by Erin Hicks
Suicide is something you will never be prepared for.
When I got the phone call last January that one of my youth had taken his life, but was still not legally dead, it wasn’t real to me. He was the youth who was always smiling, a teenager with a big heart. The majority of my youth had all grown up together. They were in a state of disbelief that their friend, someone many considered a brother, had not gone to any of them for help. Below are some ways that I helped my youth cope with the death of one of our own, including what I did while he was in a coma.
Each group and situation is different. All we can do is seek to live in continuous prayer, connecting us to God so that it is the Almighty who shows us the way. You know your kids, and the best you can do is to lovingly serve the kids whom God has entrusted to you.
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Erin Hicks is a graduate of the Center for Youth Ministry Training and is pursuing her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary.
CYMT is excited about its newest endeavor, Theology Together. Theology Together educates both teenagers and youth workers as they engage in theological reflection, spiritual practice, vital service, and vocational discernment. The Theology Together process produces reflective action that is embedded in the fabric of youth ministry in all of its contexts. We believe strongly that youth are theologians and belong at the center of tough, life-changing dialogue around faith, relationships, and life. We place teenagers in the driver seat alongside their youth pastors and leaders, equipping each individual to think differently about youth ministry, to provoke a sense of awe and wonder: a WOW moment.
Youth theology is theology built upon the simple doctrinal principle of the priesthood of all believers, and takes that principle right down to its natural conclusion: that all believers, including youth, teens, adolescents, etc. are theologians. It is theology that values all youth as theologians. Here we will share with you how to engage with youth theology in your own ministry.
A few weeks ago, we shared the launch of Theology Together 2.0. Today, Dwight (the director of Theology Together) will be sharing with us one experience […]
Erin, I still believe this is one of the most touching, well thought out, and intentional articles/approaches I have seen. I pray you are doing well these many years later. Blessings, Pastor Larry Roy
Wonderful article, Erin! A youth group member committing suicide is what caused me to start my ministry, which features a weekly webcast for teens and young adults, as a way to "fill a whole" in our community regarding information, perceptions, and the misinformation spread concerning suicide, depression, cutting, etc. The subjects you raise in your article need to be more widely discussed inside and outside of the church walls! Thank you for doing such a thorough job explaining those things needed which are usually overlooked after a tragedy such as this occurs. Also, thank you for sharing your pain...it isn't easy, I know. Perhaps we will know the joy of being able to work directly together on something in the future. Until then, I am praying and always ready to assist. #notalone