Haven for Healing
People from All Walks of Life Have Found Christ through Celebrate Recovery at CCC
By Jessica Clark
Every Thursday evening, dozens of people descend on Christ Community Church for a gathering called Celebrate Recovery. They come from all over Columbus and all walks of life. They dine together, worship together and find healing together – healing from life’s “habits, hurts and hang-ups,” as CR describes it.
Those struggles are as different as the people who harbor them. But there’s a common bond that knits this community together: The person of Jesus Christ. And it’s on Him that CR is built.
CR’s focus is to bring people to holistic sanctification through the power of Christ. It’s not merely a program designed to heal physical or mental impairments, but rather, to guide the broken back to Jesus – because it’s He who ultimately brings inner as well as physical healing.
“I owe my life to Celebrate Recovery and Jesus Christ,” says Patrick Grant, the CR worship leader at CCC. “Had it not been for CR and Jesus Christ, there’s no telling where I would be at this time.”
Celebrate Recovery was founded at Southern California’s Saddleback Church in 1981. A Saddleback member, John Baker, was struck by the brokenness he perceived around him, and the seemingly empty exchange of words between people in the congregation. He was moved to write a 17-page letter regarding honesty in the church, a letter that ultimately led to the formation of CR.
Today CR is in more than 20,000 churches worldwide – including CCC, which celebrated 10 years as a CR host in September 2015 – and its teaching has been translated into dozens of languages.
CR also is more than simply a ministry for people who suffer from addictions such as substance abuse and use of pornography, although those issues certainly fall within the “habits, hurts and hangups” umbrella. But CR is a safe place for anyone struggling with any issue – things such as co-dependency, depression, anxiety, grief, anger, pride and more.
Every Thursday evening, dozens of people descend on Christ Community Church for a gathering called Celebrate Recovery. They come from all over Columbus and all walks of life. They dine together, worship together and find healing together – healing from life’s “habits, hurts and hang-ups,” as CR describes it.
Those struggles are as different as the people who harbor them. But there’s a common bond that knits this community together: The person of Jesus Christ. And it’s on Him that CR is built.
CR’s focus is to bring people to holistic sanctification through the power of Christ. It’s not merely a program designed to heal physical or mental impairments, but rather, to guide the broken back to Jesus – because it’s He who ultimately brings inner as well as physical healing.
“I owe my life to Celebrate Recovery and Jesus Christ,” says Patrick Grant, the CR worship leader at CCC. “Had it not been for CR and Jesus Christ, there’s no telling where I would be at this time.”
Celebrate Recovery was founded at Southern California’s Saddleback Church in 1981. A Saddleback member, John Baker, was struck by the brokenness he perceived around him, and the seemingly empty exchange of words between people in the congregation. He was moved to write a 17-page letter regarding honesty in the church, a letter that ultimately led to the formation of CR.
Today CR is in more than 20,000 churches worldwide – including CCC, which celebrated 10 years as a CR host in September 2015 – and its teaching has been translated into dozens of languages.
CR also is more than simply a ministry for people who suffer from addictions such as substance abuse and use of pornography, although those issues certainly fall within the “habits, hurts and hangups” umbrella. But CR is a safe place for anyone struggling with any issue – things such as co-dependency, depression, anxiety, grief, anger, pride and more.
It's All About Relationships
For Christy Donaldson, that meant learning to communicate better and cultivate healthier relationships.
“For the longest time I went to others to fill me up,” Donaldson says, “but when I came to Celebrate Recovery and learned to be content with God, and with myself, things started to change. Most of all, I learned to effectively communicate with others without getting in an argument or fuss.”
The structure of Celebrate Recovery is consistent from church to church. It starts with a meal, followed by worship, then a time for either a testimony or a lesson (the two alternate week to week). The gathering then splits into small group sessions in which intentional, honest discussion and accountability take place.
CR also offers additional resources, including “Step Study” groups in which members walk through a Christ-centered, 12-step process to recovery and sanctification in the Lord; and “sponsors,” mentors who serve as accountability partners and make themselves available in day-to-day life. A sponsor is someone to rejoice with in the good times and walk alongside through difficulties.
“You don’t want to discount what people are feeling and where they’re at, because it’s not easy to live for Christ,” says Rob Deloach, a sponsor and member of the CR leadership team at CCC. “I remind them how much better it’s been since knowing the Lord and being a part of this ministry than where they were before. It’s also important to always offer forgiveness and love if they fall away – to love them through it.”
CR has impacted countless lives at CCC, and not just those who already were part of the church body. In fact, many – including Grant – have come to be an integral part of CCC after finding healing and acceptance at CR.
When Grant first accepted a friend’s invitation to attend CR, his life was in shambles and he was suffering from serious health issues, including kidney failure and high blood pressure. He began to know Jesus in a personal way, and gradually his outlook improved.
“Going through the steps was the thing that got me past a lot of the hard times,” he recalls. “It taught me about honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and to be who God intended me to be. I have been transformed into a better man and husband – someone you can trust.”
Like so many others who have found such hope via CR, Grant is a walking testimony of the power of Christ. “I’m that light that keeps on shining now,” he says. “I have no dullness in my light. Even in my bad days I can shine, because He gave me another chance. I’m awake and alive and I have another chance to make it right. CR gave me these things. CR is home. CR helped me not just check boxes; I now have a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
For Christy Donaldson, that meant learning to communicate better and cultivate healthier relationships.
“For the longest time I went to others to fill me up,” Donaldson says, “but when I came to Celebrate Recovery and learned to be content with God, and with myself, things started to change. Most of all, I learned to effectively communicate with others without getting in an argument or fuss.”
The structure of Celebrate Recovery is consistent from church to church. It starts with a meal, followed by worship, then a time for either a testimony or a lesson (the two alternate week to week). The gathering then splits into small group sessions in which intentional, honest discussion and accountability take place.
CR also offers additional resources, including “Step Study” groups in which members walk through a Christ-centered, 12-step process to recovery and sanctification in the Lord; and “sponsors,” mentors who serve as accountability partners and make themselves available in day-to-day life. A sponsor is someone to rejoice with in the good times and walk alongside through difficulties.
“You don’t want to discount what people are feeling and where they’re at, because it’s not easy to live for Christ,” says Rob Deloach, a sponsor and member of the CR leadership team at CCC. “I remind them how much better it’s been since knowing the Lord and being a part of this ministry than where they were before. It’s also important to always offer forgiveness and love if they fall away – to love them through it.”
CR has impacted countless lives at CCC, and not just those who already were part of the church body. In fact, many – including Grant – have come to be an integral part of CCC after finding healing and acceptance at CR.
When Grant first accepted a friend’s invitation to attend CR, his life was in shambles and he was suffering from serious health issues, including kidney failure and high blood pressure. He began to know Jesus in a personal way, and gradually his outlook improved.
“Going through the steps was the thing that got me past a lot of the hard times,” he recalls. “It taught me about honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and to be who God intended me to be. I have been transformed into a better man and husband – someone you can trust.”
Like so many others who have found such hope via CR, Grant is a walking testimony of the power of Christ. “I’m that light that keeps on shining now,” he says. “I have no dullness in my light. Even in my bad days I can shine, because He gave me another chance. I’m awake and alive and I have another chance to make it right. CR gave me these things. CR is home. CR helped me not just check boxes; I now have a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Looking for healing from life’s habits, hurts and hang-ups? Come check out Celebrate Recovery at CCC. CR meets every Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit ccclive.org/celebrate-recovery.