Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Post 40

Pioneers and Frontiers     


We were invited and challenged to be “pioneers”.  It was an exciting event! 
The huge hotel ballroom was filled with professionals, anxious to hear about treatment for problem gambling.  I had driven 2 ½ hours to attend Ohio’s First Ever Annual Conference on Problem Gambling.  The keynote speaker, Loreen Rugle, Ph.D., excitedly exclaimed that, years before, a “conference” on problem gambling might be a handful of colleagues gathered around her office space.  Instead, this was 2003 … and a real crowd of therapists and social workers had gathered.
Gambling Recovery Ministries (GRM) was not quite two years old then … and the call to be a pioneer in the burgeoning field of problem gambling recovery rang true.  Even more so was the case for an outreach ministry - specific to problem gamblers and their loved ones!   Hand books, blue prints, instructions, how-to lists, and model programs could not be found.  Salvation Army did (and still does) minister to gamblers seeking recovery; but they, admirably, have a wide and wonderful range of other outreach endeavors, as well.
Pioneering was reality to us in GRM … and it still is.  There are expanses of territory to explore: building new collaborations, strengthening the connections we have … and always, providing help and hope to those affected by gambling addiction.
Then too, it’s rough to be on the frontier.  The American History lessons I used to teach were filled with challenges – to the mind, body, and spirit.  But it’s worth it!  
For this month’s GRM BLOG, I want to welcome you to the frontier
the sewing seeds, boots-on-the-ground, boundary-expanding, and rewarding frontier ministry of outreach to problem gamblers and their loved ones.  

Below are the letters F-R-O-N-T-I-E-R, 
and you will see both the challenges and rewards with this kind of ministry.  

BUT REMEMBER:  IT IS TRANSFORMING and WORTH IT!
  
F
Frustrating:  When others are not able to catch your vision of making a difference in the lives of folks desperate to find help … when funding diminishes … when GA and Gam-Anon Meetings and certified counselors are few and far between
Fun:  When you try something out for the first time and it actually works.  Early on, the GRM Board invited GA members from Cincinnati to come and give a workshop on problem gambling recovery … it was a night of fantastic witness to recovery and we made new friends with the experts in recovery!

R
Relapse:  Recovery is rarely experienced as an upward straight line.  It’s tough to hear of relapse … it’s tough to see and hear unhappy and disappointed loved ones.
Rewarding:  To attend open celebrations of abstinence (“Pinnings”) and hear family members speak of having their parent/spouse back … that life is better now than ever before … that’s a reward with no $$ amount to it!

O
Online:  Online gambling poses an ever-present possibility of 24/7 gambling … and it’s spreading legally throughout our country … an especially, new challenge to face in terms of underage gambling
Online:  Online, there are now listed many services to problem gamblers and their loved ones … even online support groups … many people have learned about us through our www.grmumc.org website.  E-introducing others, in collaboration, is also a joy!
 
N
New:  When everything is new, nothing is routine.  New people to meet; new ways to reach out; new materials to create.  No more going on automatic!
New:   New doors open with new resources and new colleagues … and new opportunities to gain skills and knowledge to share, later, with others, who enter new in the field.

T
Tried and tired:  With few precedents, there’s much trial and error.  Overestimating, underestimating … a lot of energy is spent (and sometimes, not worth a second attempt).
Treasures:  There are “gold-nugget” people who will step out and take the risk to invest their support (time, effort, funding) in this new ministry field.  Partnering with them brings strength to our boundary-expanding kind of work.

I
Inward:  Inward” thinking has the focus, we’ve never done that before ... so why would we want to do this?
Initiatives:  Help find people who – before - had been marginalized, ignored, or isolated.

E
Enough:  In a rapidly changing – and challenging – frontier ministry, there never seems to be enough … always building inventory, always on the edge of running out.
Enough:  God supplies (often, surprisingly) and there is enough – faith, that is!

R
Rugged:  When you’re climbing a mountain, and the twists and turns obscure the view, the final goal is hard to see.  Persistence and perseverance are called on … all the time.
Rare:  It’s a rare time in church history to be a part of creating (yes, we’re still in this phase) a ministry that is taking on a brand new outreach to an ever-growing number of persons around the world.  

The final good news is that the frontiers are still open!   
There is much to do … many people to meet … many to teach … and many to reach.
If you want to hear more about pioneering ministry to problem gamblers and their loved ones,
let us hear from you!

Blessings,
Rev. Janet Jacobs
Founding Director
Gambling Recovery Ministries