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Celebrate Recovery is an inclusive, biblically-based program designed to help individuals overcome their hurts, hang-ups, and habits. This program promotes recovery through a blend of practical teachings, supportive community interactions, and Christ-Centred principles. Celebrate Recovery is unique in its comprehensive approach, tackling a variety of issues ranging from substance abuse, codependency, and anxiety to anger, depression, and more.
The program is built on the philosophy that healing is a shared journey - no one should go through it alone. Participants find solace and strength in their shared experiences, forming bonds of mutual understanding, encouragement, and support. As individuals progress through the program, they not only find healing for themselves but become a source of hope and support for others who are walking the same path. The Celebrate Recovery community, thus, grows stronger together, creating a lasting ripple effect of transformation and recovery.
I became involved with RR in January 2019 after I spoke with Jodi about what the Lord was laying on my heart regarding ministry work. For over ten years I have worked with individuals who use drugs and carried out research in the area of substance abuse. With this passion of mine in this field, I joined the CR group for substance abuse clients particularly People Who Inject Drugs/Substances (PWIDS). With the Holy Spirit’s confirmation, I got involved as a co- facilitator with CR. The pilot group was a small one but well worth it as we saw the hand of God heal facilitators and participants alike.
Celebrate Recovery is a decades-old ministry that came out of Saddleback Church. (Recovery from: alcoholism, divorce, sexual abuse, codependency, domestic violence, drug addiction, sexual addiction, food addiction, gambling addiction). I recommend this ministry to everyone because it’s literally for everyone; for people who struggle to overcome “hurts, hang ups and habits”. I went through the Step Study in 2015 while I was going through divorce and struggling with anger, co-dependency, depression and anxiety.Being part of a close knit supportive community is actually biblical. If you want to be forgiven Jesus will do that in a moment. If we want to be healed, we need each other. In CR I was loved, encouraged, prayed for, supported, and taught. I experienced many more of the “one another’s” found in scripture. We were not created to go through our struggles alone and that is why I go to CR; for myself and for the sake of others.
In 2013 – after leaving our family home of 33 years, I found myself alone and lost. I had spent so many years trying to keep our marriage together and had become lonelier and more depressed in the marriage. We had tried counselling over the years but just couldn’t seem to get it figured out. It was only then I finally realized I couldn’t do it on my own and turned back to God. I began the healing process and He began opening doors for me to connect with amazing people of God who guided me through the following three years of learning to let go and let God!!! I found a church whose statement was “No Perfect People”. That was me!!! I found the love and support of people who didn’t judge me, didn’t condemn, but walked with me through the journey.Celebrate Recovery was a big part of that journey. It was there I learned the Principles of Recovery from my hurts, habits and hang-ups, and received honest feedback of the work I needed to do. God also led me to a group of women who were also single, and we began the journey of learning Boundaries, through the great mentorship of Henry Cloud. The next journey was the opportunity to start an Alpha Course at the church. Throughout those three years I developed a passion for taking what I had gone through and learned and helping others who were going through the same thing. In the Fall 2016 , God opened another door, the opportunity to move to Saskatoon. It was not where I had thought I would be, but after the initial fear and thinking no way, he continued to lead me in that direction. So, during Spring 2018, trusting and putting my faith in him and continued to make it clear that this is where I was supposed to be.In July of 2017, I made the move to Saskatoon. I knew that I wanted to continue to share my journey of healing with others and connect with a support group that would offer the continuing support I needed. God led me to The Neighbourhood Church in the Fall of 2018. It was there I heard the great things that LifeChange and Reconciliation Resources were doing within the community. I finally connected with Jodi in the Spring of 2018, it had been a hard winter of trying to adjust to a new city, connect with people and I was once again experiencing anxiety and a tremendous feeling of loneliness. I reached out to Jodi and I was soon to find out, in her always loving and caring way, she agreed to meet with me on short notice!!! Her amazing love for people and for God were evident to me as soon as we talked on the phone that day.As we began our conversation, we both realized that Celebrate Recovery and DivorceCare were areas that we both were passionate about. I became involved in the DivorceCare Group that was just starting and quickly found that it was exactly where God wanted me to be.
