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CR's Purpose Statement

The purpose of Saddleback Church's Celebrate Recovery ministry is to fellowship and celebrate God's healing power in our lives through the 8 Recovery Principles. This experience allows us to "be changed." By working and applying these Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ, the one and only true Higher Power.

Celebrate Recovery Groups Will / Won't…

Celebrate Recovery Small Groups Will:

• Provide you a safe place to share your experiences, strengths and hopes with others who are going through the "Principles" in a Christ-Centered recovery. 
• Provide you a leader who has gone through a similar hurt, hang-up on habit that will facilitate the group as it focuses on a particular Step each week. The leader will also keep Celebrate Recovery's "FIVE RULES." (Link to the 5 Rules)
• Provide you with the opportunity to find an accountability partner or sponsor. 
• Encourage you to attend other recovery meetings held throughout the week, if available.

Celebrate Recovery Small Groups Will Not:

• Attempt to offer any professional clinical advice. Our leaders are not counselors. We will provide you with a list of approved counseling referrals. 
• Allow its members to attempt to fix one another.

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Celebrate Recovery Is / Isn't...

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Celebrate Recovery Small Group Guidelines

1. Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings.  Please limit your sharing to 3-5 minutes.
2. There will be no cross talk please.  Cross talk is when 2 individuals engage in dialogue, excluding all others.  Each person is free to express feelings without interruption.
3. We are here to support one another.  We will not attempt to "fix" another.
4. Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements.  What is shared in the group stays in the group!
5. Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered group.

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Celebrate Recovery Rules, and Why

• Other Focus:   Concentrating on others needs and problems.  Analyzing their motives and behavior.  Asking questions of others.  Telling stories about what he/she did.
  • NEGATIVE RESULTS: Helps us avoid our own issues.  Makes us observers, not participants.   Puts a safe (and lonely) distance between ourselves and others.
  • RULE 1: Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings.  Please limit your sharing to 3-5 minutes.
  • RULE 2: We are here to support one another.  We will not attempt to "fix" one another.
  • GOALS: Work on self.  Share personal needs, feelings, ideas and problems.  Allow time for all those who need share.
• Breaking Confidentiality: Telling outsiders what was said or done in group.  Gossip disguised as a prayer request.
  • NEGATIVE RESULTS: Violates trust and safety.   Makes members afraid to share risky material.
  • RULE 3: Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements.  What is shared in the group stays in the group.
  • GOALS: Celebrate Recovery is a safe place.
• Cross-Talk:  Interrupting people, asking questions, having a dialogue with one other member of the group.
• NEGATIVE RESULTS: Members fear that they won't be able to finish sharing, that their ideas are not valued, or that they won't get a chance to speak.
• RULE 4: There will be no cross-talk please.  Cross-talk is when two individuals engage in a dialogue, excluding all others.   Each person is free to express feelings without interruption.
• RULE 5: Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.
• GOALS: Listen respectfully to what others choose to share.

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