Reconnecting with a Renewed Spirit
New ministry at Trietsch Memorial UMC helps participants embrace recovery
Sometimes in a church’s life, ministries come “down from on high,” and sometimes they are born when a church imitates what the church down the street is doing. At Trietsch Memorial UMC, a new ministry – Renew – was born because it was the next right thing to do, to be in community with a part of our family who are living on the edge.
Like most churches, Trietsch is full of folks looking for connection – a safe place to be heard and valued. Most are dealing with everyday struggles. Some are dealing with everyday struggles plus the life-altering mantle of addiction. Many do not see the church as a safe place, so they hide from being fully known, living in fear of being found out and “kicked off the island.”
With that knowledge, leaders at Trietsch gathered together and listened to folks in recovery and to some “local addiction/recovery experts.” Their response was to start a new building program based on connecting and caring.
This new recovery community comes from the passion of a number of folks at Trietsch and in the nearby community who have found a new way of doing life in recovery.
“Some of my favorite people are people in recovery … doesn’t really matter from what, they are just good folks,” said Rev. Doug Meyer, Associate Pastor of Caring Ministries at Trietsch. “They have a refreshing candor that is attractive, there is little to no pretense and, for the most part, they don’t give a damn if you like them or not. They are going to speak their mind and expect the same out of you. They are embracing a new way of doing life, a life that is radically different than before when they were addicts.”
The weekly format includes a time of singing, praying and personal stories of recovery and relapse, as well as a teaching time that incorporates the 12 steps, Scriptures and wisdom from individual’s journeys.
According to Rev. Meyer, living in community will help participants learn:
- how to be vulnerable and trust others, as we seek wholeness and healing
- how to tell the truth, as we try to be fully known
- how to live with our whole heart, realizing God’s grace, hope and forgiveness are for us
- that we are all beloved children of God
Renew meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Ministry Center at Trietsch. All are welcome.
Published: Wednesday, October 3, 2018