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New Christ-based program available for addicts |
Celebrate Recovery provides biblical principals that
help addicts and their families cope with addiction |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
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Stephen Jackson once battled
alcoholism through the 12-step program at Alcoholics Anonymous. From
a family in which his father and grandfather were alcoholics,
Jackson began drinking when he was 13. But while hundreds of
thousands of members are helped through AA meetings every day,
Jackson said he felt empty when he left the meetings.
That was before he discovered Celebrate Recovery. A member of the
Newberg Christian Church for about a decade, Jackson’s wife, Deanne,
began researching the program about two years ago. That was about
the same time NCC Pastor David Case also began research on the same
program.
Celebrate Recovery, Stephen explained, is a biblically based idea
that provides spiritual support and guidance for addicts of any
type. The Jacksons, NCC associate adult minister Gary Warford and
several others plan to bring the program to the church in the next
few months.
“It’s similar to AA,” Jackson said. But instead of being focused on
one particular addiction, Celebrate Recovery provides eight biblical
principles that help addicts of any type and their families cope
with the addiction.
The principals are based on Bible verses in the Book of Matthew and
include: The idea that the person in the group is not God and as
such is powerless to control a tendency to do the wrong thing and
one’s life is unmanageable; the earnest belief that God exists, that
the person in the group matters to him and that he has the power to
help in a recovery.
The principles go on to advise group members to consciously commit
his or her life and will to Christ’s care and control and the open
examination and confession of faults to God, himself or herself and
to a trusted person.
It also suggests participants voluntarily submit to any changes God
wants in his or her life and an evaluation of relationships; and
reserve a daily time for prayer, Bible reading and a
self-examination in order to know God. Members should yield
themselves to be used by God to bring the information to others,
both by example and words, it states.
And participants may not come to meetings under the influence, they
agreed.
Instead of sponsors, the group encourages members to exchange phone
numbers and become accountability partners. Jackson added the entire
group will be available to help one another.
“This is my calling; this is where I need to be,” he said. “A lot
of people won’t go to AA meetings.”
“The reason I would like to get involved in this ministry is to
help other women,” Deanne Jackson said. “I know how lonely and
scared you can feel going through these kinds of life struggles.
“I have been in and out of programs that have helped tremendously.
With this one being Christ centered I feel it will be even more
helpful,” Deanne said.
But Jackson said he’s hoping that since many people with addictions
are comfortable in church, the program will be a success and will
eventually break into smaller groups that meet at participants’
homes.
“When it’s Christ involved, people are drawn to it,” he said.
“What’s so great about it is people don’t meet and then leave — this
lasts. People get involved.”
The groups meet and are placed in orientation, then split up into
groups depending on gender and addiction or whether the person is
co-dependent.
Women are separated from men for the comfort of the groups, Jackson
and his wife agreed.
“This covers all addictions, “ Warford said. “Co-dependency,
spouses, it looks at the family, not just the addict.”
Jackson agreed and added that instead of being identified as an
addict, or spouse, or family member of an addict, members are called
believers and children of Christ.
The program is already in place in about 500 churches in the United
States, Jackson said, including the program he attends in
McMinnville.
Anyone interested in training to lead a group, regardless of
denomination, or who want to join the program, may contact Warford
at 503-538-3104, for more information.
For more information on Celebrate Recovery log onto the Web at
www.celebraterecovery.com. |
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From
March 5, 2005, Newberg Graphic
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