www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9i9jIuQTQg

With a generous contribution from an anonymous donor, when you give to Faces and Voices of Recovery this season, your contribution will be matched dollar for dollar until DECEMBER 31. That means your donation will be worth twice as much.

Our stories of recovery from the ravages of alcoholism and substance abuse carry power out in the parking lot, in our church community and in our homes.

I’m Kathy Drewien and I am in long-term recovery, which means that I have not used alcohol for more than 30 years. I am committed to recovery because it has given me and my family new purpose and hope for the future, while helping me gain stability in my life. I am now speaking out because long-term recovery has helped me change my life for the better, and I want to make it possible for others to do the same.

You are not alone

If your late night internet search has led you to this post, welcome. You can send a confidential message at any time. We’re listening.

Film producer Jack Sinclair has a genuine passion to document the experience of a younger population in need of and accepting sobriety. His riveting documentary, Twelve: Is there life after rehab in recovery? catalogues the decline, fall, and resurrected lives of 20 or so faces and voices dealing with the harsh reality of addiction.  The recovery experiences are brought into focus by delving into the individual circumstances that help identify needs, examining the arduous process of connecting, and sharing candidly the struggles that are often typical of a younger group going through the healing process. Most have found long term solutions as well as becoming integrated into the world they once withdrew from. 

To view selected sequences of this award winning documentary, and to get more information on the project, go to Twelve.

Shared Leadership

“No one is forced to do anything they are not able to do, do not feel qualified to do, or do not have the time to do”, declared Lois, parish nurse at Grace Lutheran, “But that does not mean I do not  prompt people into different roles or find people willing to take on different responsibilities.” A congregational team functions more effectively when all of its members have a role to play and each accepts responsibility for the work and life of the ministry.

Over the years the Faith Partners team has had four team facilitators. The first team facilitator helped initiate this ministry by using his passion to move through the initial congregational resistance. The next leaders helped organize and stabilize the ministry and finally the current leadership has helped integrate the ministry into congregational structure and life.  

Supportive Congregational Leadership

Lois describes, “When we first started, the senior pastor, feeling it was not important, wanted no part of this ministry. It took our associate pastor’s insistence and persistence to initiate the team ministry. Fortunately, we have had the support of successive senior pastors.” Clergy support is critical. A ministries’ staying power is the capacity to weather various staff transitions and a congregation’s changing priorities.

The early opposition helped create greater resolve and commitment for the ministry and a better appreciation for changing congregational needs. Activities have flourished with regular communication with the pastors, a presence on the church council, and regular reports to the congregational leadership. Articles in the monthly newsletter keep this ministry in the consciousness of congregational life.

Continuing Education

Grace Lutheran has provided continued education for the team, the congregation, and other Faith Partner teams since the beginning using members from Twelve Step programs to local teen drama to prevention specialists to treatment professionals. These educational events have kept the Faith Partners team ministry visible. New volunteers for the team are a wonderful by-product of this exposure.

Evaluation Activities

Grace Lutheran conducted their first congregational survey in 2000. In late 2006, the survey was repeated. The congregation urged the team to continue programming (82%) and keep the ministry alive (98%). The results were presented to the congregation and the church council after the last recovery worship service in February 2007. Seeking ways to improve, the team also evaluates each event. Lois’ evaluation, “Recovery has changed individual and family lives and the church is a big part of their on-going healing and recovery.”

Cornerstone Activities

One cornerstone ministry activity is the recovery worship service. The first year Lois recalls overhearing a member say that the service would not be worth attending. The team decided to not promote this service ahead of time but let people experience it as a part of congregational life and not something held up as unique or special.

A focal point of the service is the sermon and testimony. A moving dialogue sermon with the pastor and a recovering member on the team and a pastor’s personal experience walking with a family through the process of awareness, education, referral, and eventually recovery were both memorable. The pastor recalled how everyone was changed and transformed through the process. After one recovery worship service an inspired visitor volunteered to join the team.   

Institutionalized Ministry

“You cannot push a rope very far,” Lois continues. Youth prevention activities were one of the team’s initial goals. Over the years with gentle prodding and assurance of the team’s support the activities started to take place. The first activity, a teen drama presentation addressing situations concerning alcohol and other drug use, occurred at a weekend retreat.

This activity has become institutionalized into youth ministry life. Well received by both parents and youth there is now mandatory youth attendance and parent involvement is strongly recommended. 

What used to be an area of strong resistance is a solid ministry foothold. In fact, the new youth director is an enthusiastic team participant promoting, along with the Christian education director, the team’s programs and progress in the monthly newsletter.

Financial Commitment

This ministry does not require a lot of money. Contributions are made to a church account, not a budget line-item, paying for resource materials and speaker honorariums. Donations received at the recovery worship service provide ministry funding for the year.  Offerings have increased three or fourfold over the years. Extra donations are given to Faith Partners for their continuing work. Mission level giving provides an opportunity for Grace Lutheran to contribute beyond their individual congregation to support new congregational teams across the country. This arrangement has the blessing of the pastor and the congregation.

