Church will offer help for addiction to sex

In Focus Church ministers intend to tackle a topic Sunday most consider taboo in a church setting.

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During the 10 a.m. sermon, pornography will be discussed at the Evans church, located at 562 Old Evans Road.

"A lot of people in church struggle with pornography, but just like any other subject regarding sex, it goes unspoken," said Stephen Lechner, the church's creative arts director. "We're really confronting that head-on and taking on some of the big questions and big issues involving pornography."

The service, which is titled "Porn Sunday," is part of the church's "Sex Talk" series, which is being held each Sunday in February. Previous sermons have addressed sexual topics for married couples and singles.

"We're basically dealing with what the Bible says about sex, because the Bible has a lot to say about sex," he said.

Though the church has conducted sermons on relationships in the past, this marks the first time it has directly confronted the topic of sex, Lechner said.

The church will use its own materials during the sermon, but Lechner said they have received useful information from www.xxxchurch.com, an interactive Christian Web site focusing on problems caused by sex and pornography.

Lead Pastor Brent Garrard said the series was selected for February because the month conjures up feelings of love and romance.

He said he wants to "break the myth that (pornography is) somewhat harmless and it's something that you can do on the side and not hurt anybody."

Another aspect of the program, he said, is to help those that are coping with problems caused by pornography.

"It's just a tangled web," he said. "If we can help somebody by getting them out of this, then so be it.

"That's what our goal is. It's not shock value."

The church's doors are open to the general public. The sanctuary can accommodate about 700 people, Garrard said. Resources, such as computer software and information about online classes to help fight sexual addictions, will be available.

For information, contact the church at (706) 868-7788 or by e-mail at sextalk@infocus church.org.