What's Going On?
Stay in touch with what’s going on with Celebrate Recovery across the UK.
Come and Celebrate 20 Years of God’s Transforming Work!
Twenty years of Celebrate Recovery at Jesmond Parish Church in Newcastle means hundreds of lives touched and changed by Jesus Christ! That’s why my Celebrate Recovery group at in Newcastle would love you to join us to celebrate all that God has been doing in our lives this year – and over the past two decades.
On 24 November, 7.15 for a 7.30pm start, my Celebrate Recovery group is holding a Celebration in church, and inviting the whole church family and friends to it.
The Celebration will be jam-packed with hope, joy and praise. You’ll hear about exciting events and changed lives, enjoy creative videos, and praise God through worship.
We would love you to be with us in person, so that we can celebrate together, and show our participants much-appreciated support and encouragement. If you can’t get to Newcastle, don’t worry – you can still join the Celebration online via our livestream link.
Come and be part of this joyful celebration as we share with others that our hope is in Jesus!
Catherine Robinson (November 2025)
Summit Reflections
If I had to choose one word for my experience at the 2025 Celebrate Recovery Summit, it would be “inspiring.”
Back in June, I shared my excitement that the Celebrate Recovery UK team was heading to the Summit. Two months on from the July Summit, I’m still grateful for all God did there.
Connection
The highlights I treasure most are the friendships deepened with the International Team of reps, learning from incredible teachers like Rick Warren and Global Directors Johnny and Jeni Baker, and the space I had to bring my questions, hopes, and challenges to Jesus as I prepared to step into the Celebrate Recovery Director role this autumn.
Saddleback Church welcomed around 2,500 people; a powerful reminder that none of us serve in this ministry alone. Through the Summit, I gained a stronger network of people to serve alongside, lean on, and learn from.
All about Jesus
What encouraged me most is that the heart of Celebrate Recovery remains exactly where founder John Baker placed it: pointing people to Jesus. Celebrate Recovery isn’t our Saviour; Jesus Christ is. Celebrate Recovery is a tool that helps people discover healing and transformation in Him. This is His ministry, and as I step into leadership, it’s Him I choose to follow.
Refocusing
The Summit was both refreshing and ministry-shaping.
Times of worship reminded me of God’s amazing love. I also had the honour of sharing my testimony in the International Workshop, where I said:
“I’m still amazed that in the depths of my self-hate, God planned to use me! When I felt unworthy, He saw someone worth redeeming. He replaced my ‘less than’ identity with the assurance that I am deeply loved. He took my feelings of uselessness and gave me purpose, calling me into a ministry that points others to Jesus for the same hope and healing I found in Him.”
What a faithful God I serve!
The workshops reassured me of what’s going well in my local Celebrate Recovery group and challenged me to be open to tweaks here and there for freshness. As long-standing leaders step out to plant a new group in our city, I’m learning again to trust Jesus to provide the people we need.
I’m especially thankful for the time Kath Leigh (another UK rep) and I had with Canada’s CR Directors. Their generosity in sharing wisdom and practical insight gave us vision for how Celebrate Recovery UK can grow and flourish in the years ahead.
Revival
The theme of the Summit was revival. I was struck by the comment that recovery is never just for ourselves but for others too. Rick Warren highlighted the power of testimony, pointing out that while sermons can be valuable, people often most need to hear our stories of hope.
Inspiration
For my local ministry, I was reassured that a “good CR” doesn’t have to be a “big CR.” I came home with new ideas for leading Large Group times with sensitivity, and a renewed commitment to equip and empower others rather than try to keep doing more and more myself.
For UK ministry, the Summit gave me space to reflect on how I can best serve Celebrate Recovery groups in the UK as I begin my role as Director. I gained fresh vision for strengthening resources, supporting reps, and building connections so CR groups across the UK can feel like family. Meeting with the Canadian team inspired me to prepare our reps well and lay solid foundations for long-term growth.
Why go to the Summit?
Because it reminds you that you’re not alone, it deepens your walk with Jesus, it equips you for ministry, and it fills you with vision for what’s possible. I returned encouraged, challenged, and excited for the future of Celebrate Recovery in the UK.
Catherine Robinson (September 2025)
Returning to the Summit: Bringing Back Inspiration for the UK
I can’t wait! It’s been ten years since I attended my first—and so far only—Celebrate Recovery Summit at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Now, I’m heading back—and this time, I’m not going alone. The entire Celebrate Recovery UK team is going too!
This year’s Summit will be held from Wednesday 30th July to Friday 1st August. Our trip has been made possible through the incredible generosity of friends and our church family, who have kindly contributed toward our airfares and accommodation. We are deeply grateful. I know Tony and Val Turner, Kath Leigh, and I all appreciate the support that has helped turn this dream into reality.
