From personal tragedies like disease, suicide and financial difficulties to catastrophes on a massive scale such as shootings, fires and floods, many Christians may feel unprepared to offer comfort and hope to those who are grieving and in despair.
On March 11, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) – a nationwide network of crisis-trained chaplains ready to deploy whenever disaster strikes – will hold an instructional session at Grace Covenant Church, Cornelius, North Carolina, titled “Sharing Hope in Crisis,” to equip Christians to help those who are suffering.
“We want people to be ready to share the compassion and love of Jesus Christ,” said Kevin Williams, manager of emergency response and logistics with the BG-RRT. “Suffering and tragedy are all around us. It could be a loved one with cancer, the death of a friend, a job loss or a divorce. As people desperately seek answers to life’s problems, it is critical that we are able to know how to respond and share God’s hope and comfort with them. It’s important people know God loves them. The seminar will help prepare you to do just that. Will you be ready?”
The training will take place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, at Grace Covenant Church, 17301 Statesville Rd., Cornelius, NC 28031. Seminar topics include “A Biblical view of suffering,” “Effects of trauma,” “Places of grief,” “Listening skills,” “A ministry of hope,” and “What to say and what not to say.”
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About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 700 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. For more information on the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, including videos, photos, news articles and interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTchaplains.
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Media Contact:
Christine Batchelder
cbatchelder@bgea.org