While reading, I became overwhelmed thinking about all the CR ministries that have been up and running for years, ones that may have just started within the last few years, and even the ones that are getting ready to start.

The book of James is such a powerful lesson for us as leaders in a life changing ministry isn’t it?!  Here we have a great teacher and encourager, James, the half brother of Jesus, who was a Leader of a church in Jerusalem. He saw all these Christians that were spread out amongst the Roman world. Thriving Jewish communities, Cities in Greece and Asia Minor, Alexandria, Rome, and Cyprus. James knew this body of believers was facing some of the greatest persecution.

So knowing all of this, here is a man, James writing to them as a concerned brother for his friends as an encouragement

Our National TEAM was just talking about enduring hardships in our life.  Are you and your team facing persecution right now?

It is interesting how James starts the chapter, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3

Notice he did not say “IF” but “whenever” or “when”.  James is telling us thru this chapter that it is possible thru these trails of many kinds to “profit” from them.

 Now we know this does not mean put on our mask and act like everything is ok does it? That is what got us into recovery to begin with. He is not saying act like we are happy when we face pain but to instead have a positive outlook in that pain.  It is interesting that this statement is immediately followed up with the importance of gaining wisdom.  Webster’s Dictionary defines this as the quality or  state of being wiseknowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight. ;

 What James is talking about is to have the ability to gain knowledge in all our difficult circumstances.

So… back to my thoughts from my reading this morning…  I started thinking about how hard it is for us as a ministry to keep everyone on the right track, to deal with the training wrecks that happen and maintain our sanity. Are you and your team facing persecution right now? How is your heart and the heart of your leaders in your CR ministry?  Are you in a season of persecution? Do you feel deflated with all that is going on around us? Do you sometimes feel like giving up on what God has called you to do?

All of these are very real feelings and there is not one person that has not been where you are at least one time or another. IN fact, if you stay in ministry any length of time you are guaranteed to face these thoughts and pains. Sometimes we can get hung up on something like numbers within in our CR ministry can’t we? “we only had x amount of people here last week” or only “x” amount of people graduated from our step study group”. Oh, how crafty that enemy is huh? It really only takes one life change doesn’t it. The enemy throws these terrible lies at us anyway.

Or maybe we can get discouraged when we make mistakes within our ministry and it seems to be taking a while (too long) to work thru those.

Just as James did to the early churches, I want to give you a word of encouragement.  This season of the “testing of your faith is right now, in this very moment, “developing perseverance” in you and your spirit. James gives us great advice and I believe a great way to deal with this persecution, pain, and trials that we are facing. He says in verses 5-6, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But….when he asks, he must believe…” If we truly believe and drink of His wisdom, then we have nothing to fear do we?

Whenever we need Christ’s wisdom, all we have to do is ask God thru prayer and he will “generously supply what we need”.

We don’t have to wander in the dark hoping to stumble upon some answers. We just have to run to Him. Praise God for that!

So what are some practical ways we can gain this wisdom for us and our team to stay on track, to stay encouraged and keep our eye on His purpose for us, our life and our ministry He has chosen us to be a part of and grow our ministry and our leaders?

1.   Training: Are you making sure that your team is connecting with One Day Seminars that come near you and your church? Or the National Summit in August at Saddleback? I know at times we can feel like we have been to one so why go back? I have been to countless One Day Trainings as well as the Summit in CA and every single time I walk away with more nuggets and fresh ideas to help grow our strengthen our ministry and leaders. It is more than worth the investment. Go check out your closest One Day training and send your leaders as well.  I promise you they will come back and give the rest of your leadership team and ministry a much needed shot in the arm.  If we are not learning, we are not leading. It may be time for refresher training. I happen to know of a great One Day training this Saturday and Walk-in are still open Nov 19, 2011 in Rogers AR.

2.   Go visit other CR’s in your area. Again, I get so many fresh ideas when I visit other CR’s. It may not be that we are doing it wrong but may need to freshen up our ideas on how we get the word out or print materials, or do specific process. Sometimes we can get stuck in our leadership and without even knowing it think we are doing ok.  It is not until we get out of our box thru fellowship with others in the ministry that we get encouraged and refreshed. Just having fellowship with other leaders will leave you encouraged and help you realize you are not the only one with problems,

3.   Have a time of prayer and sharing at your next leaders meeting. I don’t know about you but in my flesh I don’t have the ability to choose joy in the midst of my personal trials or issues going on within our ministry. Leadership relapse, groups that have gone bad, or other day to day struggles that come with any growing and life change producing ministry. If you don’t have problems in your ministry, I would be very scared.  Cause it probably means nothing is happening in the area of life change. Christ’s wisdom breathes that joy into my heart and there is something so sweet about taking time to pray as a group about specific struggles and trials going on. Together we show a respect and honor for God by seeking Him in our troubles and then by living by His direction after He speaks to us.

