Hillsdale Free Methodist Church recently launched a support group for people struggling with various forms of addiction.
The Celebrate Recovery group, which began earlier this month, meets on Mondays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the church.
Group members follow a Christ-centered version of Alcoholics Anonymous’s 12 Steps of Recovery program and have opportunities for fellowship and worship, according to CR Men’s Small Group Leader Larry Diener.
Free Methodist Pastor David Turner said the group began after community members recognized the need for a program to help those suffering from addiction.
“Our hope is to bring representatives from different churches together to help make this a community effort,” Turner said. “People from different theological persuasions are coming together because the need to help community members with these kinds of struggles is important enough to join together to do just that.”
The ministry has partnered with four other area churches: Hillsdale United Brethren, Lifesong Community Church, Hillsdale Assembly of God, and Bankers Baptist.
Christie Plemmons, who leads the ministry’s female small group, said everyone struggles with what Celebrate Recovery calls hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
“Only about one out of three who attend CR are attending because of substance abuse,” Plemmons said. “There are so many other issues that the CR curriculum and framework can help address and work through. Because at the end of the day, it’s a biblical framework, and biblical principles are applicable to all sorts of life things.”
Diener said he believes faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that can heal people from addiction.
“People have found that with mutual support, a community of believers around them, and the proper kind of training and education, there‘s tremendous opportunity for freedom from addictions,” Diener said. “There is hope available. There is help available. There are people who care. There are people who will journey with them to help give them a sense of hope and help them find the healing and freedom from addiction that they seek.”
Plemmons said she hopes people will come without feeling ashamed.
“I hope that people will hear about it and will be willing to share it with people that they love, just in case that person is someone who needs that ministry,” she said.
Plemmons said she and other leaders plan to share their testimonies about how their faith has helped them overcome their own past addictions.
“We’re walking examples of where Scripture says that ‘I will wash you clean and give you new desires. I’ll renew your mind, I‘ll remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.’ Those things are all true, and we’re walking examples of it,” she said. “I could never deny those truths because I have walking, living, breathing examples of them around me.”
Turner said he’s seen lives changed when those battling addiction decide to accept Christ.
“There’s a profound change in the person when they respond to faith in Christ, especially as they enter into the community of faith. They find a kind of support in the church,” Turner said. “We’ve seen people not only come out of addiction, but we’ve seen families reunited and reconciliation take place.”
