Celebrate Recovery Blog

Your responsibility helping Celebrate Recovery become a valuable part of your church starts with good communication between the church staff & the CR TEAM. In other words, helping the church see what a valuable asset CR can become!

Our CR meets in the Fellowship Center. This room is also used for weddings and receptions. And when are many weddings? Saturday, and of course, most folks like to set up for weddings on Friday. Our church made it a policy that no one can start decorating until after CR on Friday nights. We realize this may be a hardship on mothers of the brides. So our CR offers them an army of volunteers to help move table chairs and whatever else is needed after CR. This is a job even the Newcomer feels like they can be a part of and we are not shy about asking them. This helps the Newcomer feel like they are “a part of” instead of just “occupying a seat.”

This past Sunday our Senior Pastor said, “As a church we are going into one of the rougher areas of our town to remodel a house for a community center in conjunction with other area-wide churches.” What he said next was a reflection of how CR has become invaluable. He stated, “I know “our” CR family will lead the way!” He didn’t say, “Mac, can you get “your” CR guys to help?” CR has become an vital part of our church because with rescue comes the heart for service!

My favorite story is when one of our TEAM members was in the church office one Monday. Our staff happened to be discussing how they were going to pull off an old fashioned “dinner on the grounds”, that our leaders had told the church we would have for our 50th anniversary. The staff was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with the task of feeding over 1200 people. That’s when our CR TEAM member stepped in and said, “I believe CR can help!”

CR showed up early to set up tables, move chairs, set up food & drink tables, serve, and clean up afterwards. Brightly colored CR shirts could be seen everywhere. When it was over the staff & ministers were admiring a completely cleaned-up area (by 2:00) and were commenting on what had just happened there, to which one replied, “CR just happened here!”

Because of the relationship CR has with our staff, they love to tell others about CR. Our church sees God working through CR changing lives right before their very eyes!

Matthew 5:14 is a good picture of who we need to be:

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Mac
mowen@wfrchurch.org