Training that saves lives
BY REV. DR. DERREK BELASE
In last week’s Contact, Chaplain Michaela Drain had a thoughprovoking and informative article on the prevalence of mental health issues in our youth and young adults.
Our Social Principles encourage churches to not ignore this topic. In the section on the Nurturing Community, we find these admonitions: “We encourage pastors and faith communities to address this issue through preaching and teaching. We urge pastors and faith communities to provide pastoral care to those at risk, survivors, and their families, and to those families who have lost loved ones to suicide, seeking always to remove the oppressive stigma around suicide.”
One way to do that is through training in your local context. Two suicide prevention models are endorsed by the Oklahoma Conference and through which training can be offered to local churches.
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is an easy to remember set of 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.
Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis
and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.
The Oklahoma Conference trainers offer this one-hour course called “Gatekeeper” training. According to the Surgeon General’s National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2001), a gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and the warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.
Talk Saves Lives is the newest program we have endorsed. It is offered by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
This hour-long education program provides participants with a clear understanding of this leading cause of death, including the most up-to-date research on suicide prevention, and what they can do in their communities to save lives.
Participants will learn common risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide, and how to keep themselves and others safe.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to offer those.
Contact Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase (dbelase@okumc.org) if you are interested in this to be put in touch with a trainer.
Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase is the executive director of Connectional Ministry at the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Laity and clergy across our conference are trained in both programs and are willing to offer them to your local church settings.
Please note these trainings are for adults. Should you want training for youth and younger people, we work with the Oklahoma Department of
If you are thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide, tell someone who can help right away Call 911 for emergency services, go to the nearest hospital emergency room, OR call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline . The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Support is also available via live chat .
If you have a family member or friend who is suicidal, do not leave him or her alone. Try to get the person to seek help immediately from an emergency room, physician, or mental health professional. Take seriously any comments about suicide or wishing to die. Even if you do not believe your family member or friend will actually attempt suicide, the person is clearly in distress and can benefit from your help in receiving mental health treatment.
God has given us a New Day Camp
BY ALANNA IRELAND
“New day . . . God has given us a new day . . .” As Pastor Adam Shahan led campers in the “New Day Song,” written years ago by Alan Johnson specifically for New Day Camp, I really felt like this year’s camp was a new beginning, not only for campers, but for everyone in attendance. The Spirit was moving among leaders, nurses, deans, teen leaders-in-training, and volunteers alike.
Between the packed schedule, the heat, and the problems that can arise when folks come together even under the best of circumstances, leading at any camp can be a challenging experience. New Day camp, which serves children of parents who are currently incarcerated or have a history of incarceration, can offer additional challenges.
Campers often come to camp with heavy burdens, and it can be difficult to earn their trust. This year, the pastoral team decided to kick things off after Sunday night’s volunteer training by praying over and anointing the volunteers for the week ahead. God’s presence seemed to be among us as we prepared for campers to arrive on Monday morning.
Although the week was not
without challenges, some stressful and many heartbreaking, a spirit of peace seemed to move through the leaders and volunteers as they dealt with each one with love and grace. Likewise, a spirit of enthusiasm for worship and for God seemed to spread among the campers. I was reminded that the word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek enthousiasmos, which means to be inspired or filled with the Spirit of God.
Even the oldest campers were singing the incredible worship music provided by Adam and paying rapt attention (for the most part) to the morning devotion and evening sermon. I heard similar reports from other adults as campers moved through each day’s activities.
This year’s camp theme was “Love
God. Love self. Love others,” based on the parables of Jesus. We started each morning with a devotion introducing the day’s theme and parable and giving the camper’s a fun assignment to practice throughout the day. These included things like thanking God (and maybe even dancing a little) when we felt joy during the day, noticing negative self-talk and changing it to thoughts about how Jesus would speak to us (followed by giving ourselves a hug), and doing acts of kindness for others.
In the evening, the sermon expounded upon the day’s lesson and then we took communion together. It was such a blessing to see campers practicing the love of God, self, and others and sharing about their experiences.
One of the things I came to enjoy about getting to help the pastoral team at New Day camp is that it’s not just a chance to minister to campers, but to minister to leaders and volunteers as well. After communion each evening, we would walk throughout the camp offering the elements to those who were unable to come to worship.
All week, we laughed together, prayed for one and other, and shared the Lord’s Supper “to go.” I came home exhausted but feeling renewed after seeing the changes taking place in the lives of those with whom I shared this incredible week. As I heard the stories of our campers and our volunteers alike, I was amazed by their
incredible resilience and how God was creating opportunities for “new days” all around us.
CJAMM will host two Back-To-School Bash events for New Day Campers, the children of currently or formerly incarcerated parents. They are seeking donations of school supplies, snacks, and funds for a Slip n Slide. Every contribution, no matter how small, will greatly assist in making this event a success. These events are crucial for CJAMM to maintain a connection with the campers year-round. Thank you very much for your support! If you would like to donate or volunteer, please contact anne@cjamm.org or (405)525-3522.
Fort Gibson Youth Say, “Send Us!”
mission week.
BY HANNAH CAWHORNDEARDORFF
On the week of June 24-27, the Fort Gibson United Methodist youth set out to do mission work for people within their local communities, inspired by Isaiah 6:8.
