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Grace Community Church (GCC) invites you to a Night of Freedom at the Tower Center at Unity Square in downtown Bartlesville.

Traci Barnes with GCC said Night of Freedom is a time where everyone can get together and see the freedom that children, teens and adults are finding through a Christ-centered recovery program called Celebrate Recovery. She said July 4 will be a day to celebrate our independence as a nation, while July 5 will be a day to celebrate the freedom to overcome.

Barnes said we can all say that we've overcome something in life so whether you've been a part of a recovery program or not, Night of Freedom is an excellent time to get plugged in. She said there will be live music, inflatables, free hot dogs and fellowship.

The event will last from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on July 5.

Freedom is talked about often at Celebrate Recovery. For example, we all may have experienced loneliness, depression or stress during the coronavirus pandemic. Barnes said they want to celebrate your recovery and the recovery of others, no matter what hurdles you've had to jump over. She said people of all ages in the community will give their testimonies of recovery.

Celebrate Recovery is a network of like-minded, Bible-based communities. Barnes said GCC's ministry is part of an international movement to bring Christ-centered, Bible-based community to the whole world. She said it started with Rick Warren, John Baker and a church in California over 30 years ago. The program has touched 33,000 churches nationwide.

At Grace Community Church, Celebrate Recovery meets every Monday night at 6:30. Barnes said this is a safe place for you to come and find community with others. She said they provide a safe environment for people to talk about their hurts, their habits and their hang ups.

Barnes has been through Celebrate Recovery as well. She said the she's learned to overcome control, past childhood abuse and co-dependency through a Christ-centered recovery program.

Barnes has two children that have been through the Celebrate Recovery program as well. Barnes said her children are nine and eleven respectively. She said they've learned to communicate openly about what is going on in their lives, which gives her tremendous hope for their future as adults.

Through Celebrate Recovery, Barnes said they won't say that they will pray over you and walk you out the door. Barnes said they want to have a genuine walk with you and hear from you about your struggles. She said they won't try to fix you, but they'll listen to you and provide a safe environment for you to speak.

There is no pre-registration to be apart of Celebrate Recovery. All you have to do is show up to Grace Community Church located at 1500 SE Kings Drive in Bartlesville.

Barnes said Celebrate Recovery is not solely focused on drug and alcohol recovery. She said one in every three people are there for drugs and alcohol related recovery. People come to Celebrate Recovery to get over shame, anger, fear, control, people pleasing, despair, abuse, pornography, finances, and more.

To hear more from Barnes about Celebrate Recovery, Grace Community Church and Night of Freedom, you can watch the video below.