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When people hear the word ‘recovery’ they think it only involves those struggling with drugs and alcohol. This simply isn’t true. We’re all in need of recovery, we're all broken, we've all missed the mark, and we've all fallen short. In fact, the Bible says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Some of us need more work than others and that's what the Celebrate Recovery program at SECC does - it gets people into a loving and healing relationship to Christ.
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The purpose of Southeast Community Church’s Celebrate Recovery ministry is to fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power in our lives through the eight recovery principles found in the Beatitudes and the Christ-Centered 12 Steps. This experience allows us to be changed. By working and applying these biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy, and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ, the one and only true Higher Power. |
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| Celebrate Recovery is built on the biblical principles of real community. It is fellowship-focused, not individual-focused. We grow and get better together. It is built around small group interaction and the support of a caring community. We don't get well by ourselves. We need each other. Fellowship and accountability are two important components of spiritual growth. |
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| For information on Celebrate Recovery at SECC: |
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Contact:
Mike Patton (912) 673-8689
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| How Celebrate Recovery Started
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Celebrate Recovery started in 1991 at Saddleback Church. At that time the church was meeting at a high school gymnasium. After John Baker was unable to share openly about Jesus Christ in his secular recovery meetings and was uncomfortable sharing about his struggle with alcohol in his men’s Bible study, John wrote Pastor Rick the now famous concise 13-page single space letter outlining the vision God had given him for Celebrate Recovery. Pastor Rick said, “Great John, do it.”
The first night 45 people showed up and Celebrate Recovery was born. With only four groups, men’s and women’s chemical dependency and men’s and women’s codependency, the ministry has grown from those four groups to the twenty open share groups we have today. Thousands of people have gone through the workbooks and are now serving in CR and the church. Celebrate Recovery has become the number one outreach at Saddleback Church, with over 70% of its members come from outside the church.
The
first ten years were
the birth stage of Celebrate
Recovery and now God
is calling us to take
it to the World. There
are now thousands of
groups around the world
and growing. We are
part of a movement that
is bringing hurting
and broken people in
the Church to the healing
power of Jesus Christ.
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| To find more information regarding Celebrate Recovery go to |
www.celebraterecovery.com |
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| Characteristics of Groups |
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Celebrate Recovery meets up to 2 times a week, with two different formats. (see below)
- One format consists of a Large Group Session, followed by Open Share Small Groups, and fellowship time (known as Faithcore Café).
- The other format is the Step Study groups that meet on another day of the week until completion of the four participant guides (12-steps).
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| Large Group Session |
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ALL (genders) participants’ meet together |
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1 Hour Meeting |
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Celebrate Recovery Information and
Resource Table is set up |
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Worship with Celebrate Recovery Band |
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Reading: 8 principles or
12-steps and Biblical comparison |
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CR Announcements |
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Special music and offering |
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Teaching/Testimony/Special guest speaker |
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No obligation to share |
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Serenity prayer close |
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Dismiss large group time to
Open Share Groups |
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| Open Share Group |
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| Faithcore Café |
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Fellowship, Coffee and Desserts |
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| Step Study Group |
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| The 8 Principles |
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| Realize
I’m not God; I
admit that I am powerless
to control my tendency
to do the wrong thing
and that my life is
unmanageable. (Step
1)
“Happy are those
who know they are spiritually
poor” (Matthew
5:3)
Earnestly
believe that God exists,
that I matter to Him,
and that He has the
power to help me recover.
(Step 2)
“Happy
are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted”
(Matthew 5:4)
Consciously
choose to commit all
my life and will to
Christ’s care
and control.
(Step
3) “Happy are
the meek” (Matthew
5:5)
Openly examine and confess
my faults to myself,
to God, and to someone
I trust.
(Steps
4 and 5) “Happy
are the pure in heart”
(Matthew 5:8)
Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.
(Steps 6 and
7) “Happy are
those whose greatest
desire is to do what
God requires”
(Matthew 5:6)
Evaluate all my relationships; offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9)
“Happy
are the merciful”
Happy are the peacemakers”
(Matt 5:7, 5:9)
Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
(Steps 10 and
11)
Yield myself to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.
(Step 12)
“Happy
are those who are persecuted
because they do what
God requires”
(Matthew 5:10)
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12-Seps and the Biblical Comparisons
All Scripture quoted from the New International Version. |
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1. |
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We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behavior. That our lives had become unmanageable.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18) |
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Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. For it is God who is at work in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13) |
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Made a decision to turn our life and our will over to the care of God. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1) |
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Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. (Lamentations 3:40) |
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Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. Therefore, confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. (James 5:16a) |
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Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10) |
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Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) |
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Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31) |
9. |
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Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24) |
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Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12) |
11. |
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Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. (Colossians 3:16a) |
12. |
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Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1) |
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