About Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery is a 12-step program based on Christian teachings that strives to help people overcome alcoholism and drug addiction, sex, food and gambling addictions, family members and co-dependency, domestic violence, sexual abuse, divorce and unhealthy habits as well as their family members. Since it was created in 1991 by Pastor John Baker of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Celebrate Recovery has been established in more than 10,000 churches worldwide. More than 500,000 people participate in the program.

Friday Night Meeting Schedule

6:00 – 6:30 Dinner in the Hangar Café
6:30 – 7:30 Praise and worship
                    Testimony or Lesson
7:30 – 8:30 Small group (Open share groups)

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. That our lives had become unmanageable.
   (Romans 7:18 "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.")
   
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
   (Philippians 2:13 "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.")
   
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.
   (Romans 12:1 "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.")
   
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
   (Lamentations 3:40 "let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.")
   
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.
   (James 5:16a "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.")
   
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
   (James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.")
   
7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
   (1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.")
   
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
   (Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you.")
   
9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
   (Matthew 5:23-24 "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.")
   
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
    (1 Corinthians 10:12 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.")
    
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.
    (Colossians 3:16a "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.")
    
12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs.
    (Galatians 6:1 '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.")
    

Eight Recovery Principles based on the Beatitudes

Saddleback Senior Pastor Rick Warren devised a set of Principles based on the Beatitudes.

1. 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. (Step 1)
   “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.” (Matthew 5:3)
2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover. (Step 2)
   “Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control. (Step 3)
   “Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:5)
4. Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust.  (Step 4 and 5)
   "Happy are the pure in heart"
5. Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.  (Steps 6 and 7)
   “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.” (Matthew 5:6)
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. (Steps 8 and 9)
   “Happy are the merciful." "Happy are the peacemakers.” (Matt 5:7, 5:9)
7. Reserve a daily time with God for self examination, Bible readings and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.  (Steps 10 and 11)
   
8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.  (Step 12)
   “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” (Matthew 5:10)

Celebrate Recovery at First Baptist

Celebrate Recovery, a successful ministry based on the principles found in the Beatitudes, began at First Baptist Spartanburg in the fall of 2009 to encourage fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power from hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery gives people hope, healing, life, love, and, most of all, Jesus. All church members and nonchurch members are welcome to participate and discover the journey to full, Christ-like maturity. Those who would like to minister to hurting people are welcome and encouraged to attend.

“I see FBS as being a lighthouse, a place where people from not only Spartanburg County but all over the Upstate can come to grow spiritually and let the Lord get their lives back in order,” says Fred Thrailkill, facilitator of the new program. “When people come back home they need a strong spiritual peace to grab onto. Without the body of Christ they cannot completely recover. Our goal is to get folks back into church as active members, find them a place to work and help others.”

Rev. Sal Barone, First Baptist Pastoral Minister, says, “God doesn’t want us to live like there is no tomorrow. He wants us to live like there is no yesterday. We were raised to think that our yesterdays molded us. But Jesus said to us, ‘Oh no, I want to take you into the future with Me.’”

This exciting new ministry will meet on Friday night and will include a meal, praise and worship, and large and small group focus time. Ministry leadership and a support team are being recruited, including people with “12- step” experience. People are also needed to help with meals, praise and worship, welcoming, setting-up, etc.  Thrailkill says, “Most folks do not have a place to turn to for the spiritual healing they need. Celebrate Recovery provides a safe place for folks to come, a nonthreatening environment where they are greeted with the love of Jesus. We want to welcome everyone with open arms.” Pastor of First Baptist Spartanburg Don Wilton reminds us, all people are welcome in God's House and we are the church, "Where everyone can invite anyone to come to First Baptist to encounter the Living one."

Celebrate Recovery Small Groups and Group Leader Contacts

Celebrate Recovery Videos

Celebrate Recovery Contact Information

Need Prayer? click here or call 1-866-899-WORD (9673)

Office Phone: 864.583.7245
Immediate: 864.415.3534
Email: info@fbs.org or thrailkill29@bellsouth.net

Address:
250 E. Main Street
Spartanburg, SC 29306

Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs : 8:00 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday : 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m

Program Director & Facilitator, Newcomer Orientation, Instructor
Fred Thrailkill
864.415.3534
thrailkill29@bellsouth.net

Senior Pastor and Program Sponsor
Sal Barone
864.583.7245
sbarone@fbs.org

Celebrate Recovery South East Regional Director of South Carolina Upstate
Don Wheeler
864.216.3257
don_crupstate@charter.net