From Rock Bottom to Redemption
“What brought me to Celebrate Recovery was an almost 30-year addiction to methamphetamine and marijuana,” said Celeste King, a Celebrate Recovery participant. “I had hit rock bottom and ended up in jail. As part of my probation, I was required to attend meetings. I had heard about the program through a friend who had been attending. Honestly, jail and the possibility of prison time made me decide that a change needed to be made. Celebrate Recovery gave me the courage to trust and recognize that I deserved and wanted a life free from addiction.”
Today, King is five years sober. She has reconnected with her family, found a relationship with the Lord, earned her GED, and now serves as the Public Library Director for the City of New Boston. Her life has been radically transformed through Celebrate Recovery. Her story of redemption and healing is one of thousands that highlight the incredible impact of this ministry.
Celebrate Recovery was founded in 1991 at Saddleback Church by Pastor John and Cheryl Baker. With support from Senior Pastor, Rick Warren, they launched a Christ-centered recovery program with 43 participants. Starting with four open-share groups focused on chemical dependency and codependency, Celebrate Recovery has grown into a global ministry that provides a safe place for people to find freedom from all kinds of bad habits, hang-ups, and hurts.
As Ron Humphrey, Senior Pastor and leader of Celebrate Recovery at New Covenant Life Fellowship in New Boston, Texas, explains, “Celebrate Recovery is Christ-centered and rooted in scripture. It follows 12 steps and eight principles, with Jesus as the higher power. Meetings include worship and scripture-based lessons. Unlike some recovery groups where you always identify as an addict, in Celebrate Recovery, the identification is with Christ as a believer in Him.”
King is just one of many who was forever changed. Humphrey spoke proudly about other success stories from the New Boston group. “The first person to regularly attend came as a condition of probation. At first, he was scared, but he blossomed, began calling Celebrate Recovery his church, gave his life to Christ, and completed probation. Another attendee, who had never been sober for any length of time in his adult life, found success in the program. He earned his GED, learned to drive, and now holds down a job with a tremendous amount of responsibility. Stories like these are what keep us coming back week in and week out.”
Jeni Eldridge, leader of First Baptist Church Texarkana’s Celebrate Recovery group, emphasized the program’s wide reach. “Most people think Celebrate Recovery is only for alcoholics and people with addiction issues, but we have groups that cover almost any issue a person is dealing with,” she explained. “If you come in and haven’t identified your issue, we have mixed groups. If we don’t have a group for you, we will start one. God continually opens doors for us to expand.” New groups beginning soon will focus on trauma and gambling addictions.
Eldridge’s own life has been profoundly affected by this ministry. “Addiction knocked on my own door several years before I walked through the doors of Celebrate Recovery. Through my healing, I was delivered from a religious, judgmental spirit. All of my life, the addicts, and the homeless, were ‘THOSE people.’ Today, I see people through God’s eyes. They are some of the most loving, caring, and gifted people on earth.”
Addiction is often a response to a deeper pain. As Eldridge explained, “Trauma is often the gateway to addiction, and many are just numbing their pain.” Her passion for the ministry led her to establish Haven Homes, a safe haven for men and women to heal long-term. “Celebrate Recovery is just that—a safe place to recover. We are messy people, and that is exactly who Jesus calls us to be with—the messy.”
Eldridge recalled the story of a young couple in Celebrate Recovery who lived a horrific life of addiction and trauma for many years before coming. “Their story of healing and wholeness today will blow anyone’s mind. Their lives exemplify the power of Jesus Christ to heal. As the wife always says, ‘It was drugs and alcohol that brought me here, but I keep coming back to heal from the pain, abandonment, abuse, and loss that I experienced for most of my life as a child and a teenager.’ The husband lived a life of drugs and addiction on the streets of Texarkana for 24 years before having an encounter with God in jail. They are some of the strongest and most faithful leaders in our Celebrate Recovery group now.”
Celebrate Recovery provides not only healing, but also a sense of belonging to its members. “We really are a forever family,” said Eldridge. “We laugh together, cry together, and walk through life together. This is what keeps me coming back. Each week, 130-150 people walk through the doors of First Baptist Texarkana for our group and every single one of them inspires me to continue.”
Despite its successes, Celebrate Recovery participants do face challenges. Humphrey notes that the probation and parole system can be taxing. Seeing people struggle to find an employer willing to work with them is difficult. Attending recovery meetings and mandatory counseling sessions while scheduling appointments with different court groups is also challenging. In addition, there is the stigma within church settings that often prevents people from seeking help. Eldridge explains, “Many people want to keep their struggles a secret, so they suffer in silence. But as Pastor Jeff Schreve (Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church Texarkana), always says, ‘We are a hospital for the hurting.’ We live in a fallen world, and we all have issues—let’s heal together.”
Celebrate Recovery encourages participants to complete eight to ten months of step studies and then find sponsors and accountability partners. Participants are also urged to visit other Celebrate Recovery groups that meet on different nights than their home groups to expand their support network.
The ministry’s impact is undeniable. As Humphrey puts it, “Knowing that any of the people attending now could become the next ‘great story’ motivates us to keep doing what we do. Celebrate Recovery changes lives. It’s as simple as that.”
Celeste King walked into her first Celebrate Recovery meeting weighed down by years of pain and shame. But what she found was a community of unconditional love and support. “This faith-based program was extremely helpful to me on my journey. Being around others who were dealing with the same struggles helped me realize I wasn’t alone. The support of the group and my family, along with God’s grace, made my recovery possible.” The hardest part for King was forgiving herself and letting go of the family and friends who still live in their addictions.
The impact of Celebrate Recovery extends far beyond Saddleback Church. Thousands of people around the world have found healing through this Christ-centered approach to freedom. The program now operates in churches, prisons, recovery centers, and universities, offering a safe space for people to share their struggles. It has become a lifeline for so many struggling with addiction, grief, anger, and other life challenges.
To those considering joining, King offers this advice, “Attend a meeting with an open mind and admit you need help. Then work the steps, taking each day one at a time, trusting in God, yourself, and the program. It works. My hope is to remain clean and sober and, if I fall, to have the strength to pull myself back up and start over.”
If you are interested in checking out one of the local groups, here are some times and places.
First Baptist Church Texarkana meets Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m.
Church on the Rock meets Fridays at 6:00 p.m.
New Covenant Life Fellowship New Boston meets Mondays at 7:00 p.m.
