In my own recovery from alcoholism, a wise woman told me, “You are only as sick as your secrets.”

This is true for human beings as well as organizations, including churches.

When our committed team of volunteers at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, started a ministry in 2004 to address addiction in our midst, we took this advice to heart. And we took action.

House of Hope Presbyterian Church has chosen to take the veil of secrecy away. We have decided to move the issue of addiction from the church basement into the church sanctuary. We have thrown out the “no-talk rule.”

Our ministry is called Faith Partners and we are joined by more than 300 communities of faith around the U.S. who have decided to lift the veil of secrecy around addiction and offer hope for healthy recovery. Faith Partners was created by The Rush Center ¹ of the non-profit Johnson Institute. Training for congregations that want to start their own ministries is available in several locations around the U.S.

The Presbyterians for Addiction Action leadership team of the PHEWA has endorsed Faith Partners. It is a model of ministry that is sorely needed in congregations. Its special strength is voluntarism matched with pastoral support.

The need grows

Reliable research tells us that at least one in ten Americans suffers from a debilitating addiction such as alcoholism, drug abuse, overeating, gambling or sexual addiction. Health care providers, insurers, treatment facilities and law enforcement professionals offer daily evidence that the number is even greater.

People of faith who struggle with addiction — or their families and friends — often seek help from their pastor. And yet most seminaries offer little or no training in addiction and recovery. Pastors are often poorly equipped to help and Faith Partners is a solution to this dilemma.

At House of Hope Presbyterian Church our team of 14 volunteers, working with the Rev. Darlene Auger Stensby, has created a program of education, outreach and support to help people affected by addiction. While our ministry is relatively new, we know that we have had an impact because our members tell us so. In addition, our pastoral staff has received more calls for help concerning addiction issues. Our pastors are better prepared, thanks to customized training and support from our volunteer team.

Getting started

When we formed our Faith Partners Ministry at House of Hope, we made no assumptions. Instead, we polled our congregation to determine if they wanted a program focused on addiction and recovery and — if so — what they wanted most from us.

The survey results guided our ministry’s formation. Here’s what our congregation told us:

1. 78 percent said they were interested in learning more about addiction, recovery or prevention.
2. 98 percent supported addiction education, recovery education or prevention education in our church.
3. More than 80 percent said they were willing to reach out to those who suffer from the effects of addiction.
4. 84 percent supported teaching parents and adults about prevention.
5. 86 percent said they were interested in sponsoring addiction prevention programs for youth.
6. From 5 to 36 percent of our church members said they had a family member struggling with alcohol (36 percent), food (13 percent), work (10 percent), drugs (9 percent) or gambling (5 percent).
7. Respondents who said they had a family member in recovery included alcohol (25 per cent), drugs (8 percent), work (7 percent), gambling (3 percent), and food (5 percent).

We are planning a follow-up survey this fall to ask our congregation how we are doing in serving their stated needs.

Developing a mission and a plan

With the results from our first survey, our team met for a series of meetings to define our mission and make plans for our first year. Our mission is the following:

The House of Hope Faith Partners Ministry will serve the needs of our congregation, and the broader community, by addressing addiction in our midst. We will provide educational programs, resource information, outreach and support to people affected by addiction.

We identified addiction broadly: a destructive relationship with a substance, activity or person. And we defined recovery this way: a life-long journey and not a quick fix, requiring — with God’s help — a strong personal commitment and daily effort. Based on the results of our survey, we mapped out plans for our first year.

Celebrating recovery

We started an annual Recovery Sunday service focused on addiction and recovery at both our 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. Our first speaker was a noted news broadcaster who told his story, along with his wife, who shared her story as a concerned family member. In our second year, one of our own pastors described the loss of her daughter and brother to anorexia and alcohol. In both cases, our speakers offered information and hope for recovery, even in the face of devastating loss.

Our team has organized and offered educational programs for adults and youth on the destructive effects of Methamphetamine and alcohol addictions, depression, eating disorders, gambling and sexual addictions — especially in this age of cybersex.

We have created a growing library of resource materials for congregation members to borrow and use. In our Faith Partners educational brochure, we also include a list of area resources offering help for a wide range of addictions with phone numbers and website addresses. We are blessed to live in the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis where help for addiction and support of recovery is broad and strong. We make sure that our congregation has ready access to information about this healthy network of help.

In monthly editions of our House of Hope newsletter, "The Anchor," we have provided essays explaining the meaning of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous from a Christian’s point of view. Members of our team have authored these personal and meaningful essays. (All 12 essays can be found at House of Hope Web site on the Faith Partners page).

Perhaps most importantly, our team members are willing to go “on record” as part of Faith Partners. Their names are listed in the Faith Partners brochure that appears in kiosks around the church. They wear Faith Partners nametags on the days we offer special programs. Our hope is that congregation members will seek us out when they need support, help or a compassionate ear. Our pastoral staff knows our team members are available to talk with anyone who asks for help.

Thanks to the efforts of our team, Faith Partners has become a “line item” in the church budget — a mark of acceptance, support and the promise of longevity.

Finally, an effective Faith Partners Ministry at House of Hope Presbyterian Church could not have started or grown without the enthusiastic support of our pastoral staff. They have taken time out for training to understand addiction and recovery and they are working with us to plan our programs for future years.

Those of us in healthy recovery know that we are walking miracles. God has given us new life. The people who love and care about us give their gift of support. When a “church home” offers sanctuary and healing compassion for its members, it is a church at its very best.

Carol can be contacted via email if you would like more information about the Faith Partners ministry at House of Hope Presbyterian Church.