4.   Do a ministry check up.  Check your Seven Keys against your ministry.  How do they measure up? If you are lacking in an area, don’t beat yourself up, but take action to do something about those holes in your ministry.  Remember, trying to do this on your own will only bury you.  Not one of us is strong enough to do this on our own.

5.   Put on the full armor of God daily. We wouldn’t walk into battle fields naked of armor, why should we do it in our Christian walk. We need it to help fight off the many arrows coming our way as described in Psalm 91.

Are you and your team facing persecution right now? God is going to use this to develop perseverance so that “you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” Good things are happening thru you because God chose you to be used for His Kingdom.  Therefore we have an enemy pressing, crushing, persecuting, struck down but remember, you will not be destroyed. Why? Because you have God on your side and greater things are still to be done if you will just allow Him to work in you. 

My prayer for you:

(by John Eldredge, adapted from Handbook of Spiritual Warfare, by Dr. Ed Murphy)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for granting to me all spiritual blessings in the heavens in Christ Jesus. I receive those blessing into my life today, and I ask the Holy Spirit to bring all of those blessings into my life this day. Thank you for the blood of Jesus. Wash me with his blood, from every sin and stain and evil device. Equip me with your armor - I put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes to of the gospel, the helmet of salvation. I take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, and I choose to wield these weapons against the evil one in the power of God. I choose to pray at all times in the Spirit.

In Jesus Name, AMEN!

See you at a One Day training soon friend.

Rodney, National Assimilation Coach

Here is a sample letter to other churches that has been used in the past. Note: you can revise this to fit a counseling agency, rehab center, etc.

Are People in your Church and Community Hurting?

 We live in difficult and uncertain times. Many people in our churches are feeling hopeless and defeated as they face job losses, financial pressure, and an array of physical and emotional hurts, hang-ups and habits.

Pastor, if there are hurting people in your church, we have good news for you!  We know that God uses hard times to draw people closer to Him.  We also know that the only true answer for those feeling hopeless is to turn to Jesus Christ.  Romans 8:28[NLT] tells us, ‘and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.’ 

As a pastor myself, and after serving at Celebrate Recovery for some time now, I’ve learned that everyone struggles with something.  We’ve all been hurt by other people; we’ve hurt ourselves; and we’ve hurt others.  As a result, every one of us ends up with some sort of hurt, hang-up, or habit.  However, when people learn to apply the principles from the Beatitudes of Jesus, their lives are transformed.

By applying the principles from the Beatitudes over the years, we’ve discovered that healing and happiness are choices that we make one choice at a time:

1. Admitting need - the reality choice
2. Getting help - the hope choice
3. Letting go - the commitment choice
4. Coming clean - the housecleaning choice
5. Making changes - the transformation choice
6. Repairing relationships — the relationship choice
7. Maintaining momentum - the maintenance choice
8. Recycling pain — the sharing choice

Regardless of what someone is struggling with - whether it’s emotional, financial, relational, chemical, -physical, spiritual, or sexual - the principles and choices that lead to healthy living are the same.

How you can reach out to the hurting people in your church and community?

There are several key ways you can lead your church and community to freedom from hurts, hang-ups, and habits this fall:

1.  Tell People about Celebrate Recovery- Anonymity and Confidentiality are a cornerstone of this ministry and a safe place.
2. Offer your support as the senior pastor
3. Reach out to those in your community

Friday evenings at Fellowship Bible Church ~ EVERY Friday!

Fellowship Bible Church is at 1051 W. Pleasant Grove Road, Rogers AR [East entrance close to 71B]  Meetings start at 6:00 pm for great fellowship and a meal and run until 9:30 pm every Friday of the year.  We believe if anyone needs a safe place to meet with folks who care – then we are here.

There are also Celebrate Recovery meetings on other nights in NW Arkansas that we would love to tell you about it.

Please Come and See for Yourself

Why not experience CR for yourself. Celebrate Recovery is the successful program, because Celebrate Recovery and its participants submit themselves to the only true higher power, Jesus Christ.  And His power to change lives is evident and without question. 

