The more we hold on to our hurts, anger, and bitterness, the more we become slaves to unforgiveness.
Celebrate Recovery Needs YOUR Help
We are able to partially support the ministry through donations received on Thursdays, and our congregation offers some support on Sundays. Like everything else related to budgets, Celebrate Recovery needs your help. Please consider including Celebrate Recovery in your giving.
To support CR, please click the botton below and choose "Celebrate Recovery" in the fund drop-down menu
Celebrate Recovery (CR) has proven itself to be a vital ministry in our community. Before COVID, we were seeing 40 people in attendance each week. That’s fantastic when we consider the national average attendance for Celebrate Recovery groups is only 20. Unfortunately, the pandemic reduced that number to 11 people, but this small group has been faithfully meeting by zoom every week since the quarantine began. In 2024, Celebrate Recovery sees 20-25 people in attendance weekly.
Recently, through a referral from the national Celebrate Recovery network, one of our leaders has begun providing a 12- Step ministry to a nearby group home for youth suffering from substance use disorders. Our Group leaders are trained in substance use recovery, codependency, and grief recovery. Here are some other educational topics we have covered since Celebrate Recovery began in 2017:
Addiction as a chronic relapsing disease of the brain
Resources available in our community to help with treatment options
Persons with lived experience to offer support
Naloxone training and distribution
Medication assisted treatment
Safe syringe exchange programs
Suicide awareness and prevention
Resources for family members
Information for relative caregivers with a special emphasis on seniors caring for grandchildren
Harm reduction
Adverse Childhood Experiences awareness and care
Awareness of current events as they impact substance use disorder and recovery
Networks are important. Celebrate Recovery is listed on the national Celebrate Recovery page. FUMC Newport is now recognized by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services as a Tennessee Certified Recovery Congregation. Here are some of the local community agencies with whom our recovery ministry has worked.
Empower Cocke County
Cocke County Drug Coalition
The University of Tennessee Rural Communities Opioid Response Grant
Choice Health Network
Freewill Baptist Family Ministries
Tennessee Department of Health
Drug Court
Helen Ross McNabb Center
Cocke County Coordinated School Health
Advancing Wellness And Resilience Education (AWARE) program serving Cocke County Schools
Tennessee Voices for Children and Youth
Douglass Cherokee Economic Authority
Rural Medical Services
If you'd like to get more information on our Celebrate Recovery ministry, please contact Marta Coburn, Director of Recovery Ministries, at martacogburn@gmail.com