Church pastor to serve Groesbeck in recovery

It started with a phone call from Pastor Frederick Krajewski’s ex-wife. “She wanted me to move out here,” Rev. Krajewski said. She knew of many individuals in the Limestone County area that needed someone to talk to for help with addiction, fellowship and sobriety.

“She told some pastors out here and they started calling me,” he said. “Then some of the people were calling me here to minister to them over the phone.”

Krajewski hails from the Houston area, from the Mercy Street Church that focuses on recovery and life after substance abuse. He was sponsoring a lot of people in church there. Initially he told those asking that he would have to uproot entirely, saying, “I live Houston, I’ve got my whole life here.”

“It became apparent that out here, there’s nothing,” he said, referring to sober living environments, halfway houses, three-quarter houses and treatment centers. “That started weighing on me.”

He started researching the area. Krajewski found out that tri-county area has a large problem predominantly with meth and heroin addiction. He began calling local churches and finding that previous recovery programs fizzled or lost attendance after some time.

“I sponsor a lot of people in programs,” he said, referring to present day and his work with Mercy Street Church. “ We believe a different kind of community forms when we set aside what can easily separate us, things like being Republican, Democrat, a Texan or die-hard Cowboy fan, two days sober or never touched a drink, documented or undocumented, introverted or never met a stranger, worn out or energized,” reads a portion of the church’s mission statement.

According to Krajewski, there’s a systemic, multigenerational problem with drugs and alcohol in the area. He wants to provide a space of open-mindedness and open-heartedness similar to church experiences, but for those who aren’t ready for the “full-church” experience or those who do not wish to go back. “There no expectation or not on whether they know the bible, study the bible…they let move forward at their own pace,” Krajewski said. “We teach them how to pray

“The expectation is not that they be perfect or become perfect, but that they show up,” he said. Most of the people that go to Mercy Street are in recovery. Mercy Street serves as the model for Krajewski’s project in Limestone County, Groesbeck, Mexia and the surrounding area.

“The model is a place where people in recovery, where people are coming off the streets, people who are damaged and suffering, come to a place where the people are the church,” he said, noting that everyone attending is just like everyone else. Groups are at different levels depending on which point each are in, in the recovery process. Many are just beginning the journey, while the second group typically consists of those that have been sober for a while and are focused on the solution and not the problem. The church is only modeled off of Mercy Street, with the Reverend no longer affiliated.

“It’s a program of attraction rather than promotion,” he says, noting that many who are suffering end up wanting to come there. “When they come to Mercy Street, they say that there is something different about this place. This is not that place I was at before. I believe that God is providing that for them.”

He believes that those in recovery serve as a healing element for churches as well. He speaks of large churches that suffer from division, or a schism, in the congregation. The broken people like those in recovery are a healing element for that problem.

“The world is ready for a discipleship program that has one expectation, and that is that you be in a relationship with your creator,” he said, adding that however said creator reveals itself. “You can’t be telling all these broken, messed-up people that they can’t come to church,” he said. “They don’t want us. They don’t think they need us. We need them. The way we get where we’re going in our lives is by helping them improve their relationship with God.”

Sobriety group leaders are used to members not showing up. Krajewski has an action plan involving distribution of meeting times and strong efforts to raise awareness of the group. Outreach is a key part, from giving rides or providing materials for support. The pastor is a Christian, preaching the gospel in the name of Jesus Christ.

For group sessions, he plans on organizing the recovery church’s service on a night that doesn’t conflict with other congregations, like Wednesdays or Sundays. “On a Saturday night service, probably meet around 5:30 or 6 p.m., and [provide] music, celebrations, worship, the word, communion. And then have recovery meetings afterwards.” For the most part, recovery groups use the text of the “Big Book,” also known as the “Blue Book.”

He said that at Mercy Street, they’d have spiritual group meetings in which members were free to talk about their own spirituality freely as they saw it, with the promise of others only listening despite personal beliefs. The group was beneficial to those developing and identifying God, and understanding their faith as it formed. “My goal is to have a mental health meeting too,” he said. “For people that are trying to maintain medication compliance, trying to figure out a way to deal with mental health issues, and how they’re going to deal with people in their that are a part of lives, so that they can move forward and have people that are good for their recovery.”

Krajewski arrived to the area over a month ago and had difficulty finding housing. He received another phone call from a friend, suggesting he offer a trade for a place to live. That day, he stopped at a house in town with an owner seeking a remodel. He offered to remodel the house in exchange for a place to live, and settled for carpentry as he began to talk community members in recovery. He’s been working with other homeowners in the area, assisting with repairs in exchange for help on his own remodel. He also serves as Chaplain for Limestone Medical Center.

“It’s a good time to be here,” he said. “There’s a lot of prosperity getting ready to come to this town.”

The church will serve forms of recovery outside of addiction, like physical, mental and spiritual healing. According to the Reverend, each is equally important. “The principle of no judgment and instead, love” is a key focus of its mission.

Krajewski is available to speak to those interested in the church, from those in recovery to community religious leaders by calling 346-770-9517.

Editor's Note:  A previous version of this article included an address intended to benefit those seeking guidance in recovery. The article listed an address of the residence that was never intended to be the location of a recovery congregation. We have removed to address to protect those involved and to prevent any confusion. The purpose of this article was to highlight the local efforts amongst those in recovery and other pastors in the development of the said program.