The Episcopal Church in Wyoming is hosting a series of FREE faith-based suicide prevention workshops during Suicide Prevention Month.
(The Lander workshop will take place Friday, September 13, in the Trinity Episcopal Church located at 860 S 3rd St.)
Soul Shop™ workshops aim to equip faith leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to support those struggling with suicidal thoughts. These one-day workshops will be held across Wyoming from September 9 to 16, 2024.
The workshops focus on how to cultivate a soul-safe culture within your congregation and are facilitated by Soul Shop™, the leading provider of faith-based suicide prevention workshops in the US.
The workshop format includes the creation of worship resources, training leaders in suicide awareness and basic conversation skills, and how to extend the invitation to those who have been suicidal in the past to share their stories. This Soul Shop™ workshop will address the primary obstacles to suicide, such as stigma, fear, and shame; statistics/facts about suicide; and how ministries can create a supportive environment while shifting the culture around how people deal with this subject and one another.
The Episcopal Church in Wyoming has long been a leader in suicide prevention efforts among faith-based organizations in Wyoming. Much of those efforts have centered on secular training programs, the development of suicide prevention liturgies, and legislative advocacy for suicide prevention funding. This faith-based prevention approach adds value to the tremendous work already being done in a state that is consistently higher than the rest of the country in suicide rates.
According to Michelle Snyder, Soul Shop™ Executive Director, “6% of adults and 17% of adolescents think about suicide at any given time, and 50% of any congregation is impacted by suicide in some form. These statistics make this an issue that the church cannot avoid. Communities of faith have both a theological obligation and a call by God to face this challenge head-on, equipping members to do the same.”
Since its development in 2014, Soul Shop™ has trained thousands nationally and internationally in suicide awareness and has facilitated the development of suicide prevention plans within numerous community teams.
Registration link: https://diowy.info/soulshop