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Celebrate Recovery leaders and a representative of a
regional funder inspect new materials that have been obtained to expand the
ministry's presence in Allegany County. From left are Butch Calcote and Pastor
Gene Miller, ministry leaders at Yorks Corners Mennonite Church at Wellsville;
William Penman, executive director of the Allegany Council on Alcoholism and
Substance Abuse at Wellsville and board member of the Western Regional
Addiction Resource Center (WRARC) which provided funding for the purchase; Rev.
Carl Kemp of Knights Creek Church at Scio that received WRARC funding for the
initiative to aid its and other Celebrate Recovery locations in the county; and
Anita Baird Jones, facilitator of The Landing teen ministry component at
Knights Creek and the Celebrate Recovery Inside women's group at Allegany
County Jail. The group met at the new Hope Center at Wellsville which has
joined in promotional support for Celebrate Recovery in Allegany County.
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SCIO – A local church has been awarded funding to help
enhance and expand a significant presence of the international Celebrate
Recovery ministry both within its community and others throughout Allegany
County.
Knights Creek Church received $1,758.66 from the Western
Regional Addiction Resource Center (WRARC) to obtain a full range of Celebrate
Recovery materials that can be used in its own ministry, along with those at
Houghton Wesleyan Church, Yorks Corners Mennonite Church at Wellsville, and
both men's and women's Celebrate Recovery Inside ministries at Allegany County
Jail. Funds also will be used to develop
joint promotional materials about the ministry.
Allegany County Celebrate Recovery teaching and support
groups for individuals, including teens, who are struggling with any type of
hurt, hangup, habit or life struggle, constitute the greatest number of units
per population of any county in New York State and two of only six in the
state's prisons and county jails.
Despite its already strong presence, facilitators want to
expand the number even more due to what is seen as its high effectiveness,
difficulty by many in obtaining transportation to sessions outside their
immediate areas, and the desire by many participants to attend more than one
group meeting a week.
Rev. Carl Kemp, Knights Creek pastor, said the church has
seen “significant positive results” with Celebrate Recovery. He said the church applied for funding on a
broader scale in order to join with others throughout the county to reach more
individuals and families in need.
The free international ministry was developed over 25 years
ago by Saddleback Church in California, pastored by Rick Warren, author of the
long-time best-selling book, “Purpose Drive Life”. It currently is available in nearly 30,000
churches in dozens of countries, with Celebrate Recovery Inside at more than
380 U.S. jails and prisons.
Although the ministry is Christ-centered, it is open to
individuals of any religious or non-religious backgrounds.
In addition to hosting one of three groups at Allegany
County churches, Knights Creek coordinators also help facilitate the men's and
women's sessions at Allegany County Jail.
It also is an advocate for persons with loved ones or friends in jail to
join Celebrate Recovery on the outside to learn how, when possible, to be of
assistance to inmates once they are released.
WRARC is a multi-county entity sourced from the New York
State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), which has
provided grants to 10 RARCs statewide for prevention, treatment and recovery
projects in counties within their geographic areas.
Celebrate Recovery serves individuals with all types of
individual hurts, hangups, habits, and life struggles, with many attendees
having struggled or continuing to experience substance abuse issues as part of
their individual life situations.
Other issues addressed through Celebrate Recovery, which
sometimes relate to substance abuse, include anger, depression, isolation,
workaholism, grief due to the death of a loved one including miscarriages,
still births and prior abortions, separation or divorce, other types of losses,
prodigal children, childhood or current physical, mental/emotional or spiritual
abuse, sexual addiction, gambling, food addiction, and more.
Knights Creek applied for funds to purchase several kits and
resources that are available through the national Celebrate Recovery effort.
Small churches have difficulty examining this multitude of
available support materials, Pastor Kemp noted, due to the entire selection
only being available at national Celebrate Recovery events. By having copies
available locally, resources can be inspected by current and prospective groups
that are reluctant to purchase materials sight unseen.
Pastor Kemp noted that Knights Creek has just starting
offering The Landing, a parallel Celebrate Recovery ministry to help struggling
teens, and is interested in Celebration Place, a similar ministry for children,
along with Spanish-speaking and mental health ministry components. These
expansions are expected to proceed when additional volunteers are identified
and trained, resulting in a full families ministry to aid those who are
struggling.
Materials use and ministry orientations for current
Celebrate Recovery facilitators, along with new churches and individuals
interested in ministry, are expected to be held in the near future at the Hope
Center at Wellsville. This new community
assistance facility, an initiative of the Mission Genesee Valley coalition of
churches, other Christian organizations and individuals, helps provide
promotional support for Celebrate Recovery in Allegany County.
Further information on area groups is available through the
Celebrate Recovery - Allegany County Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/CelebrateRecoveryAlleganyCounty, the Partners for Prevention
in Allegany County website at https://ppaccentral.org/celebrate-recovery, and
from Casey Jones, Knights Creek and jail facilitator, at bps461@msn.com or
(484) 435-0503.
Information on WRARC, including resources to aid in fighting
substance abuse, is available at www.wnycdc.com.
