Once again, for the fifth year, WesleyNexus will sponsor and host the principal Evolution Weekend program for Maryland on Feb. 11, in a live-streamed event from the Baltimore-Washington Conference Mission Center, 11711 East Market Place, in Fulton, Maryland. The program for 2018 is “Faith and Science Confront Pain: The Churches address the Opioid Crisis.”

Initiating the discussion will be Michael Oshinsky, PhD, Program Director Pain and Migraine at the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, in Bethesda, Maryland.

 Joining him on the panel will be Dr. Gerard Ahern, professor of pharmacology at Georgetown University, Washington D.C.

 Next we will hear from Dr. Onaje Salim, program officer with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment) in Rockville, MD.

 The final panelist and respondent will be Rev. Leo Yates, Jr., LCPC, who serves at the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) in Baltimore, MD. As a licensed clinician, he is a staff specialist working with a clinical team for people with co-occurring disorders (mental health and addiction).

 Moderator for the program will be Dr. M. Catherine Bennett, Scientific Review Officer at NIH Somatosensory and Chemosensory Systems. 

The program on presentations and discussion will begin at 3 p.m. Eastern time, which will allow groups on the West Coast to participate at a reasonable hour. The Live-Stream will end at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Final details of the program are forthcoming, but the resource panelists will bring up-to-the-minute perspectives on the issues.

 All persons, lay and clergy, in the national capital area are encouraged to attend the event in person at the BWC Mission Center, where door prizes will be awarded to include books, videos and other resources appropriate to the topic.

Others around the country are encouraged to organize discussion groups in their own congregations,   or just participate from their office or home via the internet link to the event. Updated information will be appearing on the WesleyNexus website.

Questions?  E-mail  .