Since coming to Celebrate Recovery in 2011 and having worked through a number of hurts, hangups and habits that were holding me back for many years, I still have to pinch myself when I see God using my messes to help others, and having the privilege of leading a Celebrate Recovery ministry has certainly given purpose to my past hurts.

One of my many struggles had been the upheaval of being moved from the South of England to the North West, and much Step 4-7 work has subsequently been done on my long-standing resistance to the idea of allowing the North West to be a place of belonging. So, how ironic when the Celebrate Recovery UK Team asked me to consider becoming the North West Representative!

I will never forget my first trip down to Derby to meet with the UK Team when, in giving the 2.5 hour drive over to God to speak to me, I very clearly had a sense of Him saying that this was a way of Him closing the circle; that not only could I accept the North West as my ‘home’, but I could enjoy all Celebrate Recovery participants in the North West (and beyond) as my forever family!

Being a UK Rep has certainly been an honour for me, as I have looked to reach out and get to know other groups in the area – and learning from so many established groups and leaders, and seeing what God is doing around the region has been a real joy and encouragement.

Similarly, being able to get alongside groups that are ‘thinking about’ or just ‘getting started’ has been an enormous privilege; being able to share how Celebrate Recovery can help churches to bring the good news and hope of Jesus in such a practical way, and seeing new groups get off the ground and go on to thrive in their communities has been wonderful, and leaves me hungry for more…

Another benefit of being a UK Rep is the blessing of joining in with national Ministry Leader events, UK Conferences and also the Celebrate Recovery US Summit.  Just as in Celebrate Recovery small groups we benefit from the safety of a trusted community, so too we get that additional benefit of building and growing Celebrate Recovery across the UK within a team of like-minded, servant-hearted, ever-supportive friends. 

While becoming a UK Rep is, in line with Celebrate Recovery guidelines, by invitation only, and is a position I still feel unqualified to hold, I can honestly say that it has been one of the most enriching roles I have held and has certainly blessed my life with people I could not have expected to know – and I long for God to increase His kingdom in the North West and beyond.