The community is invited to participate in Celebrate Recovery, a biblically-based program designed to help people overcome hurts, hang-ups and habits, at Live Oak Church of God, starting Monday Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.
The program incorporates the 12 Steps of recovery with accompanying scriptures and principles to offer participants a clear path towards hope, freedom, sobriety and healing. Celebrate Recovery is based on the words of Jesus rather than psychological theory.
Celebrate Recovery started 25 years ago in Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California with 43 people. It has since went on to help more than 1,700 people and attracted over 70 percent of its members from outside the church. Celebrate Recovery is now in over 29,000 churches worldwide.
Charlene Jenkins, ministry leader, trainer coach and substance abuse counselor, said the program curriculum works seamlessly together, “tying historical recovery to timeless biblical teaching.”
“It’s life changing! Celebrate Recovery address all types of hurts. Some recovery programs deal only with alcohol or drugs or another single problem but Celebrate Recovery is a large umbrella program under which a limitless number of issues can be dealt with,” Jenkins said.
All groups are gender specific, face-to-face meetings only and follows guidelines designed to keep discussions safe.
At the first general meeting, all participants will meet for a special topic service, focusing on denial. In the following weeks participants will learn how the program works, be introduced to group facilitators and find their small group.
The three groups being offered are a men’s group for the chemically dependent and co-dependent; a women’s chemically dependent group; and another women’s group for the co-dependent and non-chemically dependent.
Here is what two people had to say about their experience in Celebrate Recovery:
“Thirty years in and out of other recovery groups and even with five years of sobriety, I never experienced the spiritual connection I have at Celebrate Recovery. It’s because of the steps and principles that I’ve found my home in Christ.”
“I have overcome childhood molestation. For years nobody knew what I had gone through as a child. I was too ashamed and embarrassed to ever admit it. But now I speak about it after going through Celebrate Recovery because I have learned that my trials will help others heal.”
For more information about Celebrate Recovery please call Live Oak Church at 912-876-8769.
Live Oak Church of God is led by Bishop Israel Aaron Cowart and is located at 296 Live Oak Church Road in Hinesville.