Our history

In September 2008 “Celebrate Recovery”, a well-known recovery ministry, was launched at Gaylord E-Free Church.

In December 2016 E-Free felt it was time to step out and design an independent ministry tailored to maximize adaptability and give

the greatest ministry freedom.

Beginning with their 10-year anniversary in the fall of 2017 the official name became

COMPASSIONATE RECOVERY.

In the spring of 2017, when other churches began to express interest in this new

ministry, steps were taken to prepare for the expansion of the ministry to satellite sites.

COMPASSIONATE RECOVERY will always be committed to being Christ-centered and

biblically based, designed as a ministry of hope to show the loving power of Jesus

Christ to change lives. We have carefully crafted 12 guiding principles around the motto of “Meeting people r ight where

they are and help ing move them closer to where God would have them to be.”

COMPASSIONATE RECOVERY is also based in the biblical teaching that we need ONE ANOTHER

in order to most effectively grow in wholeness, and is built around an

environment of compassionate, accepting, supportive, and safe relationships where people can confidentially work on their

personal concerns.

COMPASSIONATE

Never Alone.

Nothing Too Big.

COMPASSIONATE

RECOVERY is designed to help with all kinds of:

HURTS

• Has someone hurt you and the wound interferes with your daily life?

• Have you wounded someone and don’t know what to do about it?

HANG-UPS • Are you troubled by a

behavior in your life that is the source of annoying difficulty or burden and is an obstacle to being at peace with yourself and having a fulfilled life?

HABITS • Do you have something you

repeatedly do that you recognize as detrimental to your physical, psychological and/or spiritual health that is out of your control and instead controls you?

RECOVERY

And it shall be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my

people’s way. Isaiah 57:14

Site Locations: E-Free Church, Gaylord Campus

1649 M-32 East, Gaylord (989)732-2647

TriPoint Church of God 831 W. Miller Rd, Mio

(989)848-5247

Compassionate Recovery is not a quick fix, but an extraordinary opportunity to get to the root of hurts, hang-ups, and bad habits, while simultaneously learning

lifelong patterns that set people free and protect against continuing in old ways. Weekly meetings begin in the fall and run till just prior to Memorial Day.

(During the summer Compassionate Recovery does not meet weekly with each host church determining how best to keep their group connected.)

*Any adult is welcomed regardless of faith or local church affiliation.

Founder/Director Jack Dutton

Director of Gaylord E-Free Church Counseling & One Another Ministries

jdutton@gaylordefree.org, 989-732-2647

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“RECOVERY” is not about simply managing unhealthy behaviors, but about

being transformed on the inside. It is about taking steps towards recovering what was lost

after the Fall in the Garden of Eden, as evidenced by changed inner attitudes and

values exhibited on the outside by new ways of relating in love to God, self, and others.

“NEVER ALONE.” Reflects the relational basis for helping deal with hurts, hang-ups and

habits by loving, serving, building up, and spurring each other on.

While needs are specific to individuals, growth is “ONE ANOTHER” oriented.

And nothing is more important than God’s promise to “Never leave us nor forsake us.”

“NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE.” Our 2016-17 theme song said, “Never Beyond Repair.” Gabriel told

Mary, “Nothing is impossible for God.” This communicates there is hope for everyone no

matter their situation.

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“COMPASSIONATE” is a very strong word, communicating being moved emotionally at the very core of a person, conveying the

idea of having “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortune of

others.”

The best example comes from Jesus who seeing the neediness of the

individuals in the crowd put His compassion into action by getting

involved with their healing and teaching them new ways to live.

Compassionate Recovery emphasizes God’s compassion, having compassion

for one another, as well as being compassionate with self in dealing with

current struggles and past failures.

*Thursday Night Schedule

6:00-6:30 P.M. COFFEE & SOCIALIZING

6:30-7:30 P.M. MAIN GROUP SESSION

7:30-8:30 P.M. SMALL GROUPS BY GENDER

8:30-9:00 REFRESHMENTS &

SOCIALIZING

*We encourage new people to attend

a few meetings before deciding whether this is right for them.