WORKING OUR RECOVERY DURING THE PANDEMIC

Years ago, I served as pastor of a church that was loaded with persons in recovery from varied addictions.  I learned that the recovery community is often two steps ahead of the rest of us.  The more recovery folks who became a part of our church, the better church we were: the better we practiced hospitality and lived grace... the better that we understood gospel and life itself.  Recently I interviewed two leaders at Mercy Street in Houston, a Saturday night worship community with an emphasis on recovery.  I was interested in how the pandemic was challenging people in recovery and what we might do about it.  I went into the conversation with some unexamined assumptions:  

* Persons in recovery are more fragile in this COVID19 moment than the rest of us.

* A recovery room convened on Zoom is bound to be a poor substitute for a real room somewhere.

* The church must intervene to address the breakdown in support networks and safety nets that existed pre-COVID19.

What my friends gently taught me...

* Living in recovery gives a person regular practice in how to sustain sobriety during major life challenges.  Divorce.  Loss of Job.  Illness. Etc.  All of which can overwhelm.  All of which can threaten sobriety.  Recovery rooms face these challenges daily.  For folks experienced in working their recovery, the pandemic is just another life challenge.  They use the same tools and lean into the same support that got them through their last life challenge.

* The online rooms work just fine - they organized themselves quickly and without any extra help from the church.  (Thank you.)

* For most folks, it was a lot less scary walking into an online room than it was walking into a physical room for the first time!  In other words, they have faced scarier challenges.

* When you really understand the first step - and you get what it means to be powerless to fix oneself without reference to Higher Power, you are actually more prepared for the varied challenges of a pandemic.

* These are the folks who should be teaching all of us how to do this!  There is deeper life wisdom in a typical recovery room than in many church sanctuaries.

As the trauma mounts around the world this spring and summer, yes, some people will fall off the wagon.  That happens every day, even without a pandemic.  And the recovery community will respond in ways appropriate.  And, yes, it is a good thing for the church to look for ways to live in supportive solidarity with their allies who lead and advocate for recovery ministry.  But the greatest ministry opportunity here might be to ask people who know the recovery drill to teach the rest of us.

In that church I referenced earlier, we used to say, "We are all patients here - none of us are doctors or nurses.  We are all recovering, experiencing healing together."  In the COVID19  season - billions of persons - all across the world are each experiencing that 'oh shit' moment when we wonder if we have what it takes to roll with this thing, when we realize that we are unable to continue our illusion of a self-made life. Jobs, savings accounts, houses, relationships, health - all at risk!

Every pastor might consider interviewing a person in recovery in an online worship service soon to let them share some wisdom and perspective and practice around what to do when you hit rock bottom, and/or when you know that rock bottom is always lurking just around the corner, just one drink, one pill or syringe away.

Here is the video of my April 7 interview with Melissa and Tony at Mercy Street.  It is an Easter gift to all of us!