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 September 12, 2006

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Alcoholics Anonymous History
My CityTeam Ministries Surprises

By Dick B.

For some time now, particularly since our recent trip to Washington, D.C., our attention has been turned toward the needs for help among the homeless, at-risk, imprisoned, and alcoholic/addict population. It goes without saying there are plenty of these within the ranks of A.A. and Twelve Step Fellowships. But the financial resources available to the population are limited, or non-existent. And for us, the Salvation Army, the Gospel Rescue Missions, Christian Endeavor, and the early A.A. Christian Fellowship in Akron have provided examples of conversions, prayer, fellowship, and witness to the end of providing love and service. Those early programs were highly successful. Their principles were simple—(1) Abstinence and resisting temptation, (2) Reliance on the Creator and becoming one of His children through Christ, (3) Obedience to His will by adhering to His commandments and eliminating transgressions, (4) Growth in fellowship with Him, His son, and believers through Bible study, prayer, Quiet Time, reading of Christian literature, and companionship, (5) Intense, compassionate, direct help extended to the outcasts.

For a couple of years, we have been aware of the existence of CityTeam Ministries, but certainly not of its operations or extensive outreach. We first learned from one of its volunteers that it had begun focusing on A.A., the Big Book, and the Twelve Steps as part of its recovery program. Then we learned from one of its benefactors that it was interested in our historical approach and stress on A.A.’s Bible roots. But nothing happened for some time. Then my son and I were invited to come to Kona and do a community presentation. Present, among others, was the President of CityTeam, who had come from San Jose to hear and learn. And, the next day, he arranged for me to come to the CityTeam Recovery Conference of 2006 in the Santa Cruz Mountains at their Camp MayMac where all the team leaders and many “clients” would be.

And this August, I went there with Terry D., my helper, and made an eight hour presentation over a period of four days.

And here were the Surprises

• Leaders from all six geographical centers, along with other staff, were present for all four of my two-hour presentations. With them were some sixty or more clients—men and women who had just emerged from the streets, from homeless situations, from incarceration, and from other at-risk circumstances. And all were prompt in their attendance, observably participating in the events, and fired up for the whole program.
   

• Each of the sessions was opened with a Christian prayer, singing of hymns, and praise. Every person appeared to have in front of himself or herself a Big Book, a Bible, and often a notebook. The resemblance of the backdrop to those in early recovery groups like the Salvation Army, the Missions, the YMCA, Christian Endeavor, the Oxford Group, and early Akron A.A. was inescapable.
   

• To my delight, I was given complete freedom to discuss A.A., the Big Book, the Twelve Steps, the Creator, Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, prayer, healing, quiet time, Anne Smith, Dr. Bob and his books, Sam Shoemaker and the Oxford Group, and even other influences like New Thought, Carl Jung, William James, and Dr. William Silkworth. It was an opportunity of such depth and breadth as I have experienced only at my eight annual seminars at the Wilson House in East Dorset, where Bill Wilson was born and laid to rest. There was no lack of mention of fellowship shortcomings having to do with “higher powers,” idolatry, “spirituality,” absurd names for God, and “spiritual awakenings that amount to personality changes.”
   

• Even better, the audience participated many times in question and answer periods where those present felt no constraint in asking specifics about the Bible, about my own views and experience, about A.A. and the Steps, and about prayer.
   

• And it didn’t end there. Most had received copies of my title The Good Book and The Big Book. Others won various of my titles in raffles the leader conducted. And almost every man and woman with a book came up, talked to me briefly, and asked me to sign their book—which I did.
   

• At mealtimes, I was asked to sit with, and—as is my custom--would have sought out newcomers who were eager to share their own circumstances and tell me about their short-term sobriety and need for A.A. and for a Christian program.
   

• You could learn from the leaders and the clients that their program was essentially long-term residential with three phases. The first was primarily an A.A. phase with work on the Big Book, Steps, and recovery. But I learned that all clients received bed, board, and instruction—soup, soap, and salvation, as one leader called it. Instruction meant assessment of reading capability, of education, of job needs, and personal hygiene—even to the point of providing dental care. There was no lack of talk about the Bible, Jesus Christ, prayer, and healing; nor was there lack of talk about how to take the Steps, learn more about them, see the importance of 10, 11, and 12 for continued growth, and practice them.. Apparently, after two or three months, the next phase involves more religious study. And eventually, the clients graduate and continue with jobs or education or family responsibilities. Leaders are in-residence and seem thoroughly conversant with the needs and actions of clients.
   

