White Lake Church Offers 'Turning Point' for Alcoholics

White Lake Presbyterian always welcomes faithful followers and devoted worshippers to its parish, but once a week, it opens its doors to those in need of a different kind of faith and fellowship.

Dozens of cars fill the church parking lot at 7 p.m. every Wednesday with men and women joining together for the Turning Point Group, an assembly of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) members. The group also encompasses an Al-Anon group, which offers support to loved ones of alcoholics.

“I’ve been attending this meeting for about seven years,” said one 35-year-old White Lake resident, who is not being named in keeping with the organization’s mission to protect her anonymity. “It’s one of the meetings I like to go to every week.” 

The meetings allow participants to speak openly among other alcoholics regarding their recovery and struggles with alcohol addiction. “I’ve been in and out of AA for 10 years,” she said. “But, I’ve been sober for almost four years. It takes what it takes.”

The recovering alcoholic calls the meetings “life-saving” and she applauds the church for providing a venue for the groups to meet and seek help.“They don’t know who we are or where we come from,” she said. “They have nice things at these churches and they open their doors to give us the opportunity to save our lives. We’re in their kitchens making coffee and using their tables and chairs. They have a lot of faith in humankind.”

Debbie Lennis, office administrator at White Lake Presbyterian, has been a member of the church for 20 years and has worked as the administrator for five years.

“We’ve been in this building since August, 1992 and (Turning Point Group) has probably been meeting here the whole time we’ve been here. We’re on the main thoroughfare and our place is easy to find.” Lennis said the group is respectful of the building and responsive to the needs of the church.

“They’re wonderful,” she said. “Not only that, but we always plan our Red Cross blood drives for a Thursday because they’ll break down the tables and stack them up to make room for the Red Cross people to set up. That’s a huge help.’”

While Lennis said that the service is intended to help all in the community, it may also serve as a benefit to White Lake Presbyterian’s congregation.

“It’s a benefit to the church,” she said. “There very well may be members of our church who come to the meetings. It could be a benefit to church members and it’s definitely a benefit to the area. It really helps people struggling with addiction.”

The church, which has 212 congregation members, is open to offering other groups a venue to host gatherings. Like AA, any group wanting to use the building’s facilities contacts the church to seek permission, said Lennis. The request is then brought in front of decision makers at White Lake Presbyterian.

“They decide if it’s appropriate for our organization and they weigh the benefit to the community," she said. "AA is a service to the community and we’re very happy that we’re able to offer that.”

The organization also offers a financial donation to the church, Lennis said. “Someone brings in a donation every three months and they bring their own coffee and clean up after themselves.”

For the 35-year-old recovering alcoholic, AA and White Lake Presbyterian have been instrumental in changing the course of her life.

“AA has saved my life and perhaps many around me,” she said. “The founders of AA have put together this unbelievable, awesome program and there’s no way we could meet if these churches didn’t open up their doors to us.”

To seek help with addiction, visit Alcoholics Anonymous at www.aa.org.