Michigan – from www.wyandotte.patch.com – Jeremy Gyorke, the pastor of Wyandotte Family Church, enjoyed looking at pornography as a young teenager.

And he’s suspecting there are many more local teens and adults who still engage in the practice today.

That’s one of the reasons he hooked up with a controversial national group, XXXchurch.com, to host Porn Sunday this Sunday.

“I’m excited to do this because I struggled with it,” said Gyorke, 32. “I had issues with pornography off and on from the seventh grade through young adulthood. And I say off and on because there were stretches of time when I wouldn’t view it at all.”

And now, he said, it’s been seven years “since I’ve been clean and haven’t viewed it at all.”

The Porn Sunday gathering is designed to help those struggling with problems related to pornography, such as porn addiction or relationship/marriage stress, Gyorke said.

XXXchurch.com, which was founded in 2002, provides a video and other necessary information for churches to use. The program was initially created for the three past Super Bowl Sundays, but it’s now available year-round for other churches to use.

XXXchurch.com founder Craig Gross began the cause by traveling to adult entertainment expos with a banner reading, “Jesus Loves Pornstars” and handing out free Bibles to porn stars and porn fans.

“We have to respond to this devastating problem,” Gross said. “We are sick of watching people lose everything to porn.”

XXXchurch.com bills itself as the largest and most recognized online voice worldwide on the issue of porn. Members also get flak for it, as well, sometimes from other Christians who think they are misguided in their approaches to dealing with the topic.

Gyorke said that most people struggling with porn addiction are afraid to talk about it and instead, hide the problem. Porn Sunday creates a safe environment for people with problems to openly discuss them, he said.

The possible long-term support gained from meeting others with the same struggle is crucial because porn addiction is nearly impossible to beat alone, he said.

“It’s been proven that it’s more addicting than most drugs,” Gyorke said. “Porn becomes your master.”

Aside from helping those with current problems, the program also focuses on raising awareness and prevention, Gyorke said.

One way the Porn Sunday program does this, he said, is by presenting facts to show the magnitude of the problem.

For example, Gyorke said, 50 percent of all men, including Christian pastors, struggle in some way with a porn problem, as he once did himself.

Another issue, he said, is that most people first see porn at age 11.

To help parents deal with this, he said, a packet of information will be distributed at the gathering that discusses how to talk with kids about pornography.

In addition to porn viewing by minors or addicts, Gyorke said, porn also is not safe as an relationship enhancement for married couples.

“Pornography cheapens intimacy,” Gyorke said. “In the long run, it will shortchange (it).”

Wyandotte Family Church has services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at Out of the Box Theater.

Porn Sunday is being coordinated in conjunction with the church’s Hot Topics series running this month. The other issues being raised are: