Overcomers Outreach’s primary purpose is to provide a two-way BRIDGE for people between traditional 12-Step support groups and those within churches of all denominations.
- Individuals within the church who have kept their problems hidden or have been reluctant to attend recovery groups in the community can come to Christ-centered Overcomers Outreach groups and due to rule of anonymity, they find a safe place to share.
- Additionally, people within traditional 12-Step programs are offered a fresh look at the “higher power” they have been seeking, in the person of Jesus Christ. This spiritual experience can pave the way for their return to the church of their choice.
Overcomers Outreach support groups are sharing groups, not therapy groups. There are no trained leaders, only lay persons who facilitate the group and who have been walking their own 12-Step recovery journey for at least a year. The groups are led by different individuals each week, utilizing a simple meeting format, preamble and Bible study materials contained in our FREED guideline booklet (see Resource Price list under “Resources”).
Overcomers Outreach groups utilize the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (in their original form) along with the Scriptures (where we believe the Steps originated). The groups speak freely about our higher power in the person of Jesus Christ. Honest sharing (on a first-name basis) is honored and encouraged, with no cross talk allowed. The meetings are wrapped up with mutual sentence prayers. The group usually evolves into a close family relationship where the truth about each person is finally admitted, and where God’s power can freely heal, even some of the most impossible cases!
Overcomers Outreach is NOT intended to be a substitute for church Bible studies or worship services, nor is it a therapy group, as we refer individuals to professional counseling when indicated. It is not a Christian AA meeting – but a supplementary program to these traditional programs, and we advocate continued attendance at their life-saving meetings where specialized, practical help is available to all.
Disease of Addiction
Although a portion of the Christian community considers alcoholism and drug dependency to be a sin or merely a spiritual problem, we believe addiction to be a disease of body, mind, emotion, and soul, and that all aspects of the person need to be addressed in order for quality recovery to occur. Getting the Creator of the Universe involved in our recovery brings power to the process we could have never imagined!