The Journey
We gather each week to have a meal and reflect on the teachings of the twelve steps as a model for spiritual growth. Although this is a programme predominantly used by people with addictions, at the heart of the programme is an understanding of the human dilemma. That is, we have a desire for wholeness and love that we seem to self-sabotage as for many of us we are stuck in unhelpful patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.
The paradox we discover is that it is only when we accept there is nothing we can do to change these areas of our lives, when we realise our powerlessness in these areas that we start to change. This is where the 12 steps offer practices that can help us gain a wider perspective around our powerlessness, a deeper compassion for our struggles and a pathway to forgiveness of ourselves and others.
“Going to the group for me has been a rebirth of myself, it has enabled me to face my fears with the absolute belief that God’s got my back, it has enabled me to speak my truth without the fear of being judged” S.O
So what does this look like?
We use the Alcoholics Anonymous book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions to prompt our conversation. We meet together and share a meal around tables. Each week we start with the same preamble to remined us what the Journey is:
The Journey is a group of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may uncover and solve their common problems that hold them back from growth. The only requirement for membership is a desire for growth. We don’t require any beliefs and we are not trying to fix each other, Our primary purpose is for personal growth and help to achieve sobriety which means balance.
At the beginning someone will either read from the book or share their story in relation to the step we are looking at. Then there is an opportunity for discussion. There are no right or wrong answers and nobody has to speak, we are there to listen to each other as we speak to our own understanding of what is being discussed.
“Thursday night group has given me a sense of community, a sense of real belonging where people are just sharing their truth with each other it’s just an amazing experience” C.W.
The Themes
The themes we look at with the 12 steps are:
• Powerlessness • Surrender • Faith • Self-honesty • Confession • Growth • Humility • Relationships • Courage • Balance • Practice • Service
Everyone is welcome to join us, the twelve steps are not a programme that you tick back but a way of life that helps us engage with ourselves and others in a deeper way. So feel free to get in touch and come along one evening.
For more information contact: together@stColumbaeastlondon.org
Reflections from the community on the Journey
“In terms of impact on my life… it’s made a huge impact in my life, to the point that it’s made me look at myself and the decisions that I’ve made… I feel safe and able to talk about things that I wouldn’t normally talk about… it is something that I’ve been looking for, for a long time and I’m really blessed and glad to be part of the community, thank you.”
Resident – East London
“I had worked all my life but due to illness I had to temporarily stop. Just the thought of not being able to work just really overwhelmed me and my life suddenly shrunk. Going to the group for me has been a rebirth of myself, it has enabled me to face my fears with the absolute belief that God’s got my back, it has enabled me to speak my truth without the fear of being judged. Thursday nights, it’s a journey I knew that I’ve always wanted to make, it is a journey that I’ve sought other avenues to make…. Its help me to sit more comfortably in my own skin and within my own community, so for me it’s just given me the courage of my own convictions. I always knew that I needed this but because I didn’t come from an environment where I was encouraged to express my thoughts and feelings and even if I did try they were not valued and even belittled. So, to have a safe space to explore life is the beginning of my journey – I feel we found each other just at the right time for me. I feel that it’s met me and I’ve met it (St Columba) exactly at the right time and now I can, side by side with myself, walk in faith, walk in dignity, walk in self-respect and walk in love towards myself which makes me a better human being”
Resident – East London
“Thursday night group has given me a sense of community, a sense of real belonging where people are just sharing their truth with each other it’s just an amazing experience.
Resident – East London
I think it’s had a dramatic effect on me as someone who had no background of faith. It’s changed what I thought possible about myself and about my relationship with Christianity and religion. Its changed how I want to be in the world. It’s started to get me thinking about how I can contribute more, make a more meaningful impact rather than thinking about how I can optimise myself, or feel better which to be honest was part of the motivation for coming along at first when I was in a very low point in my life. I feel lighter I feel more connected to something eternal, something beautiful.”
Resident – East London
“St Columba has been an important part of my journey even though I am not a religious person, I don’t believe that someone has to be part of some sort of religious group to follow their spiritual path, I think what St Columba has been for me is an avenue to access community as it doesn’t force people to conform to the belief of what it stands for, and I feel it has been really accepting to people no matter what kind of background they come from… it’s been important for me to be a part of a community where I think I can share anything without feeling that there is going to be judgement towards me. It’s been a good part of my life.”
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