Periodic Newsletter

Volume 11 • June 29, 2023

Hand-in-hand, we can work to remove stigma and provide needed support and guidance  to our congregation members and their families who are suffering.

Dear Savannah Faith Leaders,

    You are receiving this e-newsletter because we have designed it for you. This is our 11th edition. We urge you to share this e-newsletter with anyone in your congregation or colleagues or friends who would find it helpful.
     We are the non-profit Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition of Savannah, founded in 2019. Our primary purpose is to provide education and support for faith leaders and laity on the subjects of addiction and recovery. Addiction – in its many forms — destroys lives and families and it thrives in secrecy. We aim to lift that veil of secrecy and make Savannah a healing community with the help of our informed faith leaders.
Our e-newsletter readership has expanded to include health care, treatment and mental health professionals, as well as people who have experienced addiction themselves and discovered the gift of recovery.

Newsletter Design: Ardra Hartz
Newsletter Content: IARC Vollunteers

In this issue:

*SAVE THIS DATE and invite family, friends and congregation members! Saturday October 14, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. Nationally-known speaker William Cope Moyers of Hazelden Betty Ford will share his own story and inspire real hope. Trinity UMC and Telfair Square

* Rev. Ben Gosden of Trinity United Methodist Church in Savannah continues his discussion of recovery from addiction grounded in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and faith.

* What is it like to grow up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional household? Do you wonder why you’re an approval seeker, frightened of personal criticism or feeling isolated? Rev. Pacia Vamvas of ConneXion Church introduces us to ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) meetings here in Savannah

* Straight Talk: What Faith Leaders need to know about addiction and recovery. Two seasoned priests discuss their personal insights in living the 12 steps and what faith leaders can, and cannot do, to help others. 

In every quiet moment I can find to calm my mind and think through the day, I am meditating…By clearing my  mind and asking my Higher Power to guide me, I find answers to my concerns….God gave me instincts as a help, not a hindrance.  The more I am quiet enough to discover and follow these instincts, the stronger they become. 
                              Courage To Change, Alanon Family Group Literature, page 173
                                                       
 
     THE TWELVE STEPS FOR EVERYONE 

Rev. Dr. Ben Gosden of Historic Trinity Church on Telfair Square in Savannah chose the weeks of Christian Lent this year to explore the 12 Steps of recovery. The 12 Steps were first created in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, men who both suffered from the disease of addiction. Over these many decades, the 12 steps have been adopted by countless peer support groups that help people recover from substance abuse disorders, behavioral addictions and sometimes co-occurring mental health conditions.


Though Christian in their origin, the 12 Steps have been universally embraced by the world’s major religions. The 12 Steps have a strong spiritual component and their wisdom can be of value to everyone.  In this issue, Rev. Dr. Gosden  continues his discussion of recovery from addiction grounded in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and faith, focusing on Steps 4 & 5 then steps 6 & 7. These are two moving videos.

 Rev. Dr. Gosden serves on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition.

     

CLICK THE LINK HERE TO VIEW BEN’S MESSAGE ON
STEPS 4 and 5: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSh5fPPV2qM&list=PLoGIOLWw5Z9jtCnKNSu49rUbcdBASh2oZ&index=3 

CLICK THIS LINK TO VIEW BEN’S MESSAGE ON STEP 6 and 7:

                  It Works If You Work It’  

    
By IARC Volunteer Rev. Pacia Vamvas
ConneXion Church, Savannah, GA

What is it like to grow up in a family with addiction and/or dysfunction? Do you wonder why you’re an approval seeker, frightened of personal criticism, or feeling isolated?

Is there help and understanding to be found? Can you change for the better?

If you attend a local meeting of Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families (abbreviated to ACA) here in Savannah, you will hear this in the Newcomer’s Welcome:

“You may have related to our readings even if there was no apparent alcoholism or addiction in your home. This is common because dysfunction can occur in a family without the presence of addiction.”

Living in Upstate New York, there was an Al-Anon meeting with an ACA focus.  I remember finding similarities to others’ upbringing.  I felt an immediate connection to these strangers who were telling my story.  After moving to Savannah, I discovered the nearest ACA meetings were in Charleston and Macon. So I established the Savannah meeting.

ACA Savannah held its first meeting on January 17, 2017 at the Clubhouse on Eisenhower.  We began our meetings with just a few attendees. Within a year, the group grew to about 10-15 members. Then membership fell dramatically. Why? The work that each of us does as an ACA member is difficult. People who attend from other 12 Step groups including Al-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous may not have examined their growing-up years. Sharing our family of origin history can be extremely painful to face. Someone might visit for a meeting or two and realize that the doors to childhood that have been locked for many years must be opened. That is too difficult for some to face.

