“Anyone can curse the darkness…let’s be the ones who light a candle.” That is especially true when we are followers of Jesus, the Light of the world. I am thankful to God for the JIBC family that supports two outstanding ministries fighting for freedom for those struggling with addictions. We have two very intensive, very focused ministries aimed at helping men and women experience freedom in Christ.
The first one is Celebrate Recovery: a Christ centered 12 Step program. It is recovery ministry using the 12 Steps and the 8 Principles found in the Beatitudes. There is no mistaking that Jesus Christ is The Higher Power. When we read the 12 Steps we also share their biblical basis. For Bill W., the “founder” of AA, there was no question about the 12 Steps being based on the Bible and that the Higher Power was Jesus Christ. We are gratefully continuing his inspired approach. A typical meeting goes like this: gather for a shared meal at 6:00; brief worship set at 6:30; we use the chip system to mark time and celebrate; we read the 12 steps and/or the 8 Principles from the Beatitudes; we have a lesson on one of the steps; then we divide into men and women’s groups. The entire program is over at 8 p.m.
By the way, did you know that The Charleston Crab House, Kickin’ Chicken, and the Stono Café each graciously provide a meal one Sunday out of the month? Please tell John, David, and Barry thanks when you see them. Then our team cooks or provides pizza on the fourth Sunday. What a blessing! We have a strong team leading this ministry. I am pleased when I can participate with them. Just a reminder that we all are recovering from something. It is not just about alcohol and drugs. It is about codependency, bad choices, traumatic experiences, abuses of all kinds, eating disorders, etc. This past Sunday night we had 35 in attendance; about half from the Charleston Center and half from our church and community.
The second mission outreach is the Transition House: The 180 Ministry. It took so long for us to get this off the ground. Marsha Cline came in as the administrator and got the ball rolling and served as the first “house mother.” When she returned to Indianapolis, she had a stroke. She is doing better and still needs our prayers. The Transition House was in such good shape and order, that we tried a new approach. We now have two residents, and two itty bitty babies, living there. We are getting ready for our third resident. These are women who, primarily, come to us through the Charleston Center. We did make an exception for one of the ladies who was in need when the house was empty. There is only one other ministry like this in the Charleston area that we know. The Ruth House just opened. It is a ministry of The Mount Moriah Church in North Charleston. So we have a sister ministry to compare notes. Thank you Jesus!
And thank you JIBC for being a church family willing to take on the giants. Anyone can curse the darkness…you chose to light a candle of hope that they might find Jesus.
Pastor Tom
