Join us New Year's Eve For AA Meeting

Christmas is a time of celebration, but it is also a time to renew our faith and live our lives as Jesus Christ taught us.  That means to show all people the unconditional love and grave of Jesus without any reservations. All of us at St, Mary’s invite you to join us in doing just that.  And as part of the community’s efforts to live our faith, we have expanded our recovery program.  The expanded program will be kicked off New Year’s Eve with a AA meeting starting at 7 pm and last until the last person leaves.  Our new coffee maker will keep the coffee hot.  Begin our Bible and Big Book.  And some cookies would be nice too. But most important begin ourselves and invite your friends.  We might even have some of that awesome homemade soup. It will be a sober evening of insight and fellowship.

Below is the news release which went out recently which more about New Year’s Eve’s AA meeting and the expanded program. If you can not join in our fellowship, pleas pray for us.

St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Community in Plymouth, Indiana, will kicked off its expanded recovery program New Year’s Eve with a AA meeting starting at 8 pm and lasting until the last person leaves. This is the start of the parish’s commitment to offer free recovery services and programs to those living in Northern Indiana.

Besides regular AA and NA meetings, 12-Step classes will be offered during the day and evening. There is also all day drop in center at the community for those working their recovery Monday through Friday. Currently, AA meetings are held on Wednesdays at 10 am and 7 pm. There is also a meeting at 3 pm on Sundays. The parish is committed to hold 12-Step support meetings seven days of the week, on any day there are two people wanting a meeting.  All meetings are open meetings. Those attending do not need to be Christian or of any faith at all.  All are welcome.

The all day drop in center at the church will help people working their recovery providing them a place to meet and talk and find support with all issues.

The community’s pastor, Father Theodosius stressed that a person does not have to be Christian or of any faith or religion to take part the program or any of the community’s recovery services. He said that it is merely the community’s desire to live their faith and to show all people the unconditional love and grace of God without reservations due to their lifestyle or religion past or present. The idea is to be part of people’s lives because we truly care for them rather than to fulfill a religious duty.  According the Father Theodosius, we walk with them through all their struggles as part of their lives, not as a religious outsider, but as one who has been there ourselves.  He said that religion too often becomes a false perception of holiness that focuses on law and kills the true message of Jesus Christ.  Jesus called us to live our lives a certain way. That is the goal of the community and the goal of the recovery program.

The program is helped and staffed by volunteers and Father Theodosius.  Father Theodosius has over 15 years in recovery and has also been a counselor working with additions and abuse survivors. Those wishing to help are invited to contact the community. All the volunteers in this program are those who wish to live their recovery in all ways, to take the message they have learned and give it to others. Father Theodosius pointed out that all of us are the Prodigal Son come home and wishing to help his older brother in the door also. He said we live our recovery by our example to our brothers and sisters.

The community is under an allegiance to the hierarchy of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church under His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Community is located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana.  For more information, please contact the pastor Father Theodosius Walker at (574) 952-4671.