St Faith’s Narrabeen is putting God back into the 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program.
Six months ago, the Northern Beaches parish started The Bridge, a ministry for people struggling with addiction who are Christians, or seeking God’s help.
The ministry "is designed to help Christians in both their recoveries and their witness, by providing a context for them to meet and share," says pastor Chris Ekins.
The Bridge, a gathering meeting on the first Saturday of each month, is based on the 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program and includes Scripture readings, prayer and fellowship, elements which Mr Ekins says the originally Christian AA program has now lost.
“Christians started these [AA] groups, but since then, the spiritual part of the program has been ‘diluted’. The ‘God of the Scriptures’ has been replaced with a more secular ‘God of your own understanding’,” Mr Ekins says.
While the first two of the twelve steps are admitting powerlessness over your addiction and believing that only a power greater than yourself can restore you to sanity, Mr Ekins points out that the third point has now been changed to “Decide to turn your life and will over to the care of God as you understand Him”.
However, says Mr Ekins, “The Higher Power has a face, a name, and a personality - Jesus!”.
Crossing the bridge with 12 steps
The Bridge is not being promoted as an alternative or replacement for Alcoholics Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, but rather as a supplementary program, literally a bridge between Alcoholics Anonymous and the church.
The program is especially for Christians who want to work through their addiction problems in the light of their Christian faith, or for those who are looking for God in that struggle.
Mr Ekins says it could even persuade Christians who are in denial about their addictions to get into a 12-step program.
“We believe that many of the Christians in AA and NA would like to pray with others about their addictions (but mentioning Jesus and praying to Him at secular recovery groups is not particularly welcomed),” he says.
“We also believe there are many Christians who have not yet started dealing with their addictions and could benefit from going to AA and NA - and The Bridge would be a non-threatening and helpful first step for them to get a taste of a 12-step program and meet others already committed to recovery.”
The hope is also that those who don’t yet have a Christian faith will come to The Bridge, through their Christian friends or simply through their own initiative.
“The Bridge is also designed to help secular people in recovery groups to get to know Christ and to find their way into a Bible-based church local to where they live or where they have friends,” Mr Ekins says.
Each Bridge meeting is attended by a trained Christian counsellor from The Cottage, St Faith’s, Narrabeen’s counselling ministry to ensure those who come along are aware that The Cottage’s services are available to them.
While there is no formal program, Mr Ekins says each meeting centres on one of the 12 steps, giving people the chance to share their experiences and struggles.
"The idea is that one addict helps another," says Mr Ekins.
The program is being promoted to churches around the diocese with the aim of making the program available to Christians in all churches, and their friends.
