There are many ministries at the Church of Our Savior. We
are particularly good at outreach by feeding and caring for the poor. We
support an independent medical clinic that assists much of the impoverished
community in free medical care. Our Savior feeds and mentors children at a
local elementary school. We care for our sick and dying. We comfort those in
misery and doubt. But there is one ministry at the parish that is thriving,
helping countless members of our broader community. Interestingly this ministry
is not a part of the church. It is Alcoholics Anonymous.
AA, as it is often called, is a blessing to many people who
suffer from the pangs of addiction. The all-inclusive organization meets in the
parish six days a week and helps so many people recover from the deadly disease
of alcoholism. It restores dignity, self-respect and self-worth. It reunites
families that were previous broken due to the disease. It provides those who
suffer from alcoholism a road map to recovery; teaching them how to accept the
unacceptable, forgive the unforgivable, live life on life’s terms as well as
the ability to cope with problems without the assistance of alcohol. The
program teaches ordinary people to overcome fear and anxiety in life. It teaches them how to make amends for their
behavior, and reach out to those who still suffer from the disease of
alcoholism. The program assists its diverse membership in identifying their
shortcomings and overcoming their destructive power. Most importantly the
program of Alcoholics Anonymous introduces God into the broken and void filled
lives of its members. Without God, sobriety would be bland and superficial.
Many would fall back into the bottle.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a deeply spiritual program that has
given so many people hope and courage to face life each day. It is a society
that is founded on the love of God and one another. It tosses out the
self-centeredness that haunts many of our lives and allows its members to reach
outside of themselves to help others who suffer. It is an odd community of
misfits, outcasts and those who one the surface appear to have their lives
together. Yet they all find themselves on equal ground dealing with the common
problem of alcoholism.
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