Pastor, you play a vital role in your community.  By telling your church about Celebrate Recovery, offering your support and encouragement to attend, and by letting your community know about CR, you’ll help them find God’s pathway to wholeness, growth, spiritual maturity, healing and happiness.

Bless you as you serve the Lord and the people He has entrusted to you.

Sincerely,

Rodney Holmstrom 

National CR Assimilation Coach

479-659-3679

roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org

Fellowship Bible Church

Celebrate Recovery

This past Monday a team of five of us traveled to a treatment in house recovery center where we were invited to go speak about CR and talk about this amazing ministry.  This was a treatment center for men that had all kinds of age ranges from 19 to 50 years of age. This facility was a kind of "last chance" center or jail was next.

Our goal when we left out for the meeting was to get CR going inside so the 49 men in the facility could experience the same hope and freedom that we had experienced in our own life and recovery.

Upon arriving, walking thru to the office where we would have our meeting we saw the men already in an AA meeting in the open area.  We were greeted with lots of smiles and welcomes.

We went into the office and I began sharing with the leader of the facility about the three doors of CR and began discussing how we could make this work in their center.

As we were talking, the portable phone rang and one of the gentleman leaders stepped out to take the call. He came back in a few minutes and had a look of "I need to interrupt this discussion" on his face.  The lady leader recognized this and said, "what is it?" He then leaned over and handed her a note and whispered to her the details of the phone call.

She then let us know what news they had just received.  One of the youngest men in the facility 19 years of age, received some tragic news.  His aunt who he was close to in his recovery had just died in a trailer fire that burned to the ground. She shared a little bit of history in that he had experienced unbearable pain thru the multiple losses of other family members including his dad who committed suicide, his mother that was drowned in a murder, as well as his grandparents passing.

As she shared this info with us, we were all heartbroken and shell shocked at what this young kid had experienced with what most people will not experience in a life time.  At the passing of his father he went on a drinking binge and lost track of himself landing him where he was today.

After telling us all of this she said, "this is what I would like to happen if you all are open to this" She said, "I would like for you all to be the ones to tell him.  He has never had a male role model in his life and I think with what you all represent it would be better coming from you."

She then stepped out of the room and we told her we would let her know when we were ready.  Me and my team looked at each other with a clear understanding at the task at hand. This is where my question, "How am I going to get through this?" "This kid doesn't even know who we are and now this group of strangers is going to give him some very tough and tragic news?" I began to think the worst case scenarios in my mind and the lies from the enemy began popping into my head.. "What if I do more damage than good in this? I am not qualified to do this right here and right now." 

You see, the fear in me began to make me think that it would be easier to turn and run.  Then it hit me.  The Lord knew before we even got into the car to drive over here what we would be facing. He knew that this was more than just a meeting to talk about CR but a way and a huge opportunity to "show" what CR was all about in this situation. God used CR as the door into his life.

I began to find peace and comfort in knowing that if He was faithful to bring me to this point, He would be faithful to carry me through it. I had incredible peace and knew that I just needed to trust the Holy Spirit to guide me through this.

Well, when the young man came in, the Holy Spirit did just that; showed Himself in huge ways.  Now, I won't lie, looking this young man in the eye and telling him that he just lost his aunt was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do in my life.  Actually it was the first time I had ever had to be the one to tell someone for the first time they had lost a loved one.  But God lead us through it.

After we shared from our own hurts in our life and prayed over him placing our hands on him, I asked him, "Is it ok if I give you a hug?" And he kind of half heartedly agreed with his head hanging down.  I was able to grab onto this kid that is the same age as my son and squeeze him with great love.

On the drive home, I got to thinking about this and realized that this young man may have not ever been hugged by a man let alone his dad. And now he had four new brothers and a sister hugging him and loving on him as believers in Christ. Wow! What a thought that God put me and my team in a place to be able to be here for him in this tough time.

So what does this have to be with being an A coach? Principle 8 reads, "Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words."

What if I had missed this opportunity? What if I had not obeyed His direction to go share about CR to this treatment center.  The neat thing is, God used this meeting to minister to this young man. Me and my team thought our mission this night was to bring CR to this center and I believe that is a big reason why we were there, However, He set up a divine appointment so that we could "show" this young man what Christ has done in each of us thru sharing our story and being the salt and light for a young man in distress.

So, if you face another challenge in your life and the question pops up in your head, "how am I going to get thru this? or "I am not qualified to do this" then remember that He uses the ordinary to do extraordinary things. He will lead you through the process if you will just be obedient to bring this Good News that you and I have experienced to others both by our example and by our words.

