Celebrate Recovery

We are a grace-filled community of strugglers who courageously enter this safe and beautiful space to get honest about our pain, and the negative ways we may see ourselves, God, and others. In this process, we come to accept that some of the habits we have developed to escape our pain may have hurt us and those close to us.

It is a biblically based approach to help us achieve long lasting recovery by healing our hurts, guiding us toward new healthy truths, and developing life-giving habits.

"The best place to be on a Tuesday night."

CR TUESDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE AT NMCC

5:30-6:15 Dinner

6:30-7:30 Large Group

(Worship, Teaching, Testimonies)

7:30-8:30 Small Group

Free childcare (ages 2-12) from 6:15-8:30

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CR a good fit for me?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Celebrate Recovery is that it is only for people who struggle with drug or alcohol addiction. That could not be further from the truth. In fact, out of all of the people who attend Celebrate Recovery around the world, ⅔ of them come for an issue other than drugs or alcohol. Some of the reasons people attend CR are: codependency, anger issues, sexual addiction, adult child of family dysfunction, eating disorders, control issues, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, sexual, physical, emotional or mental abuse, and that’s just to name a few. We truly believe that everyone can benefit from Celebrate Recovery! If there’s any issue in your life that is holding you back or causing you pain, Celebrate Recovery is a fit for you!

How do I start attending Celebrate Recovery?

Many people find the process of starting recovery scary because they aren’t sure how to begin or what to expect. The easiest way to get started, is to get started! You don’t need to sign up, register ahead of time, or even let anyone know you’re coming. Just show up on a Tuesday night at 5:30 for dinner or 6:30 when we start worship.

You’ll find loving people who won’t judge you or try to fix you. You’ll find people who have experience healing from their hurts, hang-ups and habits in CR by the power of Jesus Christ. You’ll find a safe place to share what’s going on in your life and hear from the experience of others. Most importantly, you’ll find a place where you can connect with Jesus and find healing from your life’s issues, what we often refer to as hurts, hang-ups and habits. No one should have to go through recovery alone, get started in Celebrate Recovery today!

Is it only for people with substance abuse problems?

Not at all. Only a third of the people who attend CR are there for drug or alcohol issues. Others attend for any number of other reasons; anxiety, relationship issues, food issues, family of origin issues, court ordered reasons, etc…

Do I have to be a member of North Madison Christian Church in order to attend CR?

You do not have to be a member of NMCC or any church to come to Celebrate Recovery. All are welcome, no matter who you are or where you are from.

Do I have to talk about my problems in front of everyone?

Celebrate Recovery provides a safe place for you to share what you need to when you are ready. You’ll never be asked to share if you don’t want to. We believe not only sharing your struggles, but also listening to the struggles of others, is what connects us to community, so we hope you will eventually feel comfortable enough to share your story with us. The majority of our sharing happens in a small group setting with other people who are going through similar circumstances.

What does the small group time look like?

After the large group worship and teaching time we split off into small groups to have an opportunity to connect and share. We have separate small groups for men and women. The guidelines for the small group time are:

Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Limit your sharing to three to five minutes.
There is NO cross talk. Cross talk is when two individuals engage in conversation excluding all others. Each person is free to express his or her feelings without interruptions.
We are here to support one another, not “fix “ another.
Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is shared in the group stays in the group. The only exception is when someone threatens to injure themselves or others.
Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.

How does child care work?

We have a team of qualified and background checked volunteers who are excited to watch after your children during large group and small group time. Kids will play games, watch shows, and have a fun time interacting with each other and the adults while in our care. If any issues arise parents will be contacted by call or text.

There is a table in the hall across from the gym where you can fill out an info sheet to check your child in. When you go to pick up your child you can ring the bell at the check-in table if a volunteer isn't there to greet you.

Is the meal / child care really free?

Yes, individuals who join us for dinner or who check in children are not obilgated to pay anything. We want to offer these things as a blessing to anyone who chooses to attend Celebrate Recovery.

We do take up an offering during our large group time, but that is strictly an optional thing our attendees participate who want to invest into our ministry.

Do I have to come for the whole time?

While each component of Celebrate Recovery is important, you are not required to attend for the entire night. The meal time before the worship service is a great time to meet others and find accountability partners and sponsors. The small group time after worship is designed to be a safe space to share and connect. But, we know that each person’s situation is unique and simply ask you to attend what is applicable and convenient for you.

What is the history of Celebrate Recovery?

Celebrate Recovery started in 1991 as a ministry of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Founder John Baker shared with Senior Pastor Rick Warren a vision God had given John for a new ministry where people could find freedom from their hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

With John and his wife Cheryl leading the ministry, on the first night, 43 people attended, and Celebrate Recovery was officially born. Today, over 27,000 people have gone through the program at Saddleback Church.

There are now 35,000+ churches with a Celebrate Recovery ministry, plus Celebrate Recovery is found in recovery houses, rescue missions, universities, and prisons around the world. We are a part of something much larger than one church’s recovery ministry. Celebrate Recovery continues to be a growing global movement.

The need for Celebrate Recovery is unmistakable, being a safe place for people to find freedom from the issues controlling their lives.

THE 8 PRINCIPLES

Realize I’m not God: I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.

Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor. -Matthew 5:3

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.

Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. -Mathew 5:4

Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

Happy are the meek. -Matthew 5:5

Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

Happy are the pure in heart. -Matthew 5:8

Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires. -Matthew 5:6

Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.

Happy are the merciful. -Matthew 5:7

Happy are the peacemakers. -Matthew 5:9

Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.

Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires. -Matthew 5:10

THE 12 STEPS

STEP 1: We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. -Romans 7:18

STEP 2: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. -Philippians 2:13

STEP 3: We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. -Romans 12:1

STEP 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. -Lamentations 3:40

STEP 5: We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for each other that you may be healed. -James 5:16

STEP 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. -James 4:10

STEP 7: We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9

STEP 8: We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. -Luke 6:31

STEP 9: We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. -Matthew 5:23-24

STEP 10: We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. -1 Corinthians 10:12

STEP 11: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. -Colossians 3:16

STEP 12: Having had a spiritual experience as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. -Galatians 6:1

Serenity Prayer

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 at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the 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

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