Over the past few years, our membership has grown dramatically. During the pandemic, we met by Zoom only. Once we returned to our in-person meetings, our numbers grew. Today, we offer a hybrid meeting: in-person at 6:30 p.m on Thursdays, at ConneXion Church located at 5411 Skidaway Rd., Savannah, GA 31406, and simultaneously on Zoom (Invite Code: 712 697 268, Passcode: 112233). It is not unusual to have 20 people attending in-person, as well as 10 more attending on Zoom. Thanks to Zoom, we have had visitors joining us from several states in the U.S., from Canada, England, Ireland and Australia!

Our fellowship has also spawned “babies” with smaller study groups.  One group reads the Big Red Book Mondays at 7:30 (Invite Code:  864 0925 0479; Password:  ACA123).  Two groups meet on Tuesdays via Zoom to study the “Loving Parents’ Guidebook” (both are published by ACAWSO). In addition, we have another Loving Parents’ Guidebook group now meeting on Saturdays.  The Tuesday night and Saturday morning meetings are closed.

There is also a newly established Yoga Group, led by Ann Curry, focused on all the Recovery Fellowships:  AA, Al-Anon, Al-Ateen, ACA, and others. It meets Tuesdays, 6:00, in the Nursery.

Additional resources include the Twelves Steps of Adult Children and Strengthening My Recovery (a daily devotional), also published by ACAWSO.

A statement that we hear repeated at our meetings is this: “I’m grateful to be here”. We close our meetings with this heart-felt affirmation that is absolutely true: “Keep coming back. It works if you work it…so work it; you’re worth it!”

Please join us! Rev. Pacia Vamvas (518.209.3208;enoughgrace2129@gmail.com. I welcome your feedback and questions.
 

Savannah’s Historic First African Baptist Church
hosted an IARC forum on May 1, 2023   
                                                                                                                                           Photo Credit: Clarke Scott
 
  Insights for Faith Leaders
From Those Living the 12 Steps

 By IARC Volunteer Dwight Campbell

On May 1 at First African Baptist Church in Savannah, a group of 35 faith leaders, laity and members of the recovery community heard two seasoned Episcopal priests discuss their insights into living the 12 steps.

(This Faith Leader Forum, entitled “Straight Talk: What Faith Leaders Need to Know About Addiction and Recovery”, was created by our Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition of Savannah. We are a young non profit focused on equipping faith leaders and laity with the information and resources they need to help people address addiction and find lasting recovery. Many of our Forums can be found on You Tube by using Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Savannah in your Internet search. This Forum can also be found on the First African Baptist Church Savannah website.)

The 12 Steps were developed by Bill Wilson and  struggling “fellow travelers” in the mid-1930’s. The Steps have given strength and hope to millions of people locked in the repetitive and destructive cycle of addiction. Both priests, the Reverend Kevin R. Kelly from St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Savannah and the Reverend Tommy Townsend from Holy Nativity Episcopal Church on St. Simons Island, found their way into the rooms of recovery in their own personal “moment of powerlessness”. The loving, accepting and embracing rooms of recovery then took over and both men are now leading full and fruitful lives that would have only been a dream without the 12 steps and recovery from addiction.

The insights that Kelly and Townsend shared at the May 1 Forum were especially poignant considering the source. Both men agreed that they had little or no training on alcoholism or addiction in seminary and both agreed that approaching congregants with addiction issues was extremely sensitive and difficult.

These are some of the key ideas that faith leaders and laity who work with people who struggle with addiction may wish to consider.

1. Be aware of the stigma and fear of a congregant approaching a faith leader with an addiction issue.
2.  How does a faith leader approach a congregant without being accusatory? One must be firm, empathetic and be aware of our own biases and limitations.
3. “No” is a reasonable response to an addict when asking for money or other forms of support.
5. Our job is to guide them to recovery through counseling , rehab or 12 step meetings.
6.  Remember that addicts are masters at convincing others that they are not the problem, everyone else is!!!
7. Maintain a current list of 12 steppers in your congregation who are willing help the alcoholic/addict and/or support the family.

 

 The honest and open dialogue was informative and enlightening. We thank Kevin and Tommy for their insights.                       
Photo credits for May 1, 2023 forum:  Clarke Scott
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          Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition. We are a totally volunteer-run organization, and we have been granted our official 501c3 charitable designation by the State of Georgia and the U.S. Federal government. 

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or please mail a check to the
Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition in care of
 
 Janis Ellington
134 Belfast Pines Drive  Richmond Hill, Georgia 31324

          We thank you.