When your knees begin to buckle and you have everything inside of you screaming "RUN!" He will give you the courage and strength of Joshua to carry out His work in your life. 

Who will you share CR with this next week? Even if they turn down your invitation, you may plant a seed that will bring eternal consequences. 

Go share with someone today about this amazing ministry and watch how He blesses you for it.

Rodney, National Assimilation Coach.

Good morning!

I went to see the movie “Courageous” last night with my son. I was completely blown away by what I saw not just during the movie but afterward.
Of course, during the movie I was blessed by an incredible story that left me inspired and full of hope and motivation to take my role as a father even more seriously.  What a gift we have as a dads to be able to lead our family.
    As inspired as I was during the movie, it was after the movie that blew me away even more.  I have heard reports of some theatres breaking into an understandable applause.  What caught me off guard at the theatre I attended was a bit different.

Typically when I go to the movies, once the credits start rolling it is a mad dash for the doors by all those in attendance.
This one was different.
    At the conclusion of this movie, as the credits began rolling, people were frozen in their seats. No one moved from their seats, including me.  It was as if everyone was reflecting on what they just witnessed.  After a couple minutes, I finally took the initiative and got up out of my seat but most everyone stayed right where they were.

I used the restroom and came out to see people hanging out in the lobby talking about the movie.  It had the feel of a church foyer after services.

As my son and I drove home, my son even said, “dad, I almost cried” lol He never cries during movies but it was obvious that this movie touched his 18 year old heart. P.S. I did cry. :)
The picture I saw in that theatre was that of hunger.  A body of people hungry for “real life” application messages that can help them in their everyday life.
I started thinking about the movie www.homerunthemovie.com that will be coming out next Sept 2012.  This is a Celebrate Recovery movie that will take us through a baseball players life who is dealing with life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups and how he finds a ministry called Celebrate Recovery to find himself again as well as bring restoration to he and his family.
    I got very excited about how this will be another one of those opportunities to feed a captive audience with tangible things to help them deal with life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups through Jesus Christ. Imagine a Church that is not afraid to share what they are struggling with.  A Church that admits they are struggling and then takes action to deal with it with a  goal of getting back on God’s track in life.

I firmly believe that this movie is going to be one of the most impactful movies our friends and neighbors, both churched and un-churched will see.
    When this movie comes out, will you be prepared for the wave of need that will arise from people coming out of hiding from behind their masks.  Will you be ready and equipped with the tools to deal with the man who is dealing with pornography, alcohol, or prescription drug addiction. What about the wife dealing with overwhelming grief, the young adult living in a  secret double life? Or the man who struggles with anger toward his children? Then woman who is more concerned with being loved rather than being loving in her life.
What about the man who is secretly having an affair in the workplace and doesn’t know how to stop let alone ask for help?
Will you and your church have a ministry that can deal with life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups in a practical way? It really does take more than just telling someone to pray harder and read their bible more.  Both are good things to do as a part of our walk as believers, but sometimes we need extra help.

Celebrate Recovery is that proven 20 plus years tool that will give you the resources to give your congregants the help they need to deal with hurts in their life. To deal with unhealthy habits that may have crept into their life.  Or to deal with hang-ups that are keeping them stuck in their past dysfunctional relationships, bitterness, resentments, or anything else that may be blocking our brothers and sisters from experiencing God’s purpose.
 
Please take advantage of this opportunity to attend this conference upcoming.  We have such a gift to have this right in so close to us. Don’t let this opportunity pass you up.  Come check out what God is doing in now 19,000 plus churches in multiple countries globally.

This is also a great opportunity to make your Celebrate Recovery stronger if you already have it in your church. Together we will work with a Kingdom focus in pointing people to Christ.

    If you would like to hear a change life story and more about this ministry.  Grab a cup of coffee and take a listen to our Christian Radio Interview KLRC that me and one of our ministry ladies did recently. http://connect.fbcnwa.org/Resources/KLRC%20-%20CR%20Clip.mp3

I hope to see you there friend.

Go to www.celebraterecovery.com to register you and your team today.

Rodney Holmstrom, CR National Assimilation Coach

Let me paint this picture for you.  A Drug Court courtroom full of people who are sitting, waiting for the judge to enter the courtroom.  When the Bailiff calls out in a strong voice, "ALL RISE. The Honorable, Judge __________

Everyone stands in honor of this judge walking into the room. As the door to the Judges chamber opens up, around the corner walks the judge holding a bible. Yes, a bible.  But not just any bible, but a CR bible that was given to her from a visit some months back by a CR leader. Yes, a CR Bible!

