In 2016, 63,632 people died from drug overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in 2017, that number only increased. As of 2016, Pennsylvania had the fifth highest rate of death due to drug overdose in the nation.

Dealing with opioid use, from dependence on legal painkillers like morphine and oxycodone to the use of illegal substances such as heroin, on the community level, let alone the national, isn’t as clear. Still, some local organizations are willing to give it a shot.

On Tuesday, Cornerstone Community Church in Kresgeville will partner with Foundations Christian Counseling, a Christian counseling resource, to put on a seminar titled “Depression and the Desire to Die: A Biblical View of Depression & Suicide.”

Foundations is also hosting an addictions seminar at the South New Milford Baptist Church in New Milford on Nov. 17 and a one-day addictions conference at Berean Bible Fellowship Church in Stroudsburg in April.

The Rev. Stuart Szmaciasz, pastor at Cornerstone Community Church, said that each seminar attempts to address the spiritual issues behind addiction, such as depression.

“There’s a deeper reason to people’s addiction to opioids,” Szmaciasz said. “We’re trying to bridge that gap between the opioid issue and the underpinnings that cause it.”

Szmaciasz recalled that his church began collaborating with Foundations for Tuesday’s seminar in the summer, being motivated by news about the opioid epidemic and the situations of some church attendees dealing with addiction and depression.

Szmaciasz said that he knows there are physiological factors behind mental illness, but said that for many, the seminar can help with addressing the unexpected circumstances or sense of hopelessness aiding in their addiction, depression or even suicidal thoughts.

“(It’s) not that we want to ignore the addiction part, but there are deeper issues at play here,” Szmaciasz said.

Szmaciasz said, that’s a part of Cornerstone’s purpose.

“We want to be a blessing to the community, and we realize this is an issue people struggle with,” he said. “We’re just trying to be good neighbors.”

Foundations Christian Counseling had its start in a small room at Cornerstone Community Church 16 years ago. Now the agency has multiple locations throughout northeastern Pennsylvania and even one in Johnson City, New York.

Fred Jacoby, Foundations executive director, said he personally has struggled with depression. Jacoby hopes that Tuesday’s seminar, where he will speak, will equip its visitors with the emotional tools necessary to confront their depression, and if they are feeling suicidal, show them that there are other options to dealing with their sadness.

“We want people to know that the Scriptures are not silent,” Jacoby said. “We just want to be able to offer people that hope.”

For information, call 610-681-3534.