The Blooming, Booming Responses and
Expanded Plans of the Christian Recovery
Movement
By Dick B., Executive Director
International Christian Recovery Coalition
Copyright 2012
Anonymous. All rights reserved
Just since our visits in Southern California in January of
this year, we have had an increasing volume of messages from those wanting to
participate in our planned meetings this spring. So the following is the way
things are going and being planned as of February 29th.
The Basic Approach Is Announced in This New Guide
How to Conduct “Old-School” 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using Conference-Approved
Literature: A Dick B. Guide for Christian Leaders and Workers in the Recovery
Arena
By Dick B. and Ken B. (2012)
There Is No “One Size Fits All” Plan
An A.A. or N.A. meeting listed with a local office may
conduct and adopt a “Group Conscience” stand and also then establish a regular
meeting founded on “Conference-approved” literature. A Christian recovery fellowship
may choose to reach out to alcoholics, addicts, prescription drug abusers, and
others with life-controlling problems. A Christian, Christian-Track, or other type
of treatment program—limited by expense and time constraints—may decide to
prepare “graduates” for the long haul beyond the discharge date. Groups like
Teen Challenge and Celebrate Recovery may recognize and plan for the “daily” or
“24/7” or Christian fellowship after-care needs of its Christian graduates or
weekly meeting attenders in order to keep all of them in full bore recovery or
recovered mode; continuing service to others; and sustained spiritual growth
loop—all being often-accepted components of real, life-long, Christian healing,
abundance, and ultimate salvation. Detox programs, interventionists,
counselors, after-care facilitators, alumni gatherings, and sober living operators
and managers may emphasize a variety of ways in which recovered “clients” or
“students” can build on the strength of First Century Christian and early Akron
A.A. “Christian fellowship” principles and practices.
Program Content Which Each Servant Can Adopt, Adapt, and Then Apply as
Desired
The emphasis here is on fostering long-range deliverance,
sustained fellowship and service, and effective and continued reliance on the
power, love, forgiveness, guidance, healing, and will of God “in all our
affairs.” Early Christian outreach extended first to the Jews. Then to the
Gentiles. Then to both as members of the “body of Christ.” Included among these
groups were the lost, the poor, the sick, the deaf, the blind, and even dead
who were still being raised—just as Jesus had raised the dead.
The Present Plans for Implementing This “Old-School,” First Century
Christianity Success Story in Forthcoming Hawaii and California Gatherings This
Spring and Summer
And Here Is Where We
Will Be Listening, Assembling, Teaching and Facilitating with You
[Details Still Need
Further Attention and Firming, But This Will Show You the Plans]
For Maui, Hawaii:
County of Maui Salvation Army
Partnership with our Coalition: to learn the existing 24/7 program at the Lahaina
Outpost, The Salvation Army, 131 Shaw Street, Lahaina, Hawaii, 96761. (Initial
two-hour meeting at our Kihei Office, Friday, March 2, Noon-2:00 PM)
Speaking on the Second Step and
A.A. roots at a regular A.A. meeting in Kihei: followed by a meeting to discuss
plans for a new “old-school” recovery meeting to be formed in the near future.
(Saturday, March 3, 7:00 AM—with a private after-meeting)
For Oahu,
Hawaii:
An evening meeting in Honolulu,
Thursday, March 22 (6:00 PM) evaluating and initiating Christian Recovery
Movement hands-on outreach to alcoholics and addicts in three different Christian
recovery efforts: (1) The long-standing men’s outreach to alcoholics and
addicts led by an NA-oriented Christian skilled men’s group leader. (2) The
plans of this leader’s pastor who is extending outreach in Oahu as well in
China, Japan, and the Pacific Rim. (3) The current work of an Oregon-based
faith-centered Christian fellowship pastor in Germany and Europe. All three are
looking for ways to utilize First Century Christian practices, to adapt early
A.A. “old-school” fellowship techniques, and to present 12-Step approaches with
individuals needing direct help and structured practices with long-term
recovered Christian living as the aim.
For Cornerstone
Fellowship—Livermore Campus, Livermore, California
Workshop/Participation/Study
Meeting for all (Thursday, March 29, evening).
For Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood, California
Workshop/Participation/
Study Meetings with Leaders and public (Friday, March 30,
afternoon and evening).
For San
Francisco Bay Area, California –
Dialogue with
leaders of recently renamed CityTeam International and its ministry to the
“lost” in Nicaragua
and West Africa (Either morning, March 29, or on March 31).
In Kihei, Maui,
Hawaii –
A meeting of several days with Rob W. from
Utah (April 2-6) – Planning and funding
In Southern
California:
We will be in Orange County,
California (arrive on Sunday, May 13 and depart on Monday, May 21). Quartered
at the beginning and end at The Costa Mesa Marriott Hotel, and during the week
at a private home in Orange County. The agenda for any and all includes the following
planned:
Individual meetings
with:
Rev. Michael
Liimatta, City Vision College, Kansas City, Missouri
Wally Lowe, Christian businessman,
Vero Beach, Florida
Russell Spatz, Christian
attorney and speaker, Miami, Florida
Robert Turner, M.D.,
Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
Gary Martin, Mariners
Church, Planning regular “Old School” training meetings, Irvine, California
Pastor Joe Furey and
Roger McDiarmid, His Place Church, Westminster, California (the location of our
May 18-19 major conferences)
Rev. James Moody, Manna
House Ministry, Jamestown, Tennessee
Bob Noonan, Marriage and
Family Counselor, Orange, California
Danny Simmons, Sons of
Thunder and Book Distribution, Costa Mesa, California
Rev. Bill Wigmore, Chairman
of Episcopal Diocese of Texas Recovery Committee, Austin, Texas
Gary Moates, attorney,
Houston, Texas
Richard Skolnik,
Recovery Historian and believer, Nesconset, New York
Other local and out of
area visitors and speakers
Conference on
Friday evening, May 18 and all day Saturday, May 19, at His Place Church,
Westminster, California: focused on participation, panels, workshop, classes,
programs, questions and answers, and full leadership sharing
[Orientation, Leader presentations,
Panel, and Q and A – Friday evening;
Main Conference –
Saturday all day – Music, prayer, Orientation by Dick B. and Ken B., lead speaker,
orientation, leader speakers, and panel with Q and A.]
Working with individual and group
Christian Recovery leaders on formats and content for regular meetings, guides,
videos, Conference-approved literature, and other resources on how best to employ
all these to help directly those suffering alcoholics and addicts rely on God
for help today; to learn the First Century Christianity practices in Acts of
the Apostles; to learn how early “old school” A.A. practiced these principles
with such great success; and to suggest how these foundations can be or are
being used today hands-on.
The Actual Programs
We Will Be Outlining, Discussing, Formatting, and Planning
·
A program of your own fashioning on How to
Train, Teach, Cooperate, and Disseminate Christian Recovery programs,
conference information, and media—programs that will emphasize God’s power and
Christian recovery efforts.
·
Sample suggested programs suitable for and
tailored to each particular Christian, treatment, sponsorship, and supportive approach
and area.
·
Training the Trainers so that others may pick up
the torch and move it forward.
·
Distributing free literature through benefactors.
·
Continuing dissemination by blogs, forums,
newsletters, videos, radio, audio, conferences.
Coming Shortly: Dates, Places, Times, Contacts, Programs, Subjects, and
Resources
To produce effective results, in the most compact way, we
will welcome your phone calls and emails in advance; welcome any literature or
suggestions you have; welcome your donations to help defray expenses; and
welcome any particular approach you wish to take with your own program, practice,
fellowship, and church.
Gloria Deo
