A ministry of Park
Avenue Church of Christ
Welcome!
What
is a Hurt, Habit or Hang-up?
A
hurt, hang-up,
or habit
is something that hinders your walk with God and others.
The
feeling of being hurt
is an emotional reaction to another person’s behavior or to a disturbing
situation. (Abuse, abandonment, codependency, divorce,
relationship issues, etc.)
A
habit
is an addiction to someone or something. (Alcoholism, drugs,
food, gambling, sex, shopping, smoking, etc.)
Hang-ups are negative mental
attitudes that are used to cope with people or adversity. (Anger, depression,
fear, unforgiveness, etc. )
These life problems
can be
Stumbling blocks or
stepping stones.
Hurting? Wanting a change for your life that
will make a difference?
There is a safe place
for you.
All of us at
some point struggle with hurts, habits and
hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery is a recovery process that shows the
loving power of Jesus Christ. Lives are changing! More than 500,000 people
have been helped through Celebrate Recovery. You can too.
On the road
of life, when you hit a speed bump, Celebrate Recovery is here to help
you experience God’s healing and love for your hang-ups, habits, and hurts Celebrate
Recovery is a Christ-centered program that provides men and women a safe place
to share their hurts, habits and hang-ups with others in an atmosphere of
worship, community and scripture. Our prayer is that through this ministry you
will be able to exchange the struggles in your life for the abundant life that
Christ came to bring to us all.
By
visiting our web site you have taken an important step on your road to
recovery. No matter who you are or where you've been, you can never fully get
past sinful behavior on your own... only through the grace and love of Jesus
Christ is true recovery available to you.
Our
weekly meetings are not designed as a "quick fix" for anyone. This
isn't therapy in the truest sense - it's an opportunity to enjoy fellowship
with others that may share some of the same challenges in life as you. Through
our time together, studying both the Bible and the Christ-centered Celebrate
Recovery materials, you will find that God DOES forgive your past and has a
plan for your future.
It's not necessary to sign up beforehand - simply take
the first step by showing up on Tuesday night to join others on the wonderful
road to recovery.
A Brief History
of Celebrate Recovery...
Celebrate
Recovery began in 1991 at Saddleback Church in Lake
Forest, California.
This ministry was a vision for Pastor John Baker, a recovering alcoholic who
realized that secular 12-step programs didn't provide the depth
and focus on Christ that is needed for true recovery of body, mind and spirit.
He
approached Senior Pastor Rick Warren, through a now-famous 13-page, single
spaced letter, with details of his vision and hope for this new recovery
ministry. Pastor Rick promptly replied, "Great... do it!".
And with that, Celebrate Recovery took it's first
steps as a ministry to adult men and women with hurts, habits and hang-ups.
Now,
17 years later, the outreach program that began at a single church in California is used in
over 5500 churches world-wide, as well as a prison ministry called "CR
Inside".
Q&As?
What is Recovery?
In physical health,
recovery refers to the process of moving from illness to wellness. Our hurts,
habits and hang-ups are like an illness and using the tools of Celebrate
Recovery we begin to move toward wholeness. Some might say from bondage to
freedom in Christ. Others might say from self-reliance to faith in Christ.
Who started Celebrate
Recovery?
John Baker of
Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA started Celebrate Recovery with the main
purpose of being able to talk about Jesus Christ as his Higher Power.
Is Celebrate Recovery
for me?
Celebrate Recovery
offers a person the opportunity to participate in a group fellowship where love
and hope combine with God’s purpose to mend our lives. Ask yourself:
- Are
there things in my life that I do that hurt others?
- Is
there something I wish I could live without?
- Is
it time to crack my denial and admit I am not in control of my life?
- Do
I have a painful habit or hang-up from which I need to be freed?
If you answered “yes”
to any of these statements then we urge you to attend a Celebrate Recovery
meeting to see if it is for you.
Does it cost anything
to attend?
Celebrate Recovery
does not charge for this ministry. Free-will offerings are received on Tuesday
evenings to help mitigate the cost of the ministry. The Step Study Workbooks and
the Celebrate Recovery Bible utilized in the Step meetings are purchased during
sign-up and available at the study group. These each cost $7.00 each or all
four for $20.00. The Celebrate Recovery Bible cost is $20.00 and the Celebrate
Recovery Journal cost is $15.00. Other Celebrate Recovery materials are
available at the Information Table on Tuesday evenings.
Is Celebrate Recovery
confidential?
Yes, Celebrate Recovery maintains strict confidentiality. This promotes an
atmosphere of trust and enables recovery.
We have a saying that is repeated in every Large Group meeting
:
- WHO you see here
- WHAT you hear here
- WHEN you leave here
- STAYS HERE
- Hear! Hear!