2025 feels like the right moment for this journey. As Tony prepares to step down as CR UK Director this autumn, the Summit offers him and Val a meaningful opportunity to say farewell to many in the global CR family they’ve journeyed with over the years.
For me, stepping into the Director role later this year—and for Kath, who serves with me on the National Team—the Summit will be a time of fresh vision and equipping for the future. We are trusting God to speak clearly and prepare us well for the work ahead.
It’s not too late to book your flights—why not join us? Click below to register your place at this year’s Summit.
Please pray with us that our time at the Summit will be filled with insight, encouragement, and spiritual renewal—that we would return ready to serve and strengthen the Celebrate Recovery community here in the UK.
I’m excited to bring back fresh ideas, renewed energy, and practical tools to benefit our Christ-centred recovery groups across the country.
Stay tuned—what we bring back could help shape the next chapter of Celebrate Recovery in the UK!
Catherine Robinson (June 2025)
Written Testimonies Needed for Celebrate Recovery UK’s New Booklet
Has God used Celebrate Recovery to set you free from a hurt, hang-up or habit?
Has Celebrate Recovery been a source of strength and support in your journey?
If so, we’d love for you to share your mini-testimony in a new resource we’re creating this year!
Principle 8 of Celebrate Recovery states:
“Yield myself to God to be used to bring this good news to others, both by my example and my words.”
This principle is based on Matthew 5:10:
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’
Our upcoming Celebrate Recovery UK Testimony Booklet will help share this good news with people in our communities, the recovery world, Celebrate Recovery groups, and churches.
We want this resource to:
- Offer hope to those who are struggling
- Show the wide range of hurts, hang-ups and habits that bring people to Celebrate Recovery
- Demonstrate how God uses the principles and safe structure of Celebrate Recovery to bring healing and transformation.
Your testimony could inspire someone to seek God’s help at Celebrate Recovery, deepen their relationship with Jesus, and experience true freedom.
Your testimony could inspire more church leaders to offer this ministry to their church family and community.
How to Participate:
- Email enquiries@celebraterecovery.co.uk to receive guidelines on what we’re looking for.
- Submit your 300-word testimony along with a photo of yourself.
- Deadline: 30th June – don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this life-changing project!
Thank you for helping us bring hope and healing to others. We can’t wait to hear your story!
The Celebrate Recovery UK Team
Making a CR Relaunch Widely Known
St John’s Church, Harborne, Birmingham has been running Celebrate Recovery since 2022. To mark the start of its 4th year, the ministry is going to be relaunched during the 6pm evening service on the 5th January 2025. A new ministry lead is going to be commissioned and will be speaking during the service about her journey of recovery. The service is going to be live-streamed in order to reach more people.
All are welcome to hear more about what God has already been doing through Celebrate Recovery and to find out more to see if this ministry might be for them.
Alison Boughey (December 2024)
A Celebrate Recovery’s Celebration Evening!
Our Newcastle Celebrate Recovery group livestreamed their annual Celebration Evening — an inspiring event celebrating the transforming power of Jesus in people’s lives. Live streaming the occasion provided a wonderful opportunity to reach more people with the message of hope and healing that comes through the Celebrate Recovery programme.
We encouraged people to attend in person if possible, in order to support those sharing their testimonies and contributing in various ways. However, not everyone was able to make it, and so we offered the online option too. You can still experience this uplifting evening from wherever you are! Simply tune in to our Celebration on YouTube.
Catherine, the group’s Ministry Leader, shared her excitement about this year’s celebration:
This powerful evening of testimonies, worship, and celebration, was a great encouragement to those who attended the event. I hope you enjoyed it too and can praise God for the freedom and healing that He offers through this life-changing programme!
Catherine Robinson (November 2024)
Talking about Recovery and Jesus at a Local Festival
Elspeth Clayson (July 2024)
Highlighting Faith at a Recovery Festival
On the 20th June, I took Celebrate Recovery to the Recovery Festival in Bristol, an event I attend every year. The festival featured 40 stalls focused on various aspects of recovery, but our stall stood out because we were the only one that recognised Jesus Christ as Higher Power. This unique aspect sparked a lot of interest and comments from attendees. It was also a fantastic opportunity to distribute our flyers, and many people showed great interest in our message and programme.
Christy McMullen (June 2024)
CR UK Director Tony Turner, explains in a UCB Interview how
Celebrate Recovery works
Following the Prayer Recordings Tony did with UBC Radio, Tony was further asked to talk more about what Celebrate Recovery is and how it differs from other recovery groups.
