Faith Foward Collaborative (FFC)
The FFC is a group of faith-based leaders in Delaware with the purpose of creating a sustainable, faith-based educational and outreach effort to take action against the state’s overdose crisis at a community level. Our collaboration is inclusive of all faith groups.
About the Faith Forward Collaborative
Vision
To mobilize all faith communities in Delaware through a collective spiritual approach to substance use disorder education, prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
Goals
- Engage Delaware faith leaders with discussions about the issues surrounding substance use disorder.
- Educate communities and congregations about the effects of substance use disorder.
- Eliminate stigma by actively creating supportive spaces.
Why us? Why now?
Delaware is ranked third among all states for overdose deaths in 2021.
CDC Wonder
Only 19% of people who need substance use treatment actually receive care.
SAMHSA 2018
Belief in the healing power of prayer spans generations and cultures
Recent studies have shown that people are energized by faith, and that religious beliefs, practices, and belonging can contribute to prevention and recovery.
Pew Research Center, Jan. 14, 2021, “Measuring Religion in Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel”
Adults and adolescents who attend religious services regularly are less likely to use illicit drugs, tobacco, or alcohol.
Spiritual and practical help
Many families struggle with addiction in some way. We are praying that as a faith-based community, we can work together to offer people with addiction spiritual and practical help through:
Intention
We intentionally increase our efforts to seek those who are addicted and offer hope.Involvement
We offer our community every possible faith-based solution that might help with the drug epidemic.Innovation
We determine the best ways to use our facilities, networks, time, and resources to assist families and those who are affected.Inclusiveness
We are mindful of people struggling with addiction and their families, who often feel ashamed, isolated, and lost. We can share with them and bring them into the faith-based community more fully.Impact
Hopefully our involvement will have a spiritual impact and will encourage them to consider getting further treatment.
We look forward to working together as a faith-based community in Delaware. We can make a big impact in the area of addiction.
Become a member
How members help
- Provide spiritual/pastoral support.
- Learn about substance use disorder and understand it as a disease.
- Embrace and support people in recovery and walk with them on their journey.
- Share recovery information.
- Host recovery support groups or refer individuals to established support groups.
- Attend overdose prevention training and have Narcan on-site.
Benefits of membership
- Free education and training about substance use disorder.
- Free Access to Monthly Webinars on different topics affecting our community.
- Free customizable toolkit to help you provide support to individuals suffering from substance use disorder in your community.
- Free Overdose Reversal Training and Medicine provided by Delaware Division of Public Health.
- Access to our website to post your events.