We are diligent about
confidentiality and anonymity. The CR Guidelines/Rules protect all of us from
judgment and being “fixed”. In a “safe place” you can take off your “mask” and
be real and honest without fear. You are 100% in control of when and how much
you participate.
Do I have to be a member of Park Avenue Church
of Christ to attend?
No, Celebrate
Recovery is a ministry for anyone who is interested in a Christ centered
recovery program that will enable them to recover from life’s hurts, hang-ups
and habits. There are attendees who are not members and/or do not attend Park Avenue Church of Christ. We welcome you to join
us, if you are looking for a home church, for either of our services on Sunday
mornings. Sunday School class at 9:00 a.m. and morning
Worship 10:00 a.m.
Do I have to share?
In the Small
Discussion Issue Groups, absolutely not . . . until you are ready. You can pass
anytime you wish and for as long as it takes for you to become comfortable.
However, in the Step Study groups everyone is required to share as the
questions are answered.
What if I can't make
it every week?
You are welcome to
come when you can for worship, large group and issue groups.
However if you join a Step Study, you are expected to come each week until you
complete it. As with any endeavor, the more effort you put into Celebrate
Recovery, the more benefit you will gain.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY
NIGHTS!
6-6:30 Dinner Great
food and fellowship in the fellowship hall. Menu varies. (Note: *BBQ – is held from June 25 through Sept. 10th the
menu for the BBQ is as follows: Recovery Dogs; Denial Burgers; Serenity
Sausage; 12 Step Chicken; and Recovery Chips.)
6:30-7:30 Large Group Meeting (attended by all) A time of praise and worship followed by a Teaching or a
Testimony in room 24.
7:30-8:30 Small Open Discussion Groups Breakout gender and issue specific groups follow the
large group teaching or testimony. Women
meet in room 21. Men meet in room 22.
7:30 – 8:30 Newcomers “101”We encourage all
first-timers to attend one session of our Newcomers' Group. You will receive a
brief introduction to CR through a short video, discussion of our meeting
format and some personal stories. There is no obligation to share. Just join us
and find out about CR, ask questions and determine if it is a good fit for you.
Meet in room 24.
8:30-9 Café
Park Avenue - Join us
for FREE coffee, dessert and great Fellowship! Meets in the
fellowship hall.
Step Meeting
Our Step Study groups
take place on a another night other than Tuesdays.
Celebrate Recovery uses the 12 Steps and its related Scripture as the biblical
model for living your life. A Step Study is a personal journey though each of
these steps in a confidential group lead by a facilitator who has completed a
study. We use Celebrate Recovery's four participants books and the Celebrate Recovery
Bible available as we progress through them in group. When you finish the study
you will have worked your hurts, habits, and hang-ups through each step. A Step
Study is a long-term commitment to the members of the group. It will typically
take 9 months to complete the study. After completing the Step Study, we hope
you will join with us as we minister to others dealing with their hurts, habits
and hang-ups. We do have guidelines for the groups that are strictly adhered
to.
We currently have two
Celebrate Recovery 12 Step Groups (1 each Men & Women's) currently meeting
during the week on Thursday nights from 7:00-9:00 pm. Men meet in room 22 and the women meet in room
21.
Call Neal Odom, CR
Ministry Leader, at (903) 327-8450 or email him at odom@att.net.
if you are
interested in joining a future study group. Make sure to register right away as
the groups are capped at a headcount of 20.
Prayer for Serenity
God, grant me the serenity to accept
the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference. Living one day a t a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful
world as it is; not as I would have it. Trusting that You
will make all things right if I surrender to your will; so that I may be
reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the
next. AMEN
-Reinhold Niebuhr
If
you need more information...
Celebrate
Recovery provides a safe, caring, Christian environment for each individual to
come as they are and meet with fellow believers. We welcome you and encourage
you to come out this Tuesday at 7pm.
If
you would like to speak to someone about Celebrate Recovery, or your specific
hurts, habits or hang-ups, please contact the Church and one of our CR Leaders
or Ministers will get in touch with you.
Attn:
Neal Odom, CR Ministry Leader
3000 Park Avenue
Denison, TX 75020
903.465.1288
**For more information on Celebrate Recovery and the
twelve Biblical steps we take during this program you can go to the national
web site www.celebraterecovery.com
Links of
Interest
Celebrate
Recovery National Ministry
www.celebraterecovery.com
Celebrate
Recovery - North Texas Directory
www.celebraterecovery-sw.org/Contacts/texasn.htm
Park
Avenue Church of Christ
www.parkavenuechurch.com
World Bible School
www.
