Presented by the Commission on Christian Action, adopted by the delegates to the 105th Covenant Annual Meeting.

WHEREAS, The Evangelical Covenant Church at its 1970 Annual Meeting passed a resolution concerning drugs and alcohol that is still valid today; and

WHEREAS, substance abuse and addiction continue to have debilitating and destructive effects on all segments of society, manifested in

• poor health and high accident rates
• premature deaths
• decreased productivity and increased absenteeism,
• increased health care costs,
• increased costs to control and prosecute illegal drug traffic, which compromises our ability to allocate public funds for other worthy purposes,
• family and societal violence; and

WHEREAS, substance abuse engenders greed and malice, and

WHEREAS, we as Christians are commanded to treat our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, and not to defile them; and

WHEREAS, we are commanded to encourage and support one another in love, and

WHEREAS, we are commanded to love the sinner but hate the sin; and

WHEREAS, we are grateful for the constructive steps taken by individuals, churches, community groups, and government agencies to respond to the problem of substance abuse and addiction; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Evangelical Covenant Church reaffirm the 1970 Resolution Concerning Drugs and Alcohol; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage Covenanters to become involved in church and/or community programs dealing with substance abuse and addiction; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage our churches and conferences to provide information and raise awareness about substance abuse through Sunday school, camping, and other Christian education endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage our churches to provide Christian love and concern to substance abusers and addicts and their families, e.g., through counseling and shelter; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we prayerfully encourage and support local and national programs responding to the problem of substance abuse and addiction; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we pray for guidance for spiritual and political leaders, for workplace supervisors and managers, for teachers and school officials, for law enforcement and judicial officials, and most of all, for parents and children; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage all Covenanters to reflect prayerfully on their own behavior that could lead to substance abuse or addiction by themselves or others.