Recovery Sunday 2024
Sunday, 27th October 2024, will be another milestone in the history of the battle against addiction to alcohol, drugs, and other harmful behaviours in Wales.
Once again, this year, a Sunday has been designated as Recovery Sunday to encourage churches not only to think about those suffering from various dependencies or addictions, to learn more about their situation, their needs, and the help available through such centres as ‘Adferiad Recovery’, the Living Room, Cynnal, Enfys, and other providers, but also to encourage churches to do something practical to help. This could involve a financial contribution towards the work. Others may take note of what is said in Hebrews 13, 3 “Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them.” The author of the letter to the Hebrews no doubt refers to a literal, physical prison, but on Recovery Sunday let us remember that addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, sex/pornography, gambling etc. is a prison for so many people today.
Wynford Ellis Owen, Specialist Counselling Consultant, and leader of Cynnal, the counselling service for clergy, ministers of religion, Christian workers, and their families: he, too, is responsible for the Living Room, and Enfys, the counselling service for medical and health workers in Wales.
"It's high time to challenge the idea that addiction is something shameful, something to hide. Even in church life, people and families struggle against addiction.
"Everyone is recovering from some condition or another – be it a difficult childhood, recent bereavement, job loss, cancer or some other illness. Recovery Sunday is an opportunity for us to come together and start talking openly about recovery. The principles of recovery extend beyond drug use, beyond alcohol use – they apply to all of us."
This years’ service has been prepared by Rhys Powys, an award-winning director of television dramas, and will be transmitted on BBC Radio Cymru on the morning of Sunday 27th October – and you can use this service in your churches.
During the service the author questions his right to prepare the service in the first place, “Who am I to put together a service on the theme of “recovery”? I’ve never done it before. What right do I have to say anything about “addiction” or “recovery”? What right does anyone have to put themselves in someone else’s shoes? To make statements about something they have not directly experienced.”
This will be Wales’s thirteenth Recovery Sunday. On this Sunday, we invite Christians to unite in prayer for those who are dependent and trapped in addiction, asking God to help us to help them.