By Pattie Cox
Although 161 people gathered
for the first meeting of
those interested in helping in
the fight against alcohol
sales in Lancaster, the dissapointment
that the facility
was not packed out was
apparent.
Citizens Against Legalized
Liquor (C.A.L.L.) leaders
recognized the fact that
many among those present
were county citizens who
will not be able to help the
cause with an actual vote.
However those same citizens
and pastors from
churches throughout the
county expressed their desire
to help get the word out to
city voters to vote "no" on
August 19 when the question
"Are you in favor of the sale
of alcoholic beverages in the
City of Lancaster?" is placed
on the special election ballot.
A panel of five pastors led
the meeting with opening
speeches and then they
opened the microphone to
anyone in the crowd interested
in making a statement.
Wendell Johnson, who
chairs C.A.L.L., is the pastor
at First Assembly of God
church on Industry Road
where the town-hall type
meeting took place Tuesday
night.
"I don’t believe this is a
clergy issue. I don’t believe
it’s a church issue. I believe
it’s a citizen issue," Johnson
said.
He related alcohol use to a
slithering snake that can not
be regulated. "It will wiggle
off a leash," he said.
Daryl Hodge, first and
foremost a minister of the
Gospel for 36 years and
Garrard County’s coroner,
told the crowd that information
telling them that DUIs
and associated fatalities go
down when an area goes wet
is not true but he did not
have the statistics with him
to prove his point.
It’s not always the drivers who die, he said. Alcohol poisoning
kills many in their beds or as they
sleep in a chair.
Hodge introduced Dr. Richard
Held, a former engineer in the
space program who was called to
preach. Held said the biggest problem
facing the group is those who
want to demonize alcohol.
"Alcohol is not the problem. It’s
the misuse of it," Held said as he
went on to explain the problems he
says the city and county will face if
the city goes wet.
Insurance rates will go up, development
will occur in the way of
beer joints on every corner, not nice
restaurants, police presence will
have to be increased at a great cost
to the local economy, medical facilities
will be tasked, additional court
costs and associated attorney’s fees
will increase along with vehicle
replacement costs, he said.
"It doesn’t make economic
sense."
Held admonished his Christian
brothers to accept the challenge to
be their brother’s keeper.
"The biggest problem with the
vote coming is the good people
who say, ‘I don’t want to get
involved.’ Go protect. He’ll guide,"
Held said.
Hodge also introduced Buena
Vista Baptist Church’s youth pastor,
Will Campbell, who came to give a
personal testimony about how alcohol
misuse has directly affected his
life.
Campbell lost his mother and
aunt at the age of six when his
mother chose to drive while drunk.
He and his 18-month-old sister
went to live with their alcoholic
father who chose alcohol over caring
for them and died at age 50
from the damage the alcohol had
caused to his liver.
By the time Campbell was 12,
they were in the permanent care of
their grandmother. But the affects
are long lasting and hard to rise
above, he explained. His sister suffers
the personal affects of alcoholism
and is currently and for the
second time residing in the Teen
Challenge Center in Louisville trying
to rehabilitate her addiction.
"Once alcohol’s got you, it’s got
you for life," he said.
Campbell took issue with Held’s
statement about misuse rather than
alcohol use of any kind.
"I have never seen any good
come from alcohol," he said. "I’m
going to encourage you not to vote
this in."
David Young, C.A.L.L.’s treasurer
and the pastor from Lancaster
Church of the Nazarene, said he
didn’t care whose feelings he hurts
when it comes to the right and
wrong of things. He encouraged
people to get to work and not be
intimidated to tell them to vote
"no".
"If they don’t like it, tell them to
get over it and go onto the next
house," Young told the supporters.
"If we do our best, God will help
us."
Richard Chamberlin talked
about the cost to the community
while Gary Durham, Hyattsville
Baptist Church’s pastor, Ralph
Sallee, Scott’s Fork Christian
Church’s pastor and Jason Wheeler,
Lancaster Baptist Tabernacle’s pastor,
simply came to support the
city’s endeavor.
Wheeler called alcohol the
"devil’s brew" and said that a yes
vote was as good as "putting strong
drink to his neighbor’s mouth."
Burl Cornelius said he realizes
that alcohol use has already invaded
the local community but doesn’t
want to see the availability for the
youth right at their grasp.
Rosie Ray also took the microphone
saying that those who use
alcohol to the extreme are taking
food from their children’s mouths.
C.A.L.L.’s press secretary,
Michael York, who also serves as
the interim pastor at Lancaster
Baptist Church cited a policy
research group called Drug
Strategies which calls alcohol
"America’s most pervasive drug
problem."
According to York, the report
states that alcohol-related deaths
outnumber drug-related deaths four
to one and it is a factor in more than
half of all domestic-violence and
sexual-assault cases. It results in
accidents, health problems, crime,
lost productivity and costs the
economy hundreds of billions of
dollars every year, he also said.
"Less than half of the economic
burden of alcohol abuse falls on
those who drink alcohol," York
cited from the National Institute on
Drug Abuse. "The government
bears nearly 40 percent of the burden
with private insurance and victims
also losing billions of dollars."
The 2004 World Health
Organization reports that numerous,
diverse and widespread harmful
consequences of alcohol use
impact the society as a whole.
Citing the report’s conclusion to
governments worldwide and concerned
citizens to engage in healthy
debate York said, "The conversation
has been started and we as concerned
citizens need to stand up
and answer ‘No,’ we do not want
this poison bleeding into the fabric
of this community."
The promise of those in favor of
the measure as a way to stimulate
the economy will not happen. "We
will be cleaning up the mess," he
said.
"Now is the time to fight. Now is
the time to be sober. Now is the
time to say ‘No’."
Johnson called the group’s work
a battle that although could reach
out even farther with precinct votes
by the drink, the local city issue at
hand is before them to focus on.
"What I’m battling today is
keeping it out of my city," Johnson
said.
With the vote just seven weeks
away "you don’t have a right not to
have an opinion," he said.
Johnson encouraged everyone to
voice their opinion to city and
county officials, to call their friends
and neighbors and even to those
who might owe them a favor.
"Tell them to vote ‘No’."
And for those who can do nothing
else, they were asked to pray by
Ray Zdrojowy, also a treasurer for
the group and the pastor of New
Day Worship Center, who cited
King Hezekiah’s defeat over the
powerful Assyrian army in old testament
scripture as a testimony to
what can happen when God’s people
pray.