September is Suicide Prevention Month, and perhaps the most important word in that phrase is ‘prevention.’ Suicide should not be something we speak about only after a tragedy has happened. Prevention invites us to talk, to listen, to learn, to notice one another, and to remind people that help is available and that no one should have to carry overwhelming pain alone.
As the church, we have an important role to play because we may not always know what someone sitting beside us on Sunday morning is carrying. Some among us may be experiencing mental health challenges or struggling with suicidal thoughts, others may be walking alongside a child, spouse, friend, or family member who is struggling. Still others live with the grief of having lost someone they loved to suicide. Therefore, the church should be a place where all of them can find compassion rather than judgment, where difficult conversations are not avoided, and where asking for help is never treated as weakness or a failure of faith.
Prayer, friendship, and pastoral care can be meaningful sources of support, but they are not substitutes for professional mental health care. Part of loving our neighbors is helping one another find the care and resources we need. Sometimes that begins with something as simple as listening without judgment, taking someone’s pain seriously, staying present, and helping them connect with appropriate support.
This Saturday, September 26, our wider community will gather for the Mercer County Out of the Darkness Walk at Veterans Park in Hamilton, organized in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Whether or not we participate in the walk, its message is one our churches can share: we can help break the silence and stigma surrounding suicide and mental health, support individuals and families who are hurting, and become a community in which people know they do not have to struggle alone.
And that brings us again to the key word: prevention. There is help. There is support. There are people ready to listen. There can be another conversation, another source of care, another day.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also learn more about suicide prevention and available resources through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at afsp.org.
Warmly,
Rev. David Gaitan
