From his first faltering steps into an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting where he gained sobriety, to the steps that later took him into the fellowship hall of the Mountain View Central Adventist Church, Mark Sulger felt a special leading.

"God took me by the hand and led me every step," he says.

Fortunately for dozens of other men and women in recovery, Sulger allowed himself to be led, first to recovery in 1987, and then to begin a biblically-based 12-step program at Mountain View Central.

Recovery Church, approved by the church board, meets on Friday evenings. "We are very happy with the way it's worked," says Pastor Curtis Church. "It refreshes you to see the excitment they get from understanding forgiveness and God's acceptance. It gives them a proper picture of God."

It's also good for the church members. "This has helped our church see the hand of God working in groups of people they never had much association with," Church adds.

Learning to Surrender

Sulger learned first-hand about surrendering to a higher power. "AA encourages you to get hooked up with a higher power, but they don’t really say who or what that is. I continued to want more and found others like me that wanted more," says Sulger. "I went looking for God and went to about nine different denominations searching for Him. The Holy Spirit was calling me."

In God's time, Sulger met the man who would introduce him to the Bible and the God of the Bible while attending a party.

"There was an elderly gentlemen that made me laugh, and I was impressed with the way he spoke about God," he says. "When he left, I asked my girlfriend, who is now my wife, who that was, and she said he was the pastor of her church."

That man was Pastor V.J. Puccinelli of the Mountain View Central church. He and Sulger began a weekly Bible study that lasted 18 months.

"I fell in love, learned about the Sabbath, started tithing and learning about the blessings that come from that," he says. He was baptized in 1995 and now serves as head elder.

Recovery Church

Realizing that others need a place to learn about God, he asked a friend at his weekly, noon recovery meeting, "If I start a church, would you come? He said, not only would he come, but he'd bring his whole motorcycle gang." That first night, 50 people showed up!

The Friday night meetings, with approximately 20 people regularly attending, include food, music, sharing the week's victories, and Bible study taught by Sulger. "They are quite fascinated with Scripture," says Church. "We lead them to a greater understanding of God. That leads them to forgiveness, the second coming, health and other unique Adventist beliefs."

Many have become involved in other programs like the Sabbath morning new believers class.

"A few of us wanted to study the Bible in more depth," says Steve Houghton, an original member of the Friday night group. "We’d come at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning and study with Mark, and then we were invited to stay for the services. I fell in love with the church and this message."

"Steve Houghton was the first one to get baptized. He’s now a deacon," says Sulger. "We’ve baptized six people in the last two years and three or four more are asking for Bible studies. We’re meeting them where they are."