LINN  — Linn residents Brian and Alyssa Vaughn have experienced drug addiction and understand the challenges of finding help, so they are leading a new Celebrate Recovery chapter at Linn First Assembly of God.

“We had been to some programs in the past, and it just felt like God was really putting it on our hearts to open one of these, especially with the new church and right here close to town,” Brian said.

“This community can use hope,” Alyssa added.

Brian has been a member of Linn First for about six years, and Alyssa joined almost three years ago after meeting her future husband.

As an automotive technician, Brian was asked to help a lady who was down on her luck and needed vehicle repair.

“They called me and said, ‘She’s got kids; she needs to get back and forth to work.’ And I said okay. It just so happened I had tools with me.”

Alyssa was glad to get the help, and it wasn’t long before they began dating.

Now married for two years, the couple is raising a blended family with four kids.

During a discussion with fellow church members, the possibility of opening a Celebrate Recovery chapter as a new ministry for the church.

“I’ve had a little schooling for substance abuse counseling, and I’ve always had a passion for helping others recover like I recovered,” Alyssa said.

She and Brian contacted Tim and Anna Long, who run the chapter in Bland, for pointers on how to get started. “They’ve been excited for us and very helpful,” Brian said.

Brian and Alyssa have been attending meetings at Bland and now have all of the leadership materials required to operate a chapter.

Both believe their experience will make a difference as the chapter begins ministering to those in need.

“Why should I listen to this person just telling me this stuff out of a book when I know exactly where I’ve been? I remember thinking that when I originally was in rehab, and I was like, well, this person doesn’t understand,” said Alyssa, who has been completely sober for more than two years. “It took me a while to get clean from alcohol. I stopped taking drugs in 2010 but didn’t stop alcohol until October 2019.”

Along the way, Alyssa lost her children twice to the Division of Family Services but remembers with pride the day she stood in front of the court and was told she had regained full custody.

“I just started bawling,” she said. “It’s more than just getting yourself free from addiction. Your life is restored. That’s what we think can happen for people with Celebrate Recovery.”

Modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) — founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio — John Baker established Celebrate Recovery in 1991, with global headquarters in Lake Forest, Calif.

While AA and other 12-step programs acknowledge the existence of a higher power, Celebrate Recovery uses both the 12 steps developed by Alcoholics Anonymous and a similar set of eight sequential principles understood as a lesson of Jesus’ Beatitudes.

“Celebrate Recovery believes that not only is there a higher power but that higher power is God,” Brian said.

Pastor Matt Lee is thrilled to have the chapter meet at the church, specifically built with a space in mind. However, the office created for meetings won’t be big enough, so initially, the group will meet in the lobby.

“Once the gym is complete, we will have the option to move it there,” said Lee.

He knew the program would be beneficial but acknowledged that he was not the man for the job. “I don’t have the passion, the background, and experience they do,” Lee said. “They’re perfect for it.”

Weekly meetings will begin with a meal at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

“I thought providing a meal every week sounded exhausting, but then again, I’ve never been in a spot where I’ve lost my family, my home, my car, my job, and my freedom maybe,” said Lee. “If you have nothing, starting over a simple meal is a big deal.”

Brian agrees. “Sometimes, things are so bad that just a hot meal can make all the difference in the world,” he said. “I’ve been there.”

Lee noted that congregants have already signed up to prepare meals each week. “It’s important for me as a pastor and as part of this community to not have this at a community building or somewhere,” said Lee. “This church is exploding, and we don’t even have enough chairs anymore. Anyone who needs help can plug into a church of people supporting this; you can meet them, fellowship with them, and start to get new friends and a new environment.”

A service follows at 7. After worship, the group will discuss the Beatitudes. Men and women will then break off into separate groups. Celebrate Recovery encourages participants to form a small group of “accountability partners,” all of whom have the same problem and support one another closely.

Lee believes the chapter will strengthen existing relationships as well.

“It’s amazing how these people are interconnected with each other,” he added. “Many of them want something different. They want a fresh start but don’t know how to go about it. All of a sudden, you have all these connections. So I think in a year, this whole community will know there’s a structure out there outside of town. I think you will see people that have the desire who’ve lost their child or significant other, and they say, ‘You know what, I’m gonna go to this program before I’m forced to by the court.’”

Alyssa was once in that situation. “I think way back when, before I got in trouble, before I got my house raided, and before I lost my children,” she said. “I remember being so broken, and I wanted, and I yearned for something different. I went to an AA meeting in our town by myself because I couldn’t find anybody to go with me. I didn’t have any support, so I just didn’t go back.”

Alyssa added that after losing her children for the second time, she reached her breaking point. “I got down on the floor, and I cried out to God, and that was the first time I ever felt him,” she said. “Something changed that day.”

That change motivated her to help others, and Celebrate Recovery’s methodology is the perfect fit.

“It’s a place for people to be safe to talk about things going on and to get encouragement,” Brian added. “It’s also a chance to get to know one another.”

Alyssa said, “You make some friends that are in the same position as you, and maybe you’re able to reach out to them.”

Drug addiction continues to rise. “The CDC estimated 46 million Americans were struggling with addiction, and there were 107,000 drug overdoses in 2022,” Alyssa said.

A study of Celebrate Recovery participants published in 2011 by the Journal of Religion and Health found that levels of spirituality were associated with greater confidence to resist substance use. According to Saddleback Church, where Celebrate Recovery was founded, up to 85% of the people that attend meetings start coming to regular services, stay involved in recovery, and have an 85% success rate.

Celebrate Recovery is a program aimed at all “hurts, habits, and hang-ups,” including but not exclusive to high anxiety, co-dependency, compulsive behaviors, sex addiction, financial dysfunction, drug and alcohol addictions, and eating disorders. Promotional materials assert that over five million people have participated in a Celebrate Recovery step study in over 35,000 churches. Leaders seek to normalize substance abuse as similar to other personal problems common to all people.

Sheriff Mike Bonham is pleased to see the new chapter opening in Linn. “I’m happy to see any group or person trying to help people that are struggling with addiction,” he said. “I support this initiative and look for great success and success stories from those that have overcome the bondage of drugs.”

Drug Treatment Court Judge Sonya Brandt agrees. “Support groups are an essential component of recovery for our treatment court participants while they are in our program and for the rest of their lives,” she said. “We already have a strong AA support group here in Linn and I hope this new group is just as successful.”

The first meeting will be held on Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. Follow Linn First Church on Facebook for updates.