Listen to the Interview
Tony Turner
A Celebration Evening
How do you celebrate with your church family and community the changes God is making in people’s lives through your Celebrate Recovery ministry?
Our Newcastle Celebrate Recovery group holds an annual Celebration Evening and invites the whole church family and friends. It’s free, and is always an encouraging evening as we praise God, hear testimonies, and celebrate Christ-centred recovery in creative ways. We hope it blesses the church family as it blesses the Celebrate Recovery group to have their presence and support. The next event is due to take place on the 11th November 2024, make a note in your diary, further details will be posted here nearer the time.
The 2023 Celebration Evening was held in November. It was a great evening of hope and praise. We live streamed the event for those unable to join us. You can still watch it here.
We’d love to hear what other Celebrate Recovery groups in the UK are doing to spread the good news that Jesus Christ is changing lives. Please send in pictures and information!
Catherine Robinson (November 2023)
Prayer Recordings
In November 2022, we were approached by UCB to do 5 one-minute recordings as prayer topics for their radio programme, these have now been posted onto our website. Prayer is an important part of Celebrate Recovery and the topics that we shared on the UCB radio are ongoing topics that are important to us all. Can I encourage you to use these as a starting point for your ongoing prayers for this important ministry, as the prayer topics will be an ongoing focus for us, as we continue growing and developing this great ministry.
Prayer 1
Prayer 2
Prayer 3
Prayer 4
Prayer 5
Tony Turner
The UK Recovery Walk
September is ‘recovery month’ and the UK Recovery Walk – an initiative headed up by ‘Faces and Voices of Recovery’ or F.A.V.O.R – has become an ever-growing and popular event. Click for more information on their website.
The 2022 Recovery Walk and Festival was held in Newcastle, in North East England. The Celebrate Recovery group at Jesmond Parish Church were invited to take part in the walk through the city centre and to be part of the Community Village at the festival which followed.
The event provided many opportunities to share with people from other recovery groups and organisations that our Higher Power is Jesus Christ. Here are a few comments about the day from the Celebrate Recovery team who attended:
“It was great to get to know each other better as we served!”
“Jesus has changed my life through Celebrate Recovery; it’s only right I fly the flag for Him when I can so that other people hear that He can help them too.”
“What a great day and a great atmosphere!”
“People need to know there is support out there and that recovery is possible. Today was about giving hope to people who are struggling with addiction.”
The 2023 Recovery Walk
The 2023 Recovery Walk will be held in Hull on Saturday 23rd September. We are hoping we’ll have a Celebrate Recovery presence again to fly the flag for Christ-centred recovery. Maybe you can join in too?
Catherine Robinson (September 2023)
The Recovery Album
Principle 8 of Celebrate Recovery encourages us to
“Yield ourselves to God to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.”
Since faith in Jesus Christ was pivotal to my own recovery from eating disorders, I love telling others that there is hope for change for them too. It is the desire to share this good news that prompted me to launch a website, The Recovery Album, offering Christ-centred encouragement for the recovery journey.
Four growing recovery-themed albums – Bible verses, blogs, social media posts, and songs – aim to bring hope to others. I also share my testimony of how God freed me from eating disorders, and of course, take the opportunity to encourage visitors to the The Recovery Album to seek support for their hurts, hang-ups and habits at a Celebrate Recovery group.
Please take a look and share what’s useful with those you know who need some hope in their life.
Catherine Robinson
Christian Resource Exhibition
At the beginning of 2022, we were on a course of re-building after the pandemic, a part of this process was looking to advertise more to share the good news about this great ministry. In October, we linked up with Mark Macklin of Purpose Driven Ministries UK and attended the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park London. There were numerous stands ranging from church supplies, Christian conference centres, social concerns, international ministries. In fact, there were so many that to wander round and absorb all that was on offer would take hours. I don’t think I have spoken to so many people in such a short time. It was exciting when people expressed an interest in Celebrate Recovery; this made me realise the importance of being more proactive in the sharing of this great ministry. I came away knowing that there is a lot of work to do. Next year the Exhibition will be at the NEC Birmingham. It was a blessing to re-establish our relationship with Mark and Julie Macklin of Purpose Driven Ministries and once again work together to promote Celebrate Recovery. There is no doubt in my mind going forward this is going to be a key relationship for us all especially for resources. We had a great time together. It was like a tag team; anything CR related Mark passed it on, anything Purpose Driven went to Mark.
Tony (left) handed out 200 of our new ‘Celebrate Recovery Information Booklets’
To purchase official Celebrate Recovery resources, click the button below:
For Celebrate Recovery UK information booklets and UK testimonies, click on the button below:
Tony Turner (October 2022)