|
|
|
What the church can learn from Alcoholics Anonymous By: Daniel
Overdorf A few years ago a friend, a recovering alcoholic, invited me to join him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He was to be honored for 25 years of sobriety, and he wanted me to come to celebrate with him. I was happy to go. The meeting took place in the musty basement of an old church building. The diversity of the participants amazed me. In the room were rich and poor. Politicians and the unemployed. Black, white, Latino, Asian. Some wore expensive suits, others wore T-shirts that revealed needle scars on their arms. Introductions went like this, "Hi, I'm John, and I'm an alcoholic." Instantly everyone responded warmly, "Hi John!" Different people stood to report on their progress and their battles with addiction. The room was thick with compassion and warmth, laughter and tears. Everyone enjoyed being around other people who could see into their souls. There was no reason to wear masks, no room for superficiality. Everybody was in the same boat. Philip Yancey, a Christian writer, interviewed a young alcoholic who had formerly been an active church member, but had allowed AA to take the place of church. When questioned why, the young man responded, "Mainly I'm trying to survive, and AA helps me in that struggle far better than any local church." Yancey explored further, "Name one quality missing in the local church that AA somehow provides." The young alcoholic stared at his coffee, watching it go cold. Finally he looked up and whispered one word: Dependence. He explained, "Most church people give off a self-satisfied air of piety or superiority. I don't sense them consciously leaning on God or on each other Maybe God is calling us alcoholics to teach the saints what it means to be dependent on Him and on His community on earth." Maybe He is. Church is the last place most people would feel comfortable standing and declaring, "Hi, I'm John, and I'm an alcoholic." Or, "I'm addicted to pornography." Or even, "Our marriage is on the rocks and we need your prayers." As a minister, this troubles me. God designed the church as a community in which Christians "carry each others burdens" (Galatians 6:2). The Bible admonishes believers, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16). And, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). How might we reclaim this purpose, this sense of community? Alcoholics Anonymous originated when Bill Wilson, who'd been sober for six months, found himself out of town on a business trip. The deal fell through, leaving Bill depressed, wandering through the hotel lobby. He felt himself drawn toward the bar, thinking, "I need a drink." Before reaching the bar, though, a new thought stopped him in his tracks. "I don't need a drinkI need another alcoholic!" Instead of the hotel bar, he headed toward the telephone, where a sequence of calls put him in touch with Dr. Bob Smith, who would become the cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Reclaiming God's design for the church community begins when each of us say, unashamedly, "I don't need to sin. I need another sinner. I need you to keep me accountable. I need you to help me stay on the path of Christian growth." Hi. I'm Daniel. I'm a sinner. I need your help. Daniel Overdorf is the Sr. Minister of Fayetteville Christian Church, located at New Hope and Hickory Roads in Fayetteville. He may be heard each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as a part of the church's weekly worship. Daniel may be contacted at the church office770-461-8763, or at fayettevillechristian@juno.com
|
||