The cameras are rolling and all eyes are on this judge and the words, "Celebrate Recovery Bible" is screaming from its cover.  Can you believe that?!

As she goes to sit down she places her bible on the desk where she sits. Now, let me back up and tell you how we got to this moment.

In a session earlier in the month, the judge called up one of the drug offenders that were in her program. Note: The program she does is a “last chance” program for those facing jail.  They come to her program, if accepted, and avoid jail time if they stay in and follow their process.  In that process, they must attend meetings for recovery meetings.  Earlier this year, our CR Jail ministry leader as well as our Assimilation Coaches and myself, met with the Judges assistant to talk about CR in hopes of making CR a "Faith Based" Option for those in their program. They loved it and since then had been sharing this with their participants.

Ok, back to the story. A gentleman in her program, we will call him "Joe" walks up to the microphone in front of the judge and begins sharing how he is doing as is customary for all those in the program to mark their progress.

Judge: "Joe, do you have any sanctions against you, are you working, what have you done for your recovery, etc, etc? He mentions that he has been doing well and that he had two certificates from recovery programs and had been attending two faith based meetings.

Judge: "What do you mean Joe?"

Joe: "Celebrate Recovery"

Judge: "Joe, have you ever highlighted things in your bible that speak to you?"

Joe: "no maam"

Judge: "Joe, do you have a bible? 

Joe: "no maam, I don't."

Judge: "Would you like a bible?"

Joe: "yes maam"

Judge: "wait a second" then she looks out toward the rest of the people waiting to speak to her after "Joe" is done and says, "How many of you in here do not have a bible that would like a bible?"

Every hand in that court room was raised.

Judge: "Is Rita here?" (Rita is one of the ladies that comes to our meetings and has worked with us in giving bibles away, mostly out of her own pocket but thru donations given by local churches/CR’s)

Rita: "Yes maam, I am here.

Judge: "Do you have any bibles with you that could be given away?"

Rita: "I have a case in my car"

Judge: "Can you give what you have away today?"

Rita: "Yes I can!" She then gave out what she had.

The sessions continued....

The next lady, we will call her "Sue" that came up to face the Judge had tears in her eyes.

Judge: "What is the matter Sue?" 

Sue: Crying, she says, "I would like a bible"

Judge: "Rita, Sue is waiting for her bible.:) Can we make sure that we get her a bible?"

Rita: "Yes maam, we will make it happen!"

So that brings me to this next time the Judge comes out of her chambers during the next court session.  She herself is carrying a CR Bible in her hand, with the words "Celebrate Recovery Bible" beaming out toward the camera and people in attendance, and places it on the desk where she makes her ruling.

Wow, Wow, Wow! Isn't our God so big!?!?!?!

 See the neat thing in this story is God has huge wins for the Kingdom in this. When we give a bible to someone, a CR bible at that, we are in essence telling them what we are all about. Love, hope, peace, restoration and comfort.  Recovery in Christ! When we give them a bible, we are telling them that if and when you get out of here we have a home for you. 

Question: Can you and your leaders each contribute $13.00 to purchase a CR bible and give it to your local jail, drug court or other recovery houses etc? Imagine the impact that you can have with that $13.00 investment.

 His Word truly does say it all and I am grateful for the great outreach tool of the Celebrate Recovery bible reaching so many people. Imagine the possibilities!  God is so good!

 If you would like to help in making an investment toward the purchase of more bibles, please let me know or if you are not in our area and have a CR in your area, ask how you can donate a bible or two, or three to your local facilities.  We would love to be able to make sure every person that comes thru the program gets a CR bible as they come in.

 God's Word will be a weapon in a dark place for so many people and you can be a part of bringing that hope to others.  Talk about getting the Good news spread. Talk about showing what CR is all about.  This is classic!

  Blessings to you and all you do in your CR.  Keep up the great work in getting the "Word" out about CR.  This is why we do what we “get” to do.

Rodney Holmstrom, CR National Assimilation Coach roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org

I love how CR is tearing down those walls.

 I can remember when I first came into our ministry here as the ministry leader; we even had some leaders in our CR that were leery of starting other CR's as "it will shrink our CR, won't it?"

The truth is though, as we have seen it in living proof, the more God has grown the surrounding CR's, expanding to more churches etc, the more we have grown in health in our own CR.