Relationship with Community Resources

A literature rack with community services has been another cornerstone of the team’s efforts. Refilled frequently, this literature rack communicates three things, 1) It is OK to have this information available, 2) there are resources offering help and hope, and 3) these resources can positively affect lives. Relationships with community resources have produced greater awareness, educational opportunities, and assistance in the referral process.

Lois recalls one congregational member’s story of transformation. Impressed by the literature rack’s presence, he used one of the resources to enhance his on-going recovery, and eventually approached the team to get involved. He later served as team facilitator and when he moved to another community he helped initiate this ministry in his new church. Lois and he continue to communicate and maintain a mentoring relationship with each other.

Networking/Mentoring

An old Twelve Step Program adage states ‘you cannot keep it unless you give it away’. Grace Lutheran team members have helped other congregations start a team ministry. Lois also educates her parish nurse colleagues on the ministry benefits to individual and family health as well as the whole congregation. Several Lutheran congregations now plan programs together to strengthen community efforts.

Remaining Faithful

Even though the goal in sustaining these congregational efforts is creating a “ministry of presence” it is not uncommon to measure success by the number of people who attend events. This does not appreciate the accumulative effects of consistent work. Lois concludes, “This ministry is humbling in that it demands us to remain faithful in the face of fear, frustration, pride, ignorance, and despair. What we do in those instances will truly measure the ministries’ success and the ability to sustain its efforts. Our hopefulness comes from sticking to the task”.

-Grace Lutheran Church, Apple Valley MN

Rev. Burket serves two small United Methodist churches, Grace and Faith, which form the West Davenport Alliance in Davenport IA. Grace averages 100-125 in worship weekly and Faith 30-50. Working together they began to address alcohol and drug issues after receiving funding for a project from the Iowa United Methodist Annual Conference in January 2006. At about the same time they learned of the Faith Partners approach through a colleague who attended the Rush Center Summit in Texas. In August 2006 several members from the Alliance team traveled to Lincoln NE to attend the Faith Partners team training.

The Founding Pastor

The Reverend Doug Reynolds, pastor of the West Davenport Alliance when the Faith Partners ministry was initiated, says, “Addiction is an epidemic health problem in America. One in ten people suffer from alcoholism alone. But the odds are 50-50 that you or someone significant to you is a ‘holic of one kind or another. At the core of the problem for all ‘holics who struggle with addictive or compulsive behavior is a pattern of continually misusing something or someone in order to avoid emotional pain and difficulties.” Doug continues, “Alcoholism is just one of many addictions. Chemical dependency, eating disorders, co-dependency, and other obsessive and compulsive behavior patterns are equally as ‘serious and destructive.’”

Mission and Vision

The mission of the West Davenport Alliance Faith Partners ministry is to provide support through education, intervention, and recovery to those afflicted or affected by addiction. Their vision is to first reach out effectively to the alliance churches, then to the greater Quad Cities church communities. They are starting with United Methodist churches and then want to expand to other faith traditions through Churches United, an organization that serves “Quad Cities” (Davenport IA, Bettendorf IA, Moline IL, and Rock Island IL.)

Team Facilitator

Mike Salter, team facilitator, says, “We want to promote the idea that churches can be places of healing and hope. By working with the community resources the Faith Partners team does not need to offer treatment but can offer support through education, intervention and recovery.” He and his wife, Willo, are very active church members. They are also good at getting others involved. A goal is to continue to recruit people from the congregation to participate in specific projects, thus extending the reach of the ministry.

Making the Congregation Safe through Personal Testimonies

Marti Crane, the newest team member, says the positive congregational response keeps her involved and committed, “We have many members in recovery and several have given their testimony in worship. I personally shared how AlAnon had been a life saver for me after growing up with an alcoholic father. I had no idea how much alcoholism was continuing to affect my life until AlAnon”.  Marti says there is more openness to this issue in the congregation because of the team activities and testimonies.

Trained Team Members create new Projects

Nancy DeHaven became a team member because she accidentally signed the wrong clipboard. She stayed because she saw the potential for this ministry. “I went with others to the team training and the light bulb went on.   We got it. We came back and told the pastor we lay people are on fire and ready to carry the ministry.” 

The team influenced the church to offer the effective LOGOS after school program not just to member’s children but also to children in need in the community. Here the children experience several hours weekly with caring adults who eat, play, study and sing with them. Nancy tells about two other ministries that originated out of the Faith Partners team ministry. 

