Celebrate Recovery is a support ministry that is led by Seymour native, Rick Wilson. Weekly meetings are held each Wednesday at Noon and then again on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the New Naz Zone Building (formerly the Antique Mall) just east of the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 311 Myers Street in Seymour, Indiana, just north of Burger King.
You've undoubtedly heard the expression that "time heals all wounds." Unfortunately, it isn't true. Perhaps you are carrying hurts from 30 or 40 years ago. The truth is - time often makes things worse. Wounds that are left untended fester and spread infection throughout your entire body. Time only extends the pain if the problem isn't dealt with.
Celebrate Recovery is a program that is designed to help people overcome their hurts, habits and hang-ups. Based on the actual words of Jesus, Celebrate Recovery is unique and effective in helping people change. Over the years, this program has been effectively used to transform literally thousands of lives, in more than 3,000 local settings across the country.
Most people are familiar with the classic 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and similar groups. Celebrate Recovery is based on principles, taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
Celebrate Recovery is based on God's Word, the Bible. When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he began by stating "Eight Ways to Be Happy." Today we call them the Beatitudes. From a conventional viewpoint, most of these statements didn't make sense. They sounded like contradictions. But when you fully understand what Jesus is saying, you'll realize that these eight principles are God's road to recovery, wholeness, growth, and spiritual maturity.
Celebrate Recovery is forward-looking. Rather than wallowing in the past, or dredging up and rehearsing painful memories over and over, Celebrate Recovery focuses on the future. Regardless of what has already happened, the solution is to start making wise choices now and depend on Christ's power to help you make those changes.
Celebrate Recovery emphasizes personal responsibility. Instead of playing the "accuse and excuse" game of victimization, this program helps people face up to their own poor choices and take responsibility for what they can do something about. We cannot control all that happens to us. But we can control how we respond to everything. That is a secret of happiness. When we stop wasting time fixing the blame, we have more energy to fix the problem. When you stop hiding your own faults and stop hurling accusations at others, then the healing power of Christ can begin working in your mind, will, and emotions.
Celebrate Recovery emphasizes spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. The third principle calls for people to make a total surrender of their lives to Christ. Lasting recovery cannot happen without this step. We believe that everyone needs to establish and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-Centered recovery program.
Celebrate Recovery utilizes the biblical truth that we need each other in order to grow spiritually and emotionally. It is built around small group interaction and the fellowship of a caring community. There are many therapies, growth programs, and counselors today that are built around one-on-one interaction. But Celebrate Recovery is built on the New Testament principle that we don't get well by ourselves. We need each other. Fellowship and accountability are two important components of spiritual growth.
Celebrate Recovery addresses all types of habits, hurts and hang-ups. 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 addressed. Participants will be challenged to overcome addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As the program progresses, participants will discover their personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ, the One and only True Higher Power.
This program is open to everyone. There is no charge for participation, although workbooks will be available for a suggested donation of $5.
Celebrate Recovery meets each week on Wednesday at Noon and on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. Sessions are held in the New Naz Zone Building (formerly the Antique Mall) just East of the Seymour First Church of the Nazarene. For more information about Celebrate Recovery or other ministries of the church, please feel free to contact the church office at 812-522-2060. We have a place for you!
