WS Chronicle

Union Baptist Church, 1200 N. Trade St., will host its 14th annual Corner 2 Corner (C2C) Drug Dealers and Street Life Conference, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.   The theme is “Renewed Purpose – Dealing with Addition.”

Participation is free and open to recovering addicts, persons on probation for drug related charges, individuals in substance abuse centers, rehabilitation programs and their families.

The Corner 2 Corner Conference will open with registration and a continental breakfast on Thursday, Aug. 31 and Friday, Sept. 1 at 8 a.m.  Conference sessions will begin each morning at 9 a.m. and conclude each afternoon at 2:30.  Workshop presenters include Judge Denise Hartsfield and other community leaders. 

On Friday, Sept. 1, attendees will meet representatives from various resource organizations, which  include Goodwill Industries, the E.D.G.E. Program, WORK, Experiment in Self-Reliance, Project ReEntry, The Urban League, and P.O.S.S.E.  The day will conclude with a cookout.    

A special community forum on opioid addiction will be held on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.

Due to the rise in opioid related deaths, a forum will be held to educate the community about the abuse of prescription drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and morphine. 

According to an article in a local newspaper on May 16, Forsyth County had the largest increase among urban counties in opioid-related deaths between 2005 and 2015, according to a report released by the governor’s office. 

The forum panelists include:

*Attorney Kerri Sigler – Sigler Law Offices, LLC

*Judge Lawrence Fine – district court judge for the 21st Judicial District of North Carolina

*Fred Gethers – battalion  fire chief – (EMS)

*Tara Tucker – Forsyth EMS (Trains the First Responders how to administer NARCAN)

*Pastor Lamont Williams –Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity

*Colin Miller – Opioid survivor

The community forum is free and open to the public.

On Sunday, Sept. 3 a graduation ceremony will be held at the 11 a.m. Union Baptist worship service for all conference participants. Conference founder, Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr., will deliver the message. 

People interested in participating in this year’s C2C Drug Dealers and Street Life Conference should call 336-724-9305, ext. 222.  Registration is free. 

Mack, who is senior pastor of Union Baptist, developed the Corner 2 Corner Drug Dealers (C2C) program in 2004 after seeing a drug deal take place after a morning worship service.  It became apparent to him how drug abuse and gang violence affects the lives of people on a daily basis and how it is important for the church to become part of the solution. 

The purpose of the C2C Conference is to galvanize drug dealers in a church setting to enhance their knowledge of God, self and the community; to lead drug dealers to Christ and for them to see what it means to be liberated in the Kingdom.  It is the intent to appeal to the leadership characteristics in the drug dealer showing the profound impact that he/she can have on the community in a positive way.   The scope of the conference has been expanded to persons involved in all types of street life including, alcohol and drug addiction, prostitution, and homelessness.