Partners In The Gospel - Part Two

Recently we took the opportunity to conduct an online interview with our friend, and partner in the gospel Davie Hughes. Davie is the Ministry Lead for Road to Recovery Liverpool, at Trinity Church Everton.

Davie, thank you for taking time out to answer a few questions about Road to Recovery at Trinity Church Everton. Can you firstly share a little about yourself for those who may not know you?

I’m 40 (I know I don’t look it haha!) and currently engaged to Sophie, getting married in the summer. I’ve been at my current church for over 10 years and have been working at Trinity Church Everton for around the same amount of time.

Why did you decide to partner with Hope For Addiction UK by starting a Road to Recovery meeting at your church?

I happened to connect with Terry McCutcheon (Executive Director) over lockdown. Somebody told me about Hope for Addiction UK and gave me Terry’s details. We did a number of zooms over lockdown and then I eventually came up to visit Glasgow. The more I understood why you do what you do it made sense. The format was more accessible to those from a twelve step background. People love hearing testimonies of others in recovery and the readings helped to bring in the Bible at a level everyone could make sense of and apply to life. Also, having a structured meeting means we can deal with any number of people no matter where they are in the recovery process.

Could you tell us more about a typical week and what that looks like as you minister to those with addiction issues? 

Most of my time is spent running a few recovery groups in my Church and another Church in Liverpool. I spend a lot of my time communicating and spending time with those in addiction. We do life together, bring the bible to bear in whatever the situations is, praying with people, and helping the addict to better engage in the battle. This often involves providing practical support and helping to connect them to the church community. I also spend time connecting with the community through different forms of outreach.

The bible is obviously central to your ministry as it is here at Hope For Addiction UK.  If you were asked to highlight a few main points about the bible as it relates to addiction, what would you say?

The world thinks that addiction is either a disease or a choice. But the Bible says that we are sinners by birth (that’s why it feels like a disease) and sinners by choice. We choose our addiction because we like what it does for us. Or another way of putting it is the whole Bible is asking the question “who will your worship?” Addiction is a worship disorder, we worship our desires, ourselves instead of the one true God and that’s central to the problem of addiction. The Addiction or the false god is what we use to fulfil our desires for comfort, peace, pleasure, escape, confidence etc. Instead of seeking these things in the land of blessing we go outside of God’s will in the land of curses to seek these things. Addiction is a sin at its root but the early stages of addiction are very different from the later stages of addiction. Addiction is a sin but it can morph into a disease for example when someone becomes physically dependent on alcohol. The Bible is very clear about the power of practised sin and the bondage it leads to.

At Hope For Addiction UK, we use a variety of resources to help address addiction from a biblical perspective. One such resource is Addictions: A Banquet In The Grave  by Ed Welch. Do you have any particular resources (or approaches) that you use/point people toward to aid them personally in their recovery?

The main one we use is also Addictions: A Banquet In The Grave. But we also have used the online material by Brad Hambrick called Overcoming Addiction. It covers additional areas of interests related to addiction, motivators for addiction and recovery, how drug and alcohol abuse affects the person’s body, emotions, thinking and function. It also helps us to think about how addictions affects relational dynamics and how to practically pursue a sober life. Plus many other areas that are helpful.

We both have a shared desire that the local church would be central in people’s lives as they recover from addiction issues. What difference can the local church make in addictions ministry?

The local church is central to addictions ministry. The local church has all the resources needed to help address addiction issues. God has given us his word which “provides everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). God’s truth is preached, counselled, sung and preached in the Church. We understand the Bible best in the church among God’s people. People need God’s community to change, to learn how to live the Christian life, to learn how to do relationships, to practice patience, love, forgive to grow, mature and serve. The list goes on.

What advice would you give to someone who is working with an addict in their church but is perhaps not part of a wider network of support?

The first thing that comes to mind is not to do it alone. You need to widen the circle of wisdom. It’s too big of a burden to carry alone. When you lack experience and wisdom, working with an addict can become overwhelming and we can do things out of desperation. It very easy to become someone’s saviour. Having another person at least to consult with can help you to walk wisely and prayerfully with an addict. It’s important that someone doesn’t become dependent on you. You need to help that person take responsibility for their life and recovery.  

Linked to this is trying to get someone not just to consult with but also someone else in the church who can actually become involved in the addict’s life. It is important that it’s not all on you and that there is input from another spiritually mature Christian. Make it clear that you won’t be always available and there are limits to your time and energy. So another person can at least help provide extra support for you and the person you're involved with. If you can add to this number even better. But this will all take time and growing trust.

You need to get some buy in from the addict. What you’re willing to do to help them is important but so is what they are willing to do to help themselves. It needs to be collaborative. As someone said, the individual needs to be doing more for their recovery than you are. Show them that they need community including the church, their family (if possible) and the community. Point that person to what’s going on in the church and tell them to make use of what’s on offer. Help them think about ways in which they can improve their support network and fill their time productively by making use of what is happening in the church and local community.

In September 2024 we were delighted that you celebrated two years of Road to Recovery at your church. Can you highlight some of the challenges you’ve faced over that period and are there any particular high points for you?

In terms of challenges I would say it is get people connected to the church. Addicts find community hard and have a lot of baggage. So for them relationships and community is hard because there can be a lack of maturity, confidence as well as insecurities and scars from the past. Regular Christian attendance is a challenge with relapses and the discipline of getting up early on a Sunday. There is obviously a spiritual battle going on here to.

There is challenges in terms of getting people to walk alongside those suffering with addiction issues. We are only a small church which is already stretched. Not everyone naturally moves towards others and is confident in discipling others. So we need more people to help and to grow in this area.

High points have been when we're seeing new people come and stay. I definitely think that the format of Road to Recovery helps with this as it’s familiar to those from a twelve step background. Recently we had lots of new people coming through just one person inviting them and many of them have come for a number of weeks.

Connected to this is the partnerships we have with other churches. We have a number of mature Christians coming from another local church and who come regularly and connect with those attending the group. This is a big help in terms of connecting with the suffering addict. Other high points would be seeing people seeking to lead the meeting and wanting to grow in this so that the meeting is not solely dependent on me which is much healthier for the ministry.

As you look ahead to the next 2-3 years are there any particular targets you have in mind?

We would like to see 10 new addicts going to church, getting saved and becoming church members. Wow would like to regularly have twenty plus people attending the meeting. Two people who would become group members, who are able to lead the meeting and to do one-to-one work.That two churches in Liverpool would start a Road to Recovery group or a similar Biblical addictions support group.

Finally, how can we and others be praying for you and Trinity Church Everton?

Thank God for growth in the Church and all the new people who are coming within the last numbers of months. Pray that we would meet the challenge to welcome and disciple those people and they in turn would disciple others.

Pray as we grow and think about the possibility of getting a new building in the future. That God would provide the right building so that we can continue to grow. Pray that as we are already stretched as a church we would make wise decisions in what we do and what we don’t do.

Thank God for two Baptism that will be happening at the end of March. Both people have come from an addiction background which is encouraging because they are sober and a part of the church. Pray that we would use the opportunity to showcase God’s grace to many people who don’t yet know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.