Lynn Gwenzi's Story

From a Guest to a Graduate: How a Single Service Transformed My Life

I came to Celebration Church one day simply to support a friend. I was from a different church and had no idea I was about to encounter God in a way that would redefine my life.

Before ROOTS, I was a woman who believed in my own strength. My version of "empowerment" was worldly—if you wronged me, we went to war. My words were my weapons, and I was always ready to fight to prove what I was made of. I was strong, but my strength was rooted in pride and conflict.

As I sat in the service, the Holy Spirit overwhelmed me. It felt as if Pastor Tom was speaking to me alone. When I saw the ROOTS graduates walk in, including my friend, I was moved by a joy I couldn't explain. I found myself dashing to the front, in tears, to sign up for the very program I had come to observe.

The lesson on Sobriety was the divine medicine I needed. It was as if it surgically removed the toxic words I used as weapons. I was grounded by the truth of Proverbs 11:22—learning that true discretion is like a beautiful jewel, and without it, my strength was as unattractive as a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

ROOTS replaced my fight with faith and my warfare with wisdom. I no longer feel the zeal to fight; instead, I am calm, I breathe, and I respond with Godly discernment. I found more than a program—I found a safe space in my cell group, sisters who held my hands in prayer, and the realization that I was never alone in my struggles.

I graduated from the Planted Level a changed woman, now empowered in a Godly way. My journey continues, taking roots downward so I can bear fruit upward, all because I accepted an invitation to be a plus one.