Our Support Programs

Saints United offers an assortment of programs for everyone in the community.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.

AA has their open meeting on Mondays at 6:00 PM, for those new to the program or seeking additional information. Other programs during the week are held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

To find out more information about Alcoholics Anonymous visit the AA Website online at http://www.aa.org or the regional AA website at http://www.aasepia.org/. Additionally you may attend the Monday open meeting.

Narcotics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous is a global, community based organization founded in 1953 to offer recovery from the affects of addiction through working a twelve-step program, including regular attendance at group meetings. The group atmosphere provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for addicts who wish to pursue and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Our name, Narcotics Anonymous, is not meant to imply a focus on any particular drug; NA’s approach makes no distinction between drugs including alcohol.

Narcotics Anonymous meets at the Saints United Lutheran Church Gym on Sunday evenings at 8:00 PM.

For further information about Narcotics Anonymous please visit http://www.na.org. If you wish to take part in the program please visit during one of the Sunday meetings.

A Message from Pastor Hopkins

April 3, 2020 By Pastor Bob

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are getting closer to the eye of the storm, I believe. Do you remember that movie “The Perfect Storm” with George Clooney? Well, the waves are getting bigger and we are nearing the point when they may crash in on us even more. If you follow the news, you know that the U.S. now has the world’s largest number of corona cases. The metaphor that I use is very fitting: we are all in the same boat together as the waves move in.

Our world was so different 20 days ago, it would have been hard to imagine the world that we inhabit today. Our daily lives are so different. Then, we would have worried that anyone washing and sanitizing their hands 20 times a day had a compulsive disorder. Now we wonder if they have washed enough. Ten days ago, a person who was socially distancing would have been considered rude. Now they are considered thoughtful and considerate. Then the thought of staying home from work sounded like a treat. Now cabin fever is running rampant.

There is no doubt that the pandemic that we are living through has changed us and is changing the world we live in. But in some ways, it is also revealing the things that never change.

We are seeing clearly Luther’s theology that says we are all saints and sinners. A rush on toilet paper is met by a volunteer handing out toilet paper rolls to strangers on the street. While some college students partied on the beach in Florida for spring break, others created a network of volunteers to shop for the quarantined and self-isolated across the country.

While some politicians in Washington apparently used insider information to cheat the market and keep hold of their wealth, others are giving generously to support the vulnerable, the unemployed, small business owners, the homeless, and many, many others in need.

Human beings are made in the image of God and have feet of clay. We have the capacity to show great selfishness and tremendous compassion. Yet we are also sinners, there is no doubt as Luther would say, but God does not condemn us to live in a world of sin. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

By God’s grace we are called into a new way of life, a forgiven and forgiving way of being, as we become heirs of God’s kingdom and servants to one another for God’s sake. We are seeing that the best place to stand in the storms of life, especially this one, is on the rock of Jesus Christ, our firm foundation.

I pray that your faith is giving you access through prayer to God’s grace and love, and that you remember that you are blessed to be a blessing to someone else in need.

In Christ,
Pastor Bob

P.S. I hope and pray that you will watch our virtual worship on Sunday at 10 AM on the Saints United Facebook page (facebook.com/SaintsUnitedPhiladelphia) and invite someone else to watch as well. Remember we will be doing Communion at the service, so have some bread and wine (or juice) available.