One of the reasons that this is critical is that this is a very much a Kingdom ministry. The denominational walls must come down and look to ensuring people are pointed back to Christ regardless of their denominational beliefs. CR does this better than any other ministry I have ever seen. Another big reason to have CR in more churches is it gives people multiple meetings to attend weekly. This is huge especially for people in recovery for addictions.

One of the things I say to people all the time, when they start getting concerned or fall into old competitive ways of thinking, thinking things like, “this is my turf” or “don’t steal our people away” is that none of us are equipped to handle all the hurting people in our community. None of us.

Think about this; If CR is for everyone, and it deals with all hurts, habits and hang-ups, then how can my Home CR possibly take care of all the people needing help?

Our city population is about 75,000 people and 250,000 in the surrounding metro area. To some people that is huge and to some a relatively small city.  No matter what way you look at this, the bottom line is that it is way too many people for any one CR to serve. It is more than 100 CR’s can handle. We have about 6000 people coming thru our church on any given weekend.  One can make the argument that our CR is not even equipped to handle our own church attendance. We need more CR's!

So if this is the case, why wouldn’t we want other options for our hurting community to get plugged in and find freedom?  Some people within your own church may feel better and even safer about going to a different church to attend CR. (hoping that they don’t know anyone)

Also, those coming from traditional recovery meetings that are used to having multiple meetings a day or a week will look at the multiple CR’s in the surrounding area as a big plus for their recovery.  Many will attend several meetings a week in multiple churches.

Even if a city is 1000 people total, can one CR handle that many people needing help?  The truth is, we need our churches to have CR.  Our CR attendees also need to hear from us the leaders that we are “ok” with them attending other meetings.  They need to hear us say that this is “not” a competition but a global mission to point others to Christ and healing.

We have tasted it and it is good!

So, what are some things that we can do to help promote other CR’s in our area?

Here are a few ideas.  I would love to hear some of your ideas too. (btw, some of these are ideas to promote your own CR too.)

1. Have the local CR's printed and put in your bulletin for your meeting night
2. Possibly have the info of local CR's printed in your monthly Newsletter with pertinent info to get plugged in.
3. If possible get face time with local media.  TV, Radio, Newspaper etc. Local News media is more likely to bring you on if you are promoting a community service rather than a "one church" ministry. CR is one of the greatest community ministries out there.
4. From time to time notify your chruch staff of new CR's opening up.
5. Consider bringing in people from other CR's to share their testimony.  Use that opporutnity to promote their home CR, times, locations etc.
6. Create a list of your local ministries to give to local recovery centers, rehab, counsellors etc.
7. Train your leaders that we encourage participation in other CR's.
8. Consider promting local CR step Study groups.  Note: when you may not be in a spot to open a  group yet, this gets your folks into a group sooner.

These are just a few ideas.  Keep promoting each other’s ministry.  I can assure you as you and your team does this, you WILL see growth in your own home CR.

I love that this is a Kingdom ministry!!  I love all of you for all you do for His Kingdom ministry, CR.

God bless you friends.

Rodney, CR National Assimilation Coach

Join our CR Assimilation Facebook Page and share ideas with others. http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/246040792093304/ 

roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org

479-659-3679

 The first thing I have to remind myself is that "I can't get anyone to return myself" Say that after me, "I don't have the power to get anyone to return" :)

 Now, that being said, there are things we can do to prevent road blocks for newcomers to return. Here are a few thoughts and as I said, we will come back to this one over and over again.

 1.  Ensure your group is healthy for the first timers to enter your ministry. 

 As some of you know, I live in Wal-Mart Country here in Arkansas and Sam Walton who founded that company is a legend in these parts.  One of the things Sam Walton used to do when he would visit stores was go into the bathrooms of the store first thing.  This was not to use the restroom but to make an observation.  You see, he was checking to see how clean the restroom was.  If it was clean, it was a pretty good indication that the store was being well managed.  If it was dirty, it was also a pretty good indication that things were not being managed effectively. Not always the case but pretty consistent.

 In CR, the "bathroom check" is the small group guidelines.  When I visit CR's and they tell me they are having trouble with newcomers coming back, the first thing I will check is the small groups and observe whether or not they are being enforced consistently.

 If the guidelines are not being upheld, it is a given that the ministry is and will continue to limp by.

2.   Do you follow up with your newcomers?

 One of the most important things we can do is to follow up with our newcomers after their first visit. If possible, have your newcomers fill out an "optional" card upon their first visit with email and phone number.  NOTE: it is very important that you make it clear that this info will only be used for CR and not for other use, including other church distribution.

