Celebrate Recovery helping adults and now teens struggling with addiction

Since 2019, Celebrate Recovery through the Miner Baptist Church has been helping adults struggling with addiction and now the program is helping teens as well.

“Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, 12-step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind,” said Mitchell Jackson, senior pastor at Miner Baptist Church. “Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life.”

Celebrate Recovery isn’t just about dealing with addiction to drugs and alcohol, though that may be what the program is best known for. Celebrate Recovery has also helped people to deal with and overcome other life issues such as codependency, gambling, anger, grief from the loss of a child, spouse or other loved ones, eating disorders or anything else that keeps someone from living a life of wholeness and restoration using the 12 steps and 8 principles based on Jesus’ teachings.

Celebrate Recovery can be found in more than 30,000 churches with over four million people helped. The program began in September of 2019 at the Miner Baptist Church after member of the church received training in Lexington, Kentucky.

“We began the program because we have known for a long time that there are people struggling in our community with hurts, habits and hang-ups,” Jackson said. “We felt they needed a safe place to begin to heal, with others to encourage them. We believed God would use this to help local hurting people and families.

“Celebrate Recovery is that safe place. We believe that the beginning to any type of healing can only be done through the Lord, Jesus Christ.”

About 45 people attend Celebrate Recovery each week but that number has been increasing every week since adding “The Landing,” the Celebrate Recovery program for teens.

The adult program is for those 18 years and older and The Landing is for youth, ages 12 to 17. There is also free child care for younger children.

Celebrate Recovery is held every Tuesday night at the church. Guests start to arrive at 5:30 p.m. and are handed a multi-page bulletin with the night’s schedule as they experience a meal and experience community.

The first hour is packed with music, celebration and teaching and the second hour adults choose between open share and the 12-step program. Teens attend The Landing the second hour.

Then at 8 p.m. is another time of community and desserts are provided for everyone.

“Lives are changed and saved through the tool of Celebrate Recovery,” Jackson said. “We have had people tell us over and over that they decided to help at Celebrate Recovery because they thought it was a good thing. Then they saw it was helping them far more than they could have ever imagined. They began thinking that they didn’t have any issues, but then one by one God began to work in their lives to reveal and heal. Many have told me that Celebrate Recovery has changed their lives and they are not the same person they once were.”

Jackson said Celebrate Recovery would not be possible without the constant support from the church staff and more than 23 active volunteers including cooks who serve every Tuesday night.

“(Celebrate Recovery) is like a family where attenders feel welcome from the minute they walk though the door,” Jackson said. “They are loved, encouraged and challenged to overcome anything that is keeping them from fulfilling their purpose. Celebrate Recovery is like an emergency emotional hospital for our souls. Everything we do at Celebrate Recovery points to Jesus Christ and the Great Commission to love God and our brothers and sisters.”