My personal theological commitment would be point for point in line with the Baptist Faith and Message. Additionally, our Board of Directors are all committed Christians with a heart for seeing souls saved. Over the past five years I have had the opportunity to lead more than 1800 soldiers to Christ. Much of that was at Ft Benning during Boot Camp. For about a year I led a Sunday morning class with about 600 soldiers in it. I would get a new group about every two months and had the honor of sharing the gospel with about 18,000 soldiers during that time. As AFM expanded I had to relinquish that role as I was traveling much of the time.
As the name implies AFM is a mission. So, in a very real sense, in my capacity as the Executive Director I am also a missionary. If you go online to MissionaryChaplain.com it will take you to the AFM website. In accordance with the admonition from Matthew 10:16 we have sought to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Just as a missionary will go to a foreign country under the guise of a well-digger or English teacher, so we have moved forward as suicide intervention specialist because we work with so many individuals outside the walls of the chuch. I see suicide intervention as a cup of water, a means of helping a hurting person rediscover hope, but ultimately hope is secured in helping a person find the giver of life.
I would stress that training in suicide intervention is not the same as a course in evangelism. In reality it is more like training in CPR. However I have found that suicide intervention skills has had a tremendous impact on how I can ultimately reach people with the Gospel. In the Listen Learn Lead we do have a time of great discussion concerning the place of faith in helping others. Also I would encourage you to read my blog post entitled A Bad Time for A Good Word.
I recall in one simulation a few years ago a very sweet lady wanted to immediately lead the person to Christ who was standing in a chair that simulated a bridge. The person at risk ended up jumping because she would not stop talking about God. She sat down in tears and we had a very interesting discussion from that encounter. I now talk about this in the workshop. In my own theology I hold strongly to the truth of Hebrews 4:12. Unfortunately some well meaning Christians use God’s Word like a prison shank rather than a surgeon’s scalpel.
As to methods of training I attached a workshop booklet in the email I sent that describes our various courses all of which come under the banner of the I WILL INTERVENE CHALLENGE. We teach the two day Applied Suicide Intervention Skill Training (ASIST) workshop and have our own one day program called LISTEN LEARN LEAD. We also have shorter programs that are primarily used to raise awareness, but the shorter programs do not do much in the way of developing skills in intervention. The one and two day programs are taught using adult learning methodology consisting of
More than 7,000 individuals across the US have participated in the I Will Intervene Challenge. I would love to develop an ongoing relationship with SEBTS that creates a grassroots movement within the community at large. Perhaps after a weekend trial we might come back for a J-Term if the school still does those.
At Armed Forces Mission, we hold tenaciously to the belief that suicide is not the inevitable outcome for individuals at risk of suicide. Hurting people do not have to die. This is our mantra in every workshop we do. Suicide is preventable and skills in intervention save lives.
As the name implies AFM is a mission. So, in a very real sense, in my capacity as the Executive Director I am also a missionary. If you go online to MissionaryChaplain.com it will take you to the AFM website. In accordance with the admonition from Matthew 10:16 we have sought to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Just as a missionary will go to a foreign country under the guise of a well-digger or English teacher, so we have moved forward as suicide intervention specialist because we work with so many individuals outside the walls of the chuch. I see suicide intervention as a cup of water, a means of helping a hurting person rediscover hope, but ultimately hope is secured in helping a person find the giver of life.
I would stress that training in suicide intervention is not the same as a course in evangelism. In reality it is more like training in CPR. However I have found that suicide intervention skills has had a tremendous impact on how I can ultimately reach people with the Gospel. In the Listen Learn Lead we do have a time of great discussion concerning the place of faith in helping others. Also I would encourage you to read my blog post entitled A Bad Time for A Good Word.
I recall in one simulation a few years ago a very sweet lady wanted to immediately lead the person to Christ who was standing in a chair that simulated a bridge. The person at risk ended up jumping because she would not stop talking about God. She sat down in tears and we had a very interesting discussion from that encounter. I now talk about this in the workshop. In my own theology I hold strongly to the truth of Hebrews 4:12. Unfortunately some well meaning Christians use God’s Word like a prison shank rather than a surgeon’s scalpel.
