Outreach group from Richmond may asssit county with drug fight

By JIM TALBERT\Staff
TAZEWELL - A ROC could soon be available for area residents battling alcohol and drugs.
Marco Warner and Craig Barber spoke to the board of supervisors Aug. 5 about bringing the Richmond Outreach Center’s Discipleship Homes to the county. Those two, along Ed Rannells, Barbara McMillan, Ashley Ratliff and Mac Culbertson visited the program and talked with staff members and residents.
Warner and the other members of Concerned Citizens to Bring Discipleship Homes to Southwest Virginia want to put an operation similar to the ROC in place in our area. They have met with Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Lee, town managers from Richlands, Tazewell and Bluefield and County Administrator Jim Spencer.
Representatives of the Richmond Outreach Center will visit the county Aug. 20. They will spend the day touring the county and then hold a public meeting in Tazewell.
That meeting will start at five pm in the county administration building and is open to the public. Pastor Geronimo Aguilar, (Pastor G), and members of his staff will lead the discussion with local citizens.
Aguilar, his wife and 19 other people came to Richmond from California in 2001. Since then they have established a church of more than 4,000 people and affiliated with 24 other churches.
The ROC and the affiliated churches have established several outreach ministries including the discipleship homes. The program started with ministers taking people into their homes.
From there it branched out to actual homes that assist those in need in several ways. They provide the residents with shelter, food, medical and dental care, transportation, access to education, drug treatment and Bible study.