah is a powerhouse for well-being. May that ever be our deep hope.

Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.