Youth in Need of Justice

One such ministry is called the “Youth in Need of Justice Ministry.” Willo Salter provides leadership for this effort. Team members decided to have a “presence” at a large skate park in Davenport. They started by giving away bottles of water at the park and just “hanging out” with the kids. When the kids called them the purple shirt people the adults embroidered PSP on their purple shirts.

Trusting relationships between church members and the young people have grown because of this presence. When the youth realized the adults did not have an agenda other than to get to know them and be with them they opened up and began having conversations, even asking the adults to pray for them. This relationship has led to a powerful alliance between the PSP adults and the youth. They have gone together to the local alderman and city council to ask for restrooms, lighting so they can skate at night, and refreshment stands. Early signs of graffiti were converted to murals.  This caring supervision has been so successful other churches now want to participate.

Puppet Ministry

Team members are preparing to carry prevention messages through a new puppet ministry. The stage and six puppets will be used initially for a presentation on peer pressure. Members say that the adults as well as youth and children are excited about this project.

Importance of Capturing Team History and Activities

Nancy and Marti Crane gathered pictures, articles, and stories of their team activities. They made a three ring notebook, capturing their history.

Mike Salter, the team facilitator, said putting together the notebook rejuvenated the team. They were amazed at all they had done which included:

• Wrote a grant proposal and received funding from the annual conference;
• Conducted a congregational survey and shared the results;
• Asked community mental health specialists to speak to team/congregation;
• Developed a mission statement, brochure and a call referral list;
• Created nametags, banners, Sunday video clips, monthly newspaper articles;
• Gave several personal testimonies during worship and team was dedicated;
• Press release to community with follow up newspaper article;
• Worked with youth at a large skate park;
• Started a women in recovery Bible study; and,
• Writing to prisoners and preparing to support them upon release.

This compilation of activities both renewed the team and sustained them as they began to plan for the next year. Congratulations to the West Davenport Alliance Faith Partners team!

Contact the team through their website at faithpartnersquadcities.org

Story: I started drinking at at age 12.  Believe me I needed a drink, and managed not to cross the imaginary line of no return until I was about 18.  Even then, I still had a good 18 years of fight left in me which included a few moves around the country, a few sordid relationships, several DUI’s and many jobs or lack thereof. There was a drive-by meeting; a thousand lies; some thievery to be sure; umpteen, “I’m never gonna do that again” promises; not to mention a sense of loneliness and despair I never want to repeat. 

Intervention came in 1997 as I sat hungover by my pool in Manhattan Beach, next to a guy who was smoking a joint. To this day I have no idea who he was. A sliding glass door opened, it was my brother Chris whom I hadn’t spoken to for quite a while. Something inside me shuttered.  He asked if I would come inside, he had something he wanted to talk to me about. That sounded pretty serious and I wanted nothing to do with anything serious or heavy, I was just biding my time until happy hour with some girls I met the night before. However, not wanting to be rude I went inside and there they were: the intervention team. And so it began. After much hemming and hawing from me about how I couldn’t go that day on account that I didn’t want to stand up the happy hour girls, I finally did accept an invitation to a place that had “great food and a pool”. Did I mention it was in the wine country? How bad could it be? And I did need a vacation. I was tired. 

I had an amazing 28 days at Mountain Vista Farm and learned much, except that I had a progressive and fatal disease as well as a spiritual malady. Who knew?

After several months of roughly a meeting a week and trying to hang out with my old friends, I moved to where I thought was the “best place” for me, Aspen, where I opened a bar and proceeded to almost kill myself. I then decided it was Aspen that was the problem and moved to Austin. This lasted for 5 long days and nights until I found myself without a job and mobile-homeless. I called my brother in California and conned him to let me stay with him. He said if I was serious about getting sober then yes. I made it there and it lasted for about a week or so until he kicked me out. I went to stay with the old friends and that lasted for a couple of days and then they told me to leave. I stood on the corner somewhere in Manhattan Beach, where the journey began and the seed was planted.

I called my Mother to get her to send me to rehab but the universe had other plans. My Step-father, who had 12 years clean at the time, answered the phone. I pleaded my case for Crossroads in Antigua but he did me the greatest favor and instead, lovingly said, “Go to ninety meetings in ninety days” and that was that. End of conversation. 

I didn’t know it at the time but luckily I was out of plans. I went to a meeting at appropriately enough “the last house on the block” and someone came up to me and asked, “Are you new?”  I said, “Yes. How did you know?” And so began my continuing journey in recovery. I was lucky enough to not have to really work my first year but I managed a quick run as a waiter and as a research assistant, both of which lasted about a month total. I was not employable yet, so I attended about 270 meetings in my first ninety days. Eventually I knew I wanted to work in treatment. Once employed, I was quick to find out it was a tough gig but, I really liked the one-on-one stuff.  I was lucky to experience the training for what I was later to become, a sober companion, a role which I love very much. Today I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters. They are miracles for a guy like me who thought he was to live his life out as a bar-fly.