We use a template email to send out to our newcomers with some basic info etc. This is just to say thank you for coming and let them know we are so glad they came and hope they come back. If they have any questions now they have you as a point of contact and reference for future help if needed.

3. Do you have newsletter?

 Sometimes it is good to consider a monthly newsletter to send out to your ministry. NOTE: All newcomers that fill out the information cards get automatically added to our newsletter distribution list.

 In these Newsletters, you want it to be CR specific.  Maybe a word of encouragement, link to a CR blog that one of your leaders do.  Info about what is happening in CR etc, etc. This can keep CR in front of them and help in the process of making them feel at ease about CR.

4. Do you have friendly but not aggressive volunteers posted at your entrances to direct people in the right place?

One of the things that can make people feel uneasy about a new environment is not having a clear understanding about how the night is going to flow. It is important to have knowledgeable people (both genders) posted at your entrances to answer big questions like,

Where do my kids go? How will the night flow tonight? Where do I go after the meal, worship, small groups etc?

NOTE: It is best to NOT say,"Is this your first time?"  It is better to say something like, "You have been here before havent you." If they have they will say yes and you can reply with "Yeah I thought you looked familar"

If they have not been here before they will say "no I havent" then you can reply with, "Oh ok, I thouhgt you looked familiar, well welcome! Let me give you a rundown of how things will flow tonight" 

5. Is my newcomer group being lead effectively?

It is very important to note that the purpose of the newcomer group is NOT to try to get them to come back. If they feel forced it can be a turn off and you may never see them again. These are designed to give them basic info on what to expect in the small groups when they get into the meeting the following week. 

Also to put them at ease as you share from your own experience in a mini 3-5 minute testimony.  Then introduce them to the small group format after you have split up your men and women to tell what brought them into recovery.  Remember, the newcomer always has the option to pass in this setting if they want to, but more often than not, once they see and hear people being real, day one, they end up sharing too.

Once your newcomer group is finished it is good if you can walk them to the area where they will have small groups the following week.  Let them know you are so glad they came and that you look forward to starting this journey with them. Your encouragement to them in this process will go a long way.

You might consider walking them to the Solid Rock time after that and visiting further with them if they feel comfortable.

These are just a few things for you to consider and again we will discuss this much more in future blogs.  But remember, if a newcomer does not come back, it is not your fault. They may not be ready yet.

A good friend of mine and mentor once told me, "Keep the front door as wide open as you can and don't pay attention to the back door.  People will only do recovery when they are ready.  We cannot force them or it will not have lasting results.  They have to hit their bottom. That looks different for all of us.

 Just keep loving on the ones that come thru the door and trust the Holy Spirit to do His work in their life. Work on the things you CAN control, safe groups, safe environment, and healthy leaders.

Remember, size of your ministry is not the measuring stick to a healthy minsitry.  God will grow your minsitry in His timing.  If one person shows up, that really is enough.   That's one more life changed and pointed to the Almighty.

More to come....

Rodney Holmstrom, CR Nat'l Assimilation Coach

One of the things I hear often from people from many different CR's across the states and even globally is "how do we get more pastoral support?"

 While this is a valid question, it is first of all important to remember that if you have a CR in your church, this is huge support.  Don't ever discount that.  They have given you a space and that is huge in impacting your church and the community.

That being said, we know that it is good to have more support to keep our CR ministry in front of the main church body. Here is a thought:  Pastors love change life stories!  It doesn’t matter from what ministry it is coming from.  Change life stories speak volumes of what God is doing.  We like to call these the "satisfied customers". :) Everyone wants to b a part of something that is growing and healthy, producing life change in our church and community.

       Knowing this, we have sent short stories snippets to our staff here at our church.  This will accomplish two things:

 1. It gives you an opportunity to show what God is doing in the lives of those attending.

 2.  It gives you an opportunity to say "thank you" to your leadership for allowing this great ministry to remain in your church.

 So below is a sample of a note I have sent to our leadership team that was from an email of a participant that emailed me. (NOTE: make sure you have the permission from the person sending the note to you before you send it out.)

NOTE TO THE STAFF:

"Hey fellow servants!