• Camp MayMac is a winner. Kids come there. Clients come there. And there is a huge meeting hall, dining facility, pool, playground green, and residential quarters. The Conference centered around the meeting hall.
   

• It is a fair statement that CityTeam is providing what A.A. needs and what treatment centers—with short-term residence—cannot or do not provide. You can’t escape the religious emphasis—prayers, Bible talk, mention of God and His son, and pertinent literature. And why? Because that was exactly what the highly successful Akron and Cleveland programs were all about. Nor can you escape the importance given 12 Step ideas—but not to the point that they are perverted into “higher powers” or other nonsense that has permeated the dismally unsuccessful programs of today. And the program is voluntary! You cannot escape the “holistic” approach dealing with nutrition, health, healing, education, vocation, literacy, faith, religion, recovery principles, Christian precepts and practices, Bible study, prayer, singing, and praise. It’s a moving experience, to say the least.

Why this Article?

Early A.A. was a Christian Fellowship. It emphasized acceptance of Christ, hospitalization, abstinence, prayer, healing, God’s guidance, Bible study, Christian literature, and topical discussions pertaining to these. It involved long-term “half-way” residence in the homes of pioneers. It afforded—in fact required—Twelfth-Step work with new people, both in recruiting and in visiting them at the hospital. Its “surrenders” were patterned on James 5:16 so that the newcomer first accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, then joined the “elders” in prayers that alcohol be taken out of his life, and then prayed for guidance and strength to live by the cardinal teachings of Jesus Christ. There was “counseling” by sane teachers like Anne Smith, Henrietta Seiberling, and Mr. and Mrs. T. Henry Williams. There was literature on just about any relevant topic in the Bible. There were daily devotions with real Christian tools like the Upper Room, The Runner’s Bible, The Imitation of Christ, My Utmost for His Highest, The Greatest Thing in the World. And there was daily religious and social comradeship.

How do we know? Frank Amos told us and told John D. Rockefeller, Jr.. And later literature like the AA of Akron pamphlets and DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers fleshed out the picture. And I’m sure my research and titles documented the conclusions and amplified the evidence.

If the Christian IN A.A., or the Christian who APPROACHES A.A., or the newcomer who is quite willing to receive Christ is not given an opportunity such as he had in early A.A. and such as is available in CityTeam Ministries, there are few other places for him to go WITHIN the A.A. umbrella. There are the Clarence Snyder Came to Believe Retreats. There are a few Christian treatment programs. But the literature and language of national A.A. today is idolatrous, fatalistic, anti-religious, and devoid even of a clothing for the Big Book and Twelve Steps that would make A.A.’s origins, meaning, and language comprehensible from a Christian standpoint.

My view was and is that A.A. has enormous value for the many reasons I’ve covered in my books. Not the least of which are its Bible roots, Christian origins, early successes, unique support system, appealing comradeship, opportunity for initial healing, and widespread availability. Further, when you couple this with a supportive program like that of CityTeam, you have a winner. And its leaders have observed the increase in success rates that have occurred when the whole program, as it now is, got underway and is growing. CityTeam is not competitive with the Twelve Step programs. It is supportive, but not uncritical. For someone has to see the nonsense of today for what it is and point back to the rich, highly successful Alcoholics Anonymous of early A.A. that had a documented 75% success rate in Akron and a 93% success rate in Cleveland among medically incurable alcoholics who really tried.

That’s not a new A.A. It’s the old school A.A. It’s not someone else’s program. It’s ours. It’s not exclusive because A.A. doors today are open to the world. It’s not intolerant except when someone throws stones at churches, religion, and the Bible. It’s not regressing. It’s remembering and profiting.

The model of CityTeam is one more than worthy of support for that organization and also for adaptation by prison ministries, Christian youth groups, Treatment centers and therapists willing to learn and teach history, and A.A. groups who will stand against intimidation and insult from anti-religious elements. These points are covered in much depth in three of my latest titles—A New Way In, A New Way Out, and Real Twelve Fellowship History. And, from the study group standpoint, in my titles The James Club, When Early AAs Were Cured and Why, and The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook. All available through http://aa-history.com/bookstore.

Gloria Dei

(To the Glory of God)

Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, Hawaii 96753-0837; 808 874 4876; dickb@dickb.com; http://www.dickb.com/index.shtml; http://www.dickb-blog.com; http://freedomranchmaui.org

Contact:
Dick B.
P.O. Box 837
Kihei, Hawaii
96753-0837
Ph/fax: 808-874-4876
dickb@dickb.com

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