EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2021 I began a new venture writing a newspaper column titled "Finding Faith" for the Forum Communications Co. network of newspapers and websites. I was asked to contribute to the company's ongoing conversation about faith, lending a Lutheran and fairly ecumenical approach to the discussion. The column was published in several of the company's papers and websites, including The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. This column originally appeared as a "Finding Faith" column on April 1, 2022.
By The Rev. Devlyn Brooks
Often, when a person is contemplating suicide, faith communities are one of the first places they will turn to for help.
In fact, the impact of suicide on faith communities is so large, it’s estimated that up to two people in any given congregation personally have been affected by suicide.
So American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Dakotas Area Director Samantha Christopherson and AFSP North Dakota Board Member Barb Hanson want to provide not only to clergy, but also to faithful lay leaders, the tools to learn how to help those thinking of potentially harming themselves, but also the tools to help everyone who is impacted by suicide.
“Our mission is to save lives and bring hope to those who have been affected by suicide,” said Christopherson, in a recent interview.
Thus, the AFSP ND Chapter is bringing back a popular training program called “Soul Shop,” which is described as an “interactive workshop that equips faith community leaders and other people of faith to train their congregations to minister to those impacted by suicidal desperation.”
Christopherson said the local AFSP chapter hosted a “Soul Shop” in Fargo in 2019, and it drew the largest number of attendees in its history, an awesome feat considering the workshops are hosted nationwide. They are hoping for similar turnouts for this year’s workshops, scheduled for Fargo and Bismarck, on May 3 and 5, respectively.
The advocates say that attendees of the workshops will learn how to prevent suicide in their communities, the signs of suicide risk, the warning signs of those thinking about suicide, how to ask a person at risk if they might be thinking about suicide, how to be a companion to those experiencing suicide loss and even what the Bible has to say about suicide.
Hanson, who was a faith community nurse years for 17 years, and has walked alongside those affected by suicide, admits suicide is a complex topic. So “Soul Shop” discusses biblical truths and provides up-to-date scientific knowledge about suicide.
Hanson pointed out that two of the populations that can be highly susceptible to suicidal thoughts are isolated seniors and young people who are living through extraordinary changes in their lives. And she believes that communities of faith can be instrumental in reaching both populations, as seniors often are connected to a faith community and young people admire their youth group leaders.
“Soul Shop is really for anybody who wants to address suicide from a faith-based perspective,” Hanson said. “Jesus knows the pain we are experiencing. That is why he came to us.”
For more information about either the upcoming Fargo or Bismarck Soul Shop workshops, or to register to attend, check out the websites at afsp.org/SoulShopFM or afsp.org/SoulShopBisMan.
Devlyn Brooks, who works for Modulist, a Forum Communications Co.-owned company, is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He serves as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He can be reached at devlyn.brooks@forumcomm.com for comments and story ideas.
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