Voices of Recovery

The following sermon was delivered on March 21st, by Phil McClintock, Chair of the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Task Force of our Annual Conference.

I want to express my appreciation to your pastor for her kind words and her invitation to speak with you today. Liz and I have known Christine for a number of years – and, Christine, if memory serves, I think our association began at Shepherd of the Valley church back in 1994. I can remember being grateful for her fine sermons and also that she didn’t preach quite as long as Bill Flug! You should also know that Christine and I share a special bond – the bond being: nosotros hablamos el Espanol. See us after the service for a translation.

Before I proceed on this morning’s topic, I thought you might like to know a little of my background. I have been a United Methodist for about 24 years and before that a member of Congregational and American Baptist churches. I am a retired music teacher and because I am musically trained, it has been my pleasure to provide instrumental music for worship in many churches over the years. I do hope you enjoy my musical offerings today. Some of you also know that it has also been my privilege to be in the praise band at Annual Conference these past few years. I’m easy to spot: I’m the wild man on the stage with the soprano saxophone.

With regard to substance abuse issues, I chair the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Team for the New England Conference. On the national level, I serve as Northeast Jurisdictional Representative to the Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence, a body within the structure of the General Board of Global Ministries. SPSARV, as it is called underwrites a major initiative called “Faith Partners,” a program of addiction information for United Methodist congregations. This program helps congregations accept the recovering person and assists that person in becoming spiritually whole. I’ll say more about Faith Partners at the end of my talk. I have brought pamphlets that describe the various substance abuse programs supported by the United Methodist Church. See me after the service if you’d like to look at this literature.

Let me say a little more about the New England Conference APART Committee. The committee has been in existence for a number of years and has provided information about the nature of recovery and addiction. When requested, we conduct in depth workshops on a variety of topics. Our committee also sponsors a program called “Recovery Spoken Here,” which is an effort to help New England Methodist congregations become more aware of the spiritual needs of people in recovery from addiction. In fact, you can access our web page by going to the Conference web site. I want each of you to feel free to call or email me if you need assistance in this area. It is our conviction that addictions and compulsions are, in great part, spiritual problems and that the church is in a unique position to assist the addicted person in his/her recovery.

This morning’s talk, while I hope will be informative, could also be painful to some of you sitting in the pews today. Alcoholism and other addictions and compulsions plague the lives of many individuals and thus affect families in adverse ways. On many occasions I have spoken with people whose families have been destroyed because of these powerful and insidious illnesses. I can see the pain on their faces as they relate stories of ruined lives. I’m currently in dialogue with a retired UM pastor whose son is an active alcoholic – a fact which is a source of continuing pain for him and his family. And then there are those who keep stories of addiction locked inside of them – those who keep these dark family secrets hidden. And saddest of all are those who deny that anything is wrong, that a loved one is OK. Maybe they have had just a little bit too much to drink at times but they are handling it. Or perhaps they are abusing prescription drugs, but that’s OK too. After all, the doctor has prescribed these medications.

I wonder how many of you are aware that there are quite a few scriptures which refer to drinking – the use and misuse of alcoholic beverages? Let me direct your attention to Psalm 104, vs. 14, 15. That’s the good news. Now, let’s go on to Proverbs 20, vs. 1. And how about the New Testament? The writer of 1st Timothy gives some advice about the use of alcohol. One of my favorite passages concerning the use ( or could it be abuse?) of alcoholic beverages is found in the book of Acts, Chapter 2, where the Day of Pentecost is being described in wonderful detail. We have heard the passage this morning, but allow me to read it again. I’m beginning with verse 12. Now, does he say that these folks are sober because they are righteous or that they are card carrying members of the WCTU? No! The implication is that they aren’t drunk because it’s only 9 in the morning. One wonders what will happen if we wait around until noon! I’m not sure whether Luke meant to be funny when describing this wild scene, but to me the passage says that members of the early church were certainly not unfamiliar with the effects of too much alcohol.

Perhaps the most profound, and can I say, sobering description of the plight of the alcoholic is found in the book of Proverbs, Chapter 23, beginning with verse 18. I identify with the last line of that reading. When I’m sober, after I have gotten over the awful hangover I had after the last drinking binge, I’m thinking about another drink. That was the story for 17 years of my life because the fact is, I was held prisoner by alcohol for that period of time. I was released from this addiction only through my response to God’s grace and a well-known 12-step program. In 1973 I had come to a fork in the road: I could neither imagine life with a drink nor could I imagine life without a drink. It was only after I surrendered to the Will of God and stopped drinking that I began to experience healing. Even though much of the stigma of alcoholism and other addictions has been lifted, many people still view addicted persons in a stereotypical way. They buy into the myth that these folks probably lack a good education, and that they more than likely are homeless, jobless, and probably needing a bath. Many people are also quick to say that all the alcoholic needs is a little will power to straighten out.

I’m here to tell you this morning that only a small percentage of addicted persons fit into the homeless and jobless category. Most are folks like you and me – they are our neighbors, friends, business associates and, yes, people sitting in the pews today in this church. Take my situation. About 36 years ago I was in the grip of something I couldn’t seem to break. I was, in my opinion, a successful college music teacher and professional musician. I was also a believer in God and faithful church goer. I had been a church choir director and even taught Sunday school. I believed in the power of prayer. I was a nice guy! But I had this terrible secret: booze, alcohol if you will, had me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. My desire was to drink normally like everyone else. But it was not to be. Many times I would look at myself in the mirror “the morning after” and experience that terrible self-loathing and remorse. I would cry out: why can’t I drink normally – like other folks?

