Journey to Wholeness at the South Bend Berean Transformation Center 

By David Sedlacek, PhD, LCSW, CFLE

Journey to Wholeness was birthed in 2010 when Adventist Recovery Ministries (ARMin) formally built on the foundation laid by SDA Regeneration and its founder, Hal Gates. It was shortly after this that David Sedlacek, a member of the ARMin board, petitioned his church, the Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Bend, Indiana, to vote the approval of the formation of a Journey to Wholeness group at the church. Prior to the vote of the board, an Addiction Awareness Sabbath program was conducted to inform the members of the church about addiction, its treatment, and the benefits of hosting a Journey to Wholeness group at Berean. The request was unanimously approved by the Church Board and the group began operation in 2011. 

The group met face-to-face on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the pastor’s study for many years. This room was chosen because it was safe and accessible. The meeting was advertised in the church bulletin and in the free advertising section of the South Bend Tribune. Contact was also made with the South Bend probation office from which several referrals were made to the Journey Group for those seeking a Christ-Centered 12-step group. Over the years, many individuals joined and left the group when they felt ready. Members were encouraged to work the program daily in addition to attending the weekly group. They were encouraged to use the Participant Guides developed by Jackie Bishop and Shelley Weaver under contract with the North American Division Health Ministries Department. When they could not afford the Participant Guides themselves, the Church Treasurer ordered them from funds collected both at the weekly meetings and in offerings given by church members who were members of the Journey group. The church treasurer created a line item in the church budget for Journey to Wholeness into which donations and offerings were recorded. 

Two members of Berean were equipped to lead the weekly group in case one of them could not attend on any given week. Members of the group presented with a variety of addictions including alcohol, drugs, codependency, control, perfectionism, and performance orientation, to name a few. Some also attended with conditions such as depression. Members of the group did not have to be members of the Berean family. It was made clear that the meetings were not evangelistic in nature; however, some were drawn to attend Berean and ultimately joined the church. 

Due to COVID-19, the group shifted from an in-person meeting to gathering virtually via Zoom. The group chose to maintain that format even after the pandemic subsided in intensity. The group not only has regular members, but is also a training ground to persons from around the country and even the world who want to experience healing and mentoring in how to lead Journey Groups. The group now uses the updated Facilitator and Participant Guides in which the concept of trauma has been integrated into the body of the material. Berean SDA Chuch has been relocated and has a new vision of being a transformation center for the community. Journey to Wholeness will be a much-needed resource to a community struggling with various forms of trauma and addiction.