Here is another change life in the making from a participant in our ministry. Thank you to the great Community Team of Sunday morning for pointing this lady to CR! As always, thanks for supporting this great ministry. See below what this lady had to say in a note to me recently

"I can’t tell you how much I love CR already! In the 4 times I have attended now, each time I go away with something new and a feeling of weight being slowly lifted off from me. I started going to CR because it was suggested by one of the people at the community groups booth on the first Sunday I attended Fellowship. Honestly, I was way overwhelmed with CR and Fellowship in general. I was afraid I would be "lost" in a sea of people and merely a number on a roster. I'm so glad I made that first initial step!!!!! CR has really been a blessing in just these short 4 weeks and I can't wait to see how else it will impact my life as I continue to attend!" Anonymous 

See how simple that was? If you keep change life stories in front of your staff and leadership, they will become the best promoters of your local ministry.  Then watch God do some amazing things.

Hope this helps.

Rodney, CR National Assimilation Coach

Being someone who struggled with a drug addiction for many years and then in 1988 found relief through church and AA, I know the importance of support groups. Mary and I have been involved in recovery ministries since 1990. So when Mary’s brother was at Saddleback Church one year, he heard about this Celebrate Recovery ministry and wanted us to check it out. I thought, “Yeah right. I know everything about recovery that I need to know. Besides what we're doing is working. If it’s working, don’t fix it!” Some of you will know this kind of thinking is “contempt prior to investigation.”

Long story short, (you can ask for the long version when I see you at the Summit) we decided to go. We went for a break from the Louisiana heat more than anything else. We were in for a big surprise!

We arrived the first morning an hour and a half before things started, so we could leave early. But that’s not what happened. We were so taken by what we heard that we ended up staying till 9 pm. I told Mary this is good information. We can use this in conjunction with what we are already doing. The next day again we got there early so we could again leave early and ended up staying until 10 pm. At the end of that day I told Mary, "We need to stop doing what we are doing and start Celebrate Recovery!"

To say we were overwhelmed at our first Summit would be an understatement. We not only were hearing about a life-changing ministry, but were making new friendships with others who already had CR’s running successfully.

So what will happen if you decide to go to the Summit?

1. You will be filled with more information than seems possible to digest.
2. You will make friends with people you will spend eternity with.
3. These same people will help you start and grow your CR ministry.
4. You will experience praise and worship with over 3000 people who have been rescued. This alone is worth the price of admission!
5. You will leave inspired to make a difference in others lives and you will have the tools to do it.
6. You will also have a chance to leave what has been burdening you at the Cross.
7. Finally, you will become sleep deprived as you will be so excited thinking about all the people you will be able to help!

So what would I have done different about my Summit experience? Gone a lot sooner!

Mac
mowen@wfrchurch.org

We were getting off the plane in Dallas and as we entered the terminal all we could hear & see were hundreds of people standing around our gate clapping and cheering. Now this can be pretty intimidating when it seems that you may be the focal point of the crowd but it didn’t take us long to see that they were looking, not at us, but right above us. So we turned around and looked to a walkway right above our heads and saw it filled with hundreds of soldiers walking double file dressed in camo who had just returned from overseas fighting for our freedom.

Mary & I immediately knew that the connecting flight we were hurrying to catch suddenly took back seat to what was happening right before us. We were now part of the cheering crowd that was the Welcome Committee for our soldiers returning home. As we watched the seemingly endless line, the clapping and cheering never let up. Tears filled our eyes and we were not alone to see these committed men and women coming home.

So what does this have to do with Celebrate Recovery? I thought about first of all, the commitment that we make to be CR leaders and servant volunteers is much like the men and women we saw. Training for our roles, as well as theirs, is essential in accomplishing our goal of helping people find their way home. At Memorial Road Church of Christ CR, they gave us one of their t-shirts & on the front is a CR logo. But what touched me most is what it says on the back written on a cross, “Welcome Home”.

As Assimilation Coaches, our chief responsibility is getting the word out about CR so we can welcome others home. The sight of all those military men and women walking in front of us as we cheered will be one that will not leave my memory for some time. At the same time, watching those last Friday night at the Chip Ceremony coming back and receiving their recovery chip is also a sight that will stay with me because I knew some of these had finally come home.

Just like the troops that came home, we too, are in battle. The biggest difference is I read the end of the book (Bible) and we win! This doesn’t mean we won’t have to fight. It just means our outcome is already secure as long as we keep our eyes on our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ.

Now the question is, “Are we going to be the Welcome Committee for those with hurts, hang-ups, & habits to proclaim freedom for the captives in Jesus name through CR?!

I really planned on this post being more about the Summit because time is drawing near to being full to capacity. I believe the Summit is one of our best ways to get equipped for the battle for the hearts & souls of men and women. Join us and we’ll see you there.

We will be waiting for you clapping and cheering as we celebrate recovery together at the Summit!

Mac
mowen@wfrchurch.org