Building God's Kingdom by healing hurt

TAMPA (FBC)—An attorney sits along side a homeless man. They are unaware of one another's backgrounds, but they know their pain is the same and they are walking the road to recovery together.

Fear. Anger. Chemical addiction. Sexual addiction. Abuse. Codependency. The coordinators of "Celebrate Recovery" at Tampa's Davis Islands Baptist Church believe that everyone has a hurt that needs healing.

John Corbitt's past is clearly marked, his body a tapestry of tattoos from a life he no longer leads. For almost two years he has been a part of the Davis Islands Celebrate Recovery, coming to the program new in Christian faith and sobriety.

"I came to the end of myself and ended up a broken man," said Corbitt. "I attempted suicide with an overdose of meth."

Through the Christian witness of a nurse in the hospital where Corbitt was taken after he attempted suicide, he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. When he was released, Corbitt went to the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center. It is there he learned of the Christ-centered twelve-step program at the church.

"I thought 'This is really relevant. This is what I need. This is what I'm looking for.'"

Corbitt's countenance brightens as he describes his life after graduating from the addiction recovery program. He found himself standing outside the church, praying to the Lord with the hope that he could one day be a member. "That's what Celebrate Recovery did for me. I actually had a desire to be a part of the Body of Christ," recounted Corbitt.

A Methodist minister's son Corbitt had spent his life running away from God, filling the spiritual void with drugs, sex and alcohol. "A drug addiction is running from pain. It's trying to constantly medicate something deep inside that hurts so bad you can't face it," explained Corbitt. "And the more you use, the more you need. You're never satisfied. It's never dull enough. It's never happy enough."

"It's never full, because that place that you're trying to fill is the God-hole in your heart. When you try to fill it with drugs, it becomes madness," continued Corbitt.

He describes his transformation as a discovery of God's love. "It's like He finally got my attention. I came to the end of myself and I am just living, as Jesus said, 'life, and life more abundantly.' I didn't know I could feel whole like this."

The Davis Islands recovery program started three and a half years ago after the church was rocked by tragedy. One of their new believers overdosed on drugs and died.

"Our congregation is young and growing and made of people who have not grown up in a church setting. Celebrate Recovery gives us the tools to reach these people," said Shannon Roberts, program coordinator. A counselor for 20 years, Roberts is the wife of associate pastor Todd Roberts.

Celebrate Recovery began as a ministry of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., in 1991. Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback and author of both The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, co-authored the program materials with John Baker, pastor of ministry at Saddleback. Approximately 20 Florida Baptist churches across the state offer the Celebrate Recovery program.

Since the recovery was established at Davis Islands, church leaders claim over 300 lives have been transformed in the Tampa area. Not only has the program had an impact upon participants, but on the church as well. Around 40 percent of the people who have completed the program joined the Davis Island church.

Every Thursday night an average of 150 people gather at the church to participate in worship, fellowship, Bible study and sharing. The night includes dinner, a worship service, subject specific small group meetings and then a reception. The four hours of encouragement help those struggling with an addiction. Participants are reminded they are not alone and those who have "recovered" are encouraged to remain to remain on the right path.

"Celebrate Recovery is what church is meant to be. This is Christ at work," said group leader and recovered codependent Jeff White, while sharing his testimony at the Thursday night meeting.

Many of the Thursday night small groups are led by those who have completed the program. "Step study" groups also are offered throughout the week. In these meetings, usually made up of eight to 10 people, the 12 steps to recovery are studied one by one. Of the 150 Thursday night participants, 120 are part of a step-study group.

"This program builds the Kingdom of God in that it reaches a particular population that might have been harmed from a [traditional] church setting in the past," said Roberts. "People that wouldn't have darkened the doors of a church or found help through another ministry can address the spiritual need."

"I think it's the same element we see is Jesus' ministry. He first healed the blind man and made the lame to walk," Roberts explained. "Once people are able to get through those initial hurts, they're more able and willing to see the Heavenly Father."