Royal Oak Pastor/Attorney and Judge Linda Davis Team Up for Drug Awareness Event

Local pastor, criminal defense attorney, and community leader, Pastor Bill Barnwell is organizing a free community event at the Royal Oak Missionary Church entitled, "Keeping Our Kids Safe: The Heroin and Substance Abuse Epidemic" on Sunday Nov. 6th from 6:30PM-800PM.

The keynote speaker will be prominent local District Court Judge and drug awareness advocate, Judge Linda Davis who presides in the 41-B District Court.

The event will feature education for families and individuals of all ages to recognize the warning signs of addiction, how to avoid patterns of behavior that can lead to addiction, and what resources are available to help save lives. Aside from Judge Davis, it will feature members of the Recovering Community sharing their messages of hope.

Royal Oak Missionary Church is located at 411 E. 11 Mile Rd. Royal Oak, 48067.

Barnwell has been Lead Pastor at the Royal Oak church for the past six years. He also maintains his own law practice and serves on the Warren Senior Housing Commission. Notably, he is one of the only pastors and ordained ministers in the state of Michigan who is also a criminal defense attorney and trial litigator.

"As both a pastor and a defense attorney, I have helped people battle substance abuse. As an attorney, I would gladly lose business revenue if it meant less people struggling with drugs and alcohol. As a pastor and leader of the faith community, it is my job to help educate the community of the growing opioid epidemic and demonstrate that there is hope for those struggling with addiction, and hope for the families of those affected."

Barnwell notes that he has presided over the funerals and lost personal friends to the growing trend of opioid addiction affecting the country and region. "Enough is enough. We are losing too many kids, too many people of all ages, and too many lives are being shattered when there is help and solutions available," says Barnwell.
Judge Davis has been heavily instrumental in the prominent anti-drug organization Families Against Narcotics. Through her work on the bench and as a community activist, she has helped countless people of all ages find a a path to recovery.

Says Judge Davis, “Citizens of all ages need to be educated about the prescription drug epidemic. It is something that affects every family in some way. It can be prevented but you need to understand what is driving this epidemic in order to be part of the solution, in making sure your family does not become a victim of prescription drug abuse. People of all ages, even seniors are dying because they are uneducated.”

Judge Davis was appointed to the bench March 27, 2000 by Governor Engler. Prior to her judgeship, Judge Davis was an Assistant Prosecutor with the Macomb County Prosecutors office for 13 years. Judge Davis played a crucial role in Families Against Narcotics inception and has been instrumental in the success and growth of the organization.

Judge Davis has recently been appointed chair to Governor Snyder’s Michigan Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission. She sits on the Executive Committee of Macomb County’s Operation Rx, a county wide initiative to prevent abuse, addiction and overdose of prescription narcotics.

She has received several prestigious awards from the FBI, Care House, Girl Scouts of the USA, Macomb Community College Outstanding Alumna Award and Center Line High School, Most Distinguished Graduate. Recently she received a Humanitarian of the Year award in Macomb County. She is currently Familes Against Narcotics primary speaker and presents multiple times a week to groups across the state.

Individuals in attendance will also be given an opportunity to make a voluntary donation to FAN to help promote drug awareness and treatment.

For any questions, members of the community can call the church office at (248) 541-6606. A Facebook event page has also been set up called "Keeping Our Kids Safe" where the public can receive more information. The event is free and open to all members of the public.