This workshop on dealing with suicide will begin with a session for pastors and counselors and will end with a session for the entire church.   

SCHEDULE  

1-4:30 p.m.   Seminar with pastors/counselors  

5-6:00 p.m.   Dinner (provided for pastors and counselors)  

6-9:00 p.m.   Session for the entire Church  

  Authors of Preaching Hope in Darkness: Help for Pastors in Addressing Suicide from the Pulpit, Scott M. Gibson and Karen Mason will be presenting in interactive sessions.   

  “Pastors face many challenges. Suicide in a congregation is among the most heart-rending and intimidating. However, the preacher has a unique capacity to engender gospel hope for preparing the congregation and comforting the bereaved. To do so, preachers need help understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by addressing suicide from the pulpit.  

  In Preaching Hope in Darkness, two practitioners in fields that do not typically interact--homiletics (Scott M. Gibson) and psychology (Karen Mason)--work together to support the preacher in this difficult task. Gibson and Mason offer wise advice on a range of topics such as suicide prevention, post-crisis care, and funeral sermon preparation. With an appendix of sample sermons and a sample funeral liturgy, Preaching Hope in Darkness is an essential go-to guide for this difficult topic.” (from the book)  

  PRESENTERS

Scott M. Gibson (DPhil, University of Oxford) holds the David E. Garland Chair of Preaching and is the director of the PhD in Preaching Program at Baylor University/Truett Seminary (Waco, TX). He is cofounder of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and the author or coauthor of several books on preaching.  

  Karen Mason has an MA in Old Testament and a PhD in counseling psychology and is professor of counseling and psychology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, MA). She is the author of Preventing Suicide: A Handbook for Pastors, Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors (InterVarsity Press, 2014).  

There is no cost for the workshop. We want to offer this as a resource to pastors and churches especially in dealing with this sensitive issue. We will be taking an offering to help defray the cost of the workshop during the evening session.   

REGISTER

Please call between 8 AM and 2 PM and register by May 12 at 724-654-4512. We will offer the dinner options available from Chick-Fil-A when you call to register so you can make your selections then.