After 12 years of marriage, my first wife and I were experiencing severe marital problems. This woman was angry all the time and looking back on this sad and pathetic situation, I certainly do not blame her. She would ask: why are you so weak – why can’t you drink like most of our friends? I’m sure she felt partially responsible for my drinking. I would promise not to drink so much the next time, but if you know anything about alcoholism, you realize that these promises aren’t worth much. Eventually, drink did destroy that marriage. Finally, in 1973, out of shear desperation, I asked God to deliver me from this terrible addiction. Now please understand that many times I had prayed fervently to God to help me drink normally. But that wasn’t His will or plan for my life. You see, in that moment, realizing that I was at the end of my rope – hitting bottom as the 12 step groups say – God spoke to me and said that I couldn’t drink anymore. When I was completely honest and surrendered to that higher power, God’s response was immediate and dramatic: He put people and a well-known 12 step program into my life. I walked through the doors of a Lutheran church where a meeting was being held in July 1973 and have never looked back I was relieved when I was told that I was not a bad or morally weak person, I was just a very sick person.

I believe that that 12-step programs are God-given. Millions of people world wide have been released from the addiction to alcohol and other substances and compulsions because of the actions of two men back in 1935. William Wilson, a stockbroker from NYC and Dr. Robert Smith, a surgeon from Akron, Ohio, discovered that discussing and being honest about their drinking problem with another addicted person brought about a sense of relief, freedom, joy, and yes, sobriety. From those initial discussions there have grown not only thousands of AA groups world-wide but also other 12-step groups addressing a variety of addictions and compulsions such as OA, NA, GA, Al Anon. I even saw in the paper the other day an article about a 12 step program devoted to those who are hooked on internet porn! Sometimes folks will ask me: just what is addiction? I find Gerald May’s comments very meaningful. Allow me to share some reflections from his book, Addiction and Grace.

The basis of 12-step programs is, of course, the 12 steps. Let me take the liberty of reading some of those 12 steps this morning – you have the insert in your bulletins – because I want to show you that God, or a “Higher power” is the centerpiece for these programs of recovery. I also want to reinforce the concept that 12 Step programs and the people who practice the steps are not members of cults, or secret societies. As a matter of fact, if you attended a meeting, I think you would be surprised at who you would see and what you would hear. I have known, over the years, a variety of people in those meeting halls: doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers, nuns, priests, mechanics, laborers.

Now, where does the church come in? What role do we play? Simply stated, we can all help the recovering alcoholic with his/her faith journey, because I am convinced that without spiritual healing, full recovery will be next to impossible, and the church is in the best position to foster spiritual healing. Let me suggest a few ways each of you can help to restore the addicted person to wholeness.

1. Learn all you can about the various programs of recovery. There is much misinformation out there. Pick up a few pamphlets at your local AA, NA, GA, Central Service office. These places will be listed in your phone book. Talk to a recovering person – talk to me after the service.
2. Keep your church available to the various recovery groups. You have done this for AA, and I’m very proud of you! Consider this part of the outreach and ministry of the church. Of course there is a down side. It may be a little unpleasant to hear the language of the folks gathered around the door of your meeting place before and after the meeting. And the cigarette butts in trash cans emit their own unique odors. But remember: many of these recovering folks have come from very difficult circumstances; some might have recently moved into one of the sober houses or homeless shelters in your area. Others could have spent the night under a bridge somewhere. My cousin spent years sleeping under bridges and in vacant lots before he surrendered to this illness. I count as friends many 12-steppers who have served long prison sentences but who have been restored to their families and communities.
3. How about attending a 12-step meeting? Get a meeting list and go to a couple “open” meetings – these are meetings that the public can attend. I guarantee that you will be put at ease in an atmosphere of love and caring. Listen to the stories of those individuals who are seeking peace, joy, and happiness after long years of battling addictions. I know that as soon as you step inside that meeting hall, you will sense the excitement and serenity and hope of those attending.
4. Respect the anonymity of those you know who are in programs of recovery. I have revealed to you this morning that I attend 12 step meetings. This is my choice, and I hope that all of you will respect that anonymity. We have a saying in the fellowship: forget who you saw – remember what you have heard. I will say, however, that it is disconcerting to have someone come up to me in the supermarket or some other public place and say in a not so soft voice: “are you still going to those AA meetings?” You might have noticed this morning that I have used the word “recovering.” In the tradition of AA and other 12 step programs, an individual is never recovered from these diseases and compulsions; the fact is that there is no cure. “Progress, not perfection, is our guide..
5. If addicted persons or those battling compulsions come into the church, surround them with love and friendship. Tell them that you are praying for them. Go even further – pray with them. Most certainly, don’t judge.
6. Start a recovery ministry. Why not put a notice in the church newsletter asking for a meeting of all those folks interested in starting a recovery ministry. Let me also mention that one of the most effective recovery ministries is a program called Faith Partners. The Faith Partners model of ministry equips congregations with a process for developing effective responses to alcohol and other drugs, and most importantly helps congregations realize their role as healing places in their communities.” I was privileged to be a member of a task force to help Faith Partners facilitate their collaboration with the General Board of Global Ministries to provide programs for United Methodist Churches. I recently attended a Faith Partners training session which was held at Rolling Ridge. I do have information as to how to start a Faith Partners Welcoming ministry.

About 74 years ago, in Akron, Ohio, two men started something which has exploded into a divine agent for hope and recovery. Because of the efforts of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, millions of men and women have found their way back to sanity, peace, joy. I know you will agree with me when I say that 12 step programs have had a profound effect on the way we view the problems of addiction and compulsion. Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” The fruits, or proof, my friends, is that these 12 step programs have helped millions of desperate people world-wide recover from the hellish nightmare of addiction and compulsion. I believe it was the hand of God that brought those two strangers together – a New York stockbroker and an Ohio doctor 75 years ago. Thanks be to God for that chance meeting.

Tags: 12steps addiction recovery