Since Covid, our Church has seen its challenges in various ways. However, with the recent momentum and flow of the Divine Spirit, our parents and young people did not want to allow the financial strife of “traditional mission trips” to keep them from sharing the mission trip experience with the next generations of the church.
Parents and youth leaders coordinated a local mission with retreat-style attributes, allowing willing congregants to get involved in various ways. This was a huge blessing because not only did it allow various generations to fellowship together in the midst of service, but it also allowed those not able to travel or take off work to be involved.
The Send Me Mission has inspired our youth group to prioritize missions throughout the rest of the year and implement service into their gatherings more often. Through this experience, our youth director, Lori Alred, has made various connections and plans to maintain relationships with local nonprofits in Muskogee and Tahlequah.
We also included a statement from one of the mothers who was instrumental in the planning of this
We hope this story can inspire other United Methodist churches and open doors for future connections with other congregations and communities.
From Jennifer Parker:
“Our mission team was able to build a wheelchair ramp, remove storm debris from several homes, clean up two yards, paint a house, and do some projects at our church during our local mission week.
While the work done during a mission trip is needed and rewarding, the most rewarding work is done in the hearts of all involved. Some of our volunteers are retired or out of school
together and shared devotions. Some of our favorite evenings were spent sharing insight with each other such as “where did you see Jesus today?” On one particular day, a storm blew in and wreaked havoc on trees in our area.
It felt like Jesus had placed our team exactly where they were with the tools and talents they possessed to help our friends in need that same day.
for summer break, while others had to take vacation or unpaid time off to commit to the week-long adventure.
We began the mission trip as acquaintances with many in our group, but left as friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. Being able to serve others with my church family fills my cup and is one of the reasons why I love my church family.
During the week, we had all meals
It felt like Jesus had placed our team exactly where they were with the tools and talents they possessed to help our friends in need that same day. I know my family will treasure this local mission trip and remember it as a time we were blessed.”
Youth and leaders from Fort Gibson United Methodist Church built, painted, cleaned up storm debris at just the right time, and learned more about each other, themselves, and the love of God. Submitted photos.
3 Clues for Reaching New Believers
BY LOVETT H. WEEMS JR.
1. Recognize that your size matters but is not determinative.
Congregations of all sizes reach new believers regularly. It may be true that it is easier for some churches than others based on the size of the congregation, but also significant may be population growth or decline in the surrounding area. The age of the surrounding population can also matter, with a younger population making professions of faith more common. A church’s passion for all to experience God’s love through Christ matters most, regardless of the size of the congregation.
2. Pretend your church has just begun.
New churches survive by engaging the community, meeting people, and
establishing relationships. Most energy goes outward. Without new people, there is no future for the church. How many new people attend each Sunday? If no new persons attend one Sunday, there is reason for concern. Now, fast forward decades or perhaps more than a century. Attendance patterns and expectations are different. There may be a Sunday with no new persons or perhaps two, three, or more Sundays without a visitor. The church still continues. Pretty soon you barely notice having no guests. Then having a visitor becomes the exception. It may well be time for every congregation to behave like a church just starting that must engage the community and make an impact on as many lives as possible—every week.
3. Don’t wait for new people to come to you.
Today, for a majority of new people in congregations, their first exposure to that church was not through a visit. Their first encounter could have been through a community outreach of the church, or an online service, or, most likely, a church’s website. How well are you reaching people in these three ways? How many people active today first engaged your church through those or other ways? It is no longer sufficient to wait for people to come to you. Fewer will do that each year. But pay attention to how the quality and quantity of your ministries can capture the attention of others.
This article is an excerpt from the article 3 Clues for Reaching New Believers from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Read it here
ARE YOU READY?
Join us & fellow church leaders September 25-27, 2024 at Resurrection in Leawood, KS for a transformative experience – including dynamic speakers, practical sessions and vibrant community to equip you with the tools and renewal you need for a new day in ministry.
IS IT FOR YOU?
Work or volunteer for a church? Passionate about sharing God’s love with your community? Eager to meet others who share this purpose? Then, Leadership Institute is uniquely designed for you!
HEAR FROM DYNAMIC SPEAKERS!
Adam Hamilton, Brian McLaren, Kara Powell, Candace Lewis, Kenny Jahng, Blake Bradford, Jim Ozier, Yvette Thibodeaux, and many more!
PRESS PLAY: Click on the picture to learn more about upcoming opportunities.
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Call to Action
The South Central Jurisdictional Conference is July 10-12, in Rogers, Arkansas.
Learn more and watch the livestream here.
The 2024 mentor training will take place on August 1, 2024, from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the Oklahoma Methodist Ministry Center located at 1501 N.W. 24th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106. This training is for candidacy, provisional and local pastor mentors. You can register here.
The 2024 Candidacy Summit will take place on August 2-3, 2024, at the Oklahoma Methodist Ministry Center located at 1501 N.W. 24th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106. This training is for declared candidates, certified candidates and provisional members. You can register here.
Find out more about both of these from the video on page 11.
Share your event or job opportunity in the Contact For consideration, email your listing to editor@okumc.org.