Help Those Who Are Suffering from Trauma
Trauma and suffering in the church cannot be ignored
“If I could send my entire staff to a conference on how to help people going through trauma, I would do it in a second. But of all the things that come across my desk to send your staff to, that isn’t one of them”.
Senior Pastor Paul Johnson
A real, hidden dilemma in the church
Imagine, for a moment, what it would feel like to see one of your worst nightmares come to life. Could you ever recover after the sudden death of a child or spouse? If you were in deep despair from depression, who can you tell?
All around, people in the church are suffering and experiencing trauma from situations just like these. It is seen and unseen: heard and unheard. In 2017 there were an estimated 1.4M suicide attempts and 47,000 deaths by suicide in the US.
Many of us struggle to even consider what life would be like in such a scenario, but for people who have experienced it, this is a daily reality. No matter the trauma someone is experiencing, it is real to that individual and they are deserving of our attention and concern. Each person’s trauma is unique, so how does a pastor or church community support them and help them heal without having that experience themselves?
The more people we talked to, the more we realized that churches are having difficulty handling the trauma of their churchgoers. They are putting a band-aid on a deep wound or unintentionally deepening that wound. As the church, it’s our job to come alongside these people and stand with them in the midst of their struggle.
Who we are:
We are Five Stone Media, a 501c3 non-profit organization that uses story to bring hope and healing for people in need of change.
We have developed a one-of-a-kind, video-based resource series called ‘LifeSupport’ to train church staff in how they can respond and come alongside people suffering specific, excruciating and uncomfortable pain.
Five Stone Media has reached thousands all over the United States and the world with its past projects, such as the Turnipseed Films Trilogy, an award-winning film series based on the life of John Turnipseed. The film has been translated into three languages and distributed worldwide.
From the Turnipseed film, Five Stone Media also developed the LifeBlood video curriculum series for those affected by incarceration. The curriculum is facilitated in prisons and reentry facilities in Minnesota, Texas, Alabama and Florida, and now globally in Australia and Hong Kong.
Co-founder and Executive Director Steve Johnson is an Emmy Award-winning, long-time media professional, specializing in the telling of stories of transformation. Johnson is joined by Curriculum Project Manager Lee Bailey-Seiler, coming to Five Stone Media from a background in business ownership and non-profit management.
Now, Five Stone Media is turning their attention to those who are experiencing trauma - those who need hope and healing as they battle through this trial.
Why is LifeSupport needed?
You may wonder, “Don’t churches already have ‘grief groups’ and programs designed for members suffering some kind of trauma?” Yes, many churches have implemented programs and groups designed to help people who are grieving.
However, after interviewing many people about their traumatic experiences (of all kinds) we discovered that they all had the same thing to say about how their church responded: The church is too focused on ‘fixing’ a person in trauma, rather than walking alongside them in a journey of healing.
LifeSupport Resources
The first resource in the LifeSupport series, is an 8-week video-based tool called The Worst Loss that will be used for parents experiencing an unexpected loss. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our interview subjects found their way through the darkest days of their lives. We want to bring that light of hope to others who are hurting.
The Worst Loss portrays grieving parents sharing in their own words what they most needed, benefited from and did not find helpful after the tragic, sudden loss of their children. The Worst Loss explores “the theology of suffering,” giving church staff, family members and members of the community the tools they need to come around people suffering. This is NOT a roadmap or 8-step guide to healing, this is a safe place to grieve and explore an individual path to healing. We’re diving headfirst into themes such as “Don’t try to fix me,” “No one understands,” and “Aren’t you over it yet?” Through the stories of parents who have walked in the same shoes, The Worst Loss offers hope, companionship and empathy.
LifeSupport will then develop a second resource called The Empty Place, focusing on those who have experienced the sudden loss of a parent or sibling. This resource gives friends and church family the tools to reach out to those who are struggling with compassion and encouragement.
Lastly, LifeSupport will develop a third resource called The Aftermath, focusing on those who have experienced mental illness or sexual exploitation. It’s specifically for people who are suffering in silence. Aftermath offers support for those who are afraid to step forward.
How is LifeSupport life-changing?
This training tool for churches is unlike any other. Why? Because it uses real people and real stories from people who have suffered trauma and saw what was lacking from the church, firsthand.
The LifeSupport video-based resource offers church leaders and staff a unique and honest perspective from those who have been traumatized and what they personally experienced in their church.
Why we need your support
LifeSupport is a series of films, tools, and resources that are being created with excellency for the church who is suffering in silence. We are asking for your support in order to keep moving forward with this great work. We need help so that we can continue developing the videos, as well as support for publication & distribution, marketing, writing and editing, and software subscriptions.
A gift of any size will help us achieve our goal of helping the church reach out to those who are experiencing the most painful kinds of trauma and strife. For more information about Five Stone Media, Life Support, or our mission, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.
