SNOHOMISH — A church in Snohomish is helping people combat all kinds of hurts.
Snohomish Church of the Nazarene launched its Celebrate Recovery program earlier this month. It was designed to support people dealing with anything from drug addiction to workaholism.
“We have people with chemical dependency issues,” said Joni Kirk, one of the program leaders. “We also have people who are suffering from eating disorders, anger, depression, co-dependency.”
About 40 people gathered in the church June 4 and shared their stories. The program is one of 14 between Shoreline and Arlington, and 27,000 nationwide.
Celebrate Recovery is a faith-based rendition of the 12-step program. Each step is inspired by a biblical lesson.
However, “it’s meant for anyone, whether you believe in God” or not, Kirk said.
Each Sunday session begins with a dinner where people can get to know one another. A lecture and small-group discussions follow.
Those who are leading the program have gone through the 12 steps themselves, or are in the process of doing so. Kirk has been attending meetings at Foursquare Church in Marysville since January.
“One of the things I struggle with is control,” she said.
“I like to put boundaries in place and have things staged and make sure things work perfectly.”
She has learned there are some things that can’t be controlled.
Daniel Carpenter, 37, of Snohomish, said he was introduced to recovery the hard way. He had long struggled with substance abuse and in 2013, he traveled to California for treatment.
“I had this idea that recovery — it didn’t sound good,” Carpenter said. “Who wants to be in that club?”
He found that Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous weren’t a good fit for him, so he tried Celebrate Recovery.
Carpenter walked into the church and the first thing he heard was a band playing peppy music.
“I saw clear-eyed men and women who stood up and didn’t have any shame,” he said. “They were capable and confident. It was there where I believed recovery was possible.”
He moved back to Washington six weeks later and joined Celebrate Recovery at Canyon Creek Church in Mill Creek.
“One piece at a time, my life became less and less of what it was about and more about serving others,” Carpenter said.
He started with pouring coffee at meetings. Not long after, he was sponsoring others who also were battling addiction, leading meetings and serving on the church’s worship team.
“It’s like a big teaching hospital that people go to,” Carpenter said. “Some people come and get better. Some people come and learn to be doctors.”
Carpenter serves as a ministry leader at Canyon Creek, as well as a state representative for Celebrate Recovery’s national organization. It is his job to provide churches with resources to launch their own recovery programs.
“My story is not unique,” he said. “There are millions of people seeking life change, and they find it and celebrate recovery.”
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
Learn more
Celebrate Recovery is open to anyone who is interested. Sessions are scheduled for every Sunday. An optional dinner begins at 5 p.m. and costs $4 per person or $10 per family. A big-group meeting starts at 6 p.m., followed by small-group meetings.
For more information, go to snonaz.org.
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