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Across the West, The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARCs) are partnering with the recovery-focused nonprofit Came to Believe to offer immersive, weekend-long retreats that cover the 12 Steps of recovery in just three days.
Developed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) co-founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith, the 12-step program has helped people maintain sobriety and break destructive patterns for more than 80 years, a foundation The Salvation Army has built on through its six-month residential ARC program.
Typically, working through the steps takes months to years.
Came to Believe, however, brings an accelerated approach as teams travel to ARCs to hold retreats that guide participants through self-reflection, making amends, spiritual growth and more.
ARC Commander Lt. Colonel Mark Nelson said the goal is to provide participants with a strong foundation for recovery.
“The retreats give everyone a chance to go through the full 12-step journey and continue practicing the steps throughout their recovery,” Nelson said. “We’ve always included the steps in the program, but by the end of six months, most participants hadn’t completed them all.”
“Recovery is never over. Staying present in those final steps keeps me alive in God and renews my relationship with him.”
Maudie Williamson
Since incorporating Came to Believe in spring 2024, ARCs have seen a five percent increase in program completion, Nelson said. By October 2025, the retreats will be held at all 18 of the West’s ARCs.
“It’s incredible to see people who struggled for years unburden themselves and take action in their recovery,” he said.
Program Administrator at the Long Beach (California) ARC Captain Taneya Garrett has worked alongside Came to Believe staff to develop a curriculum that aligns with ARC teachings.
“I helped establish some of the lessons so that they can be successful within our centers,” Garrett said. “We’re not just trying to prevent relapse—we’re helping people live in recovery and grow closer to Jesus.”
The weekend experience
At the Pasadena (California) ARC’s retreat Aug. 15–17, some 50 beneficiaries from both the men’s and women’s programs gathered to learn each step together before breaking into small groups to explore, share experiences and put what they’ve learned into practice.
Participants begin with step one, the admission phase, where they are guided to see their struggles as challenges they can understand and overcome.
“We let everyone know the importance of admission and beginning to face their setbacks head-on—that’s when growth happens,” said Came to Believe Coordinator for Program Operations Maudie Williamson, a Pasadena ARC graduate.
Williamson works alongside participants at each retreat, sharing her testimony of graduating from the ARC in 2019.
She said she was first contacted as an ARC alumna to help with the retreats shortly after they began. Just one month later, she was hired as a full-time staff member with Came to Believe, where she travels with the team, coordinates retreats and plans schedules.
“I let everyone know I was in their shoes just six years ago,” Williamson said. “I think it helps them realize that they can get through this, grow and build the life they want in recovery.”
For the first group exercise, everyone received a blank piece of paper and instructions to close their eyes and follow a series of vague folding and ripping directions.
When they opened their eyes and compared papers at the end, participants were encouraged to reflect on the different outcomes, highlighting each person’s uniqueness and perspective, much like the individuality of their own recovery journey.
“In recovery, we move through the steps and we learn to trust God throughout the process,” she said.
Williamson said on the first day of the retreat, many participants often seem apprehensive or skeptical, but by Sunday afternoon, they have gained new understandings.
In the final afternoon group session, all are invited to share how God revealed himself to them over the weekend. Many take to the altar to share how life-changing the experience was.
“We hear responses like, ‘This changed me’ and ‘If you guys didn’t come, I wouldn’t have seen recovery this way,’” she said. “Everyone is just excited and prepared to keep pushing forward.”
Beyond the retreat
Williamson said that once an individual completes all 12 steps, they continue practicing and living steps 10-12 daily, which focus on ongoing reflection, spiritual growth and carrying the message to others.
“Recovery is never over,” she said. “Staying present in those final steps keeps me alive in God and renews my relationship with him.”
Following the retreat, a 26-week curriculum called Recovery Assurance remains in place at each ARC to continue the momentum.
“We wanted to make sure that when the retreat ended, participants didn’t just leave with a weekend of experiences,” Garrett said. “Each center follows through with classes that help them put the 12 Steps into practice.”
Classes cover topics such as spiritual communities, mindsets and the effects of substances on the brain, all while encouraging participants to let God guide their recovery.
Smaller process groups then follow, providing further opportunities for practice and questions.
“Without Jesus, that void in us will never be completely filled,” Garrett said. “So many people in the rooms of AA are missing that opportunity. Here, the guys connect with God and really get to see, ‘Oh man, this is possible.’”
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