As to methods of training I attached a workshop booklet in the email I sent that describes our various courses all of which come under the banner of the I WILL INTERVENE CHALLENGE. We teach the two day Applied Suicide Intervention Skill Training (ASIST) workshop and have our own one day program called LISTEN LEARN LEAD. We also have shorter programs that are primarily used to raise awareness, but the shorter programs do not do much in the way of developing skills in intervention. The one and two day programs are taught using adult learning methodology consisting of
- Presentations and guidance by Master Trainers
- Scientifically proven intervention models
- Powerful audiovisual learning aids
- Group discussions
- Skills practice and development
- A balance of challenge and safety
More than 7,000 individuals across the US have participated in the I Will Intervene Challenge. I would love to develop an ongoing relationship with SEBTS that creates a grassroots movement within the community at large. Perhaps after a weekend trial we might come back for a J-Term if the school still does those.
At Armed Forces Mission, we hold tenaciously to the belief that suicide is not the inevitable outcome for individuals at risk of suicide. Hurting people do not have to die. This is our mantra in every workshop we do. Suicide is preventable and skills in intervention save lives.
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In 2012 and 13 we were highly focused on Fayette County; being that we had no money and few others outside of our community who knew of AFM. In 2013 we trained 300 caregivers and conducted several suicide interventions in our community. That year suicide in Fayette County dropped to a 20-year low and was 50% lower than the previous year. At the start of 2014 the Army had discovered what we were doing and how we had sustained a ZERO suicide rate among soldiers in a 13-state command for five years.
Throughout 14 and 15 I and my team conducted training throughout the US. Very little attention was given to my hometown community. By mid-2015 I was moved to a 2 Star Command to work with soldiers in 40 states. All though I was only a Reservist I was reminded once more that part-time warriors have full-time, often life-threatening issues. The battlefield on the home front is just as real as any in the desert. Much like a soldier who has been deployed on the field of battle, by the end of 2015 I was tired and ready to come home. I had even considered throwing in the towel as Executive Director of Armed Forces Mission. |
The tragic passing of a local veteran on January 13, 2016 was a personal wake up call for me that the time had come to refocus on the home front. It was also a reminder of my creed as a Soldier, “I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.” I was only 75 yards away when Kyle died and had no knowledge of what was taking place until PTCPD called me. That was perhaps one of the most difficult days of the year for me and I know it was for his family.
While we honored commitments that were scheduled for travel to other communities throughout 2016, we also began a renewed effort to drill deep once again in the Fayette Community. It takes two years for the Georgia Department of Public Health to update stats for all the counties. I was not willing to wait, thus yesterday called the Coroner’s office. With that call I learned that suicide dropped in 2016 from the previous year by 33% and below that of 2012 before AFM began operations.
Does intervention save lives? From my own experience, I must give a resounding YES! I have personally conducted more than 500 suicide interventions and all individuals that have received interventions through AFM remain alive and are moving toward renewed hope and resilience.
We are focusing strongly on our hometown community, but Wake Forest NC and SEBTS would certainly be one exception I would be glad to make. After all it was my home for 3 year as a student and 2 as Associate Director of Admissions.
While we honored commitments that were scheduled for travel to other communities throughout 2016, we also began a renewed effort to drill deep once again in the Fayette Community. It takes two years for the Georgia Department of Public Health to update stats for all the counties. I was not willing to wait, thus yesterday called the Coroner’s office. With that call I learned that suicide dropped in 2016 from the previous year by 33% and below that of 2012 before AFM began operations.
Does intervention save lives? From my own experience, I must give a resounding YES! I have personally conducted more than 500 suicide interventions and all individuals that have received interventions through AFM remain alive and are moving toward renewed hope and resilience.
We are focusing strongly on our hometown community, but Wake Forest NC and SEBTS would certainly be one exception I would be glad to make. After all it was my home for 3 year as a student and 2 as Associate Director of Admissions.
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3 minute excerpt from Listen Learn Lead workshop held for law enforcement and mental health professionals in Pike and Lamar County GA fall 2016.
This clip helps you understand why the subject is so important to me personally. |
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2 minute excerpt from a December workshop in Newnan GA within three weeks after a middle school boy took his life. The church couragously addressed the issue head on. In attendance local school counselors, law enforcement, church members, FCA director and interested community members.
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