Tika Johns is a woman who truly loves her job. As the assistant manager of Fried Green Tomatoes, a popular Warner Robins eatery, Tika is an energetic and beloved employee who loves pleasing her customers with a courteous smile with the warm familiarity of an old friend.

Two years ago, however, things were very different for Tika.Unbelievably, she was living behind a dumpster near Lowe’s as a prisoner of her drug and alcohol addiction. “I had been addicted to methamphetamine for years,” she recalls, “and my life just took a downward spiral. It actually had gotten to the point where I didn’t want to live anymore.”

Her life would drastically change when she met two pivotal people:Pastor Terry Theus of Celebrate Recovery Ministries and Susie Robinson of The Well, a transitional house for women. “After I met Pastor Terry and Miss Susie, I told them that I wanted (the joy) that they had. I really didn’t want to continue to chase a feeling that I was never going to find withdrugs, and they helped me to find Jesus.”

One of the programs that helped Tika overcome her addiction is called Recovery Way. Founded by Pastor Terry in 2017, it is a 90-day recovery program that has helped hundreds of people to face their addictions and get their lives back on track. The group meets every Monday at 7 pm in room 101 of the worship center at The Assembly Church. The Assembly offers a Christ-centered, loving environment for those who are struggling with pain or addiction of any kind.

Terry, who has been a pastor at Celebrate Recovery Ministries for the past 8 years, says, “I love helping people to come out of their hurts, habits and hang-ups; it has become my true calling in life. I’ve been where they’ve been, so I know what they’re going through.”

The 62-year-old Houston County native found his calling by 'walking the walk,' as it were. “I came from a broken home, and my parents divorced when I was six. We moved here, and my mother had to work hard in order to provide for her three children.” When he was around, which was seldom, Terry's father would constantly tell him that he was “a mistake” and that he would never amount to anything. “At school, the teachers would affirm this because I simply wouldn’t do my work.”

To fight the pain and to also emulate his older brothers’ habits, Terry began to start using drugs around the age of 12. Like millions of addicts, he first started using drugs recreationally before going down a darker road of addiction. “My drug of choice was meth, and it became my master.Because of my addiction, I became a thief and liar; I was even stabbed three times and almost lost my life at one point.”

However, a pivotal point in Terry’s life came when he was in his early twenties. “I had been on a binge and was driving on Russell Parkway, and the police pulled me over into the Oakland Baptist Church parking lot.” The officer told Terry on the way to jail that if he didn’t change his ways, he’d end up dead or in prison.

Two years later, Terry was sitting on a park bench waiting for a drug deal, and a stranger walked by and asked him a simple but penetrating question. “He asked me if I was a Christian. I told him yes, and he said,“Good. We all need to serve God.’ Then he walked off. It was a lie since I didn’t grow up knowing anything about God, but his question made a huge impact on me.”

Inspired by this strange encounter, he urged his friends to take him home, where he found a Bible. Terry then asked God to show him the scripture that would ultimately change his life. “Up to that point, I was a liar and thief, so I didn’t think God would have anything to do with me,” he explains, “but I promised Him I would change my life if He helped me.”Terry then began to read Romans 10:13, which states, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It was at that point that Terry was saved; he gave up his partying ways for good and began putting his faith into practice.

“The first thing I did was preach the Bible to his drug-dealing friends,” he says with a laugh, “but they told me that although they were excited for me,they didn’t want to hear it and suggested I go find a church.”

He then found himself at Christ United Methodist Church and was scheduled to be baptized by its pastor, Buddy Cooper. “He asked me to meet him at Oakland Baptist Church for the baptism, the very spot where I was arrested years ago.” Terry’s life had indeed come full circle.

Now as a pastor himself at the Assembly, along with lead pastor Darrell Yarbrough, Terry is heavily involved in prison ministry, a program for teens called Teen Challenge, and filling in for other pastors from time to time.However, he views Recovery Way as his true purpose.

The origin of the ministry actually involved an employee at Terry’s floor covering business. “Around 3 years ago, one of my workers was struggling with addiction, but he couldn’t go to a long term treatment program since he had to support his family. So I designed a program for him based on my own experiences, and I told him that if he followed it, he’d be free from his addiction. Within a month, his life had radically changed for the better, so I figured that I’d make my program available to more people.”

Terry soon put his curriculum into an easy to follow workbook, and folks began contacting him about joining. Recovery Way even has its own choir,which performs at local retirement homes. On Tuesdays the group hosts Celebrate Recovery, a chip ceremony honoring those who have managed to stay clean. “We had close to 300 people at our last meeting,” says Terry with a smile.

In February one of Celebrate Recovery’s participants was Adrian Waters, who celebrated two years of sobriety. “My daughter gave me my two year chip, which was a surprise, and I was overcome with pride,” she says.

With well over 200 graduates thus far, Terry couldn’t be happier or more proud. “He’s an amazing supporter for people with addiction,” says Tika, who also serves as a leader in the program. “Pastor Terry always believed in me and loved me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

“Recovery ministry is where I belong. With the Lord’s help and grace, Iwas set free from my own addiction, and I’ve been paying it forward ever since,” explainsTerry proudly. “These folks come to us, and they’re oppressed and depressed from their addictions. Most of them have no direction or hope for the future, so we give them a purpose and a direction; that’s the best gift you can give someone. I find the most fulfilling thing is seeing their lives transformed, and that's more powerful than any drug.”