Province V of the Episcopal Church – Suicide Prevention Network
Escaping the Whale, Queen, and Valley:
Healing and Understanding the Suicidal Crisis
A Virtual Lenten Bible Study
Mondays in Lent: Feb 27, Mar 6, 13, 20, 27, Apr. 3
7:30-9 pm ET / 6:30-8 pm CT
Session 1 materials
It’s not too late to register! Attend as many sessions as you are able. Sessions will not be recorded.
Registration
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Description
What if we told you that the usual thinking about suicide in the Bible is wrong? This six-part Bible study will dive deep into several classic Hebrew Scripture events to uncover an innovative approach to suicide ideation and crisis. Using the stories from Jonah, Elijah, Ezekiel, and the Psalms, we will see the lives of these crucial individuals anew when they were in despair and darkness. We will also discover how God returned them to a place of light, love, and hope.
With the support of a dedicated website, you will engage the text in compelling ways. Each session will explore a biblical text. Afterward, we will engage in a lively discussion, allowing you to ask relevant questions and consider new ways to help people amid mental health crises. By the end of our study, you will be armed with biblical texts and tools to reframe your thoughts about suicide and the Bible.
Creators and Leaders
Stephen L. Cook is the Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary, the largest seminary in the worldwide Anglican Communion. He has been a Bible professor for three decades. He is the author or editor of a dozen books, including an Anchor Yale Bible Commentary on Ezekiel’s Apocalypse and Utopian Vision of a New Temple and Land. He is a co-author of a new Fortress Press textbook: The Prophets: Introducing Israel’s Prophetic Writings ( Fortress, 2022). Stephen has served in several capacities as an officer of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), including as a Regional Coordinator for the guild and as the Program Unit Chair of SBL sections. You can learn more at drstephenlcook.com
Robert D. Flanagan has been a priest in the Diocese of New York for two decades, serving large and small congregations and helping parishes with their priestly transitions. Bob is also Chaplain at General Theological Seminary and Dean’s Advisor and Teaching Fellow at Virginia Theological Seminary. He is an author of books on spirituality and mental health and the mystical writings in First and Second Peter. In addition, Bob has also been a volunteer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, where he has served on local boards, been a legislative advocate at the local, state, and national levels, and has been an advisor on religious programs.
Register to receive your personal link and reminders
All those who register will receive reminders and materials. Because of the sensitive nature of the conversation, these sessions will not be recorded. Come when you are able to participate in this new resource.
graphic created by Christopher Hillak, Northern Indiana
Next meeting: Feb 15, 12 pm ET / 11 am CT
Mark your calendar for every third Wednesday
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89411193842 (password: 5)
Zoom link
This network is primarily for parishes who are actively working on suicide prevention or those who would like to start local ministries raising awareness and helping to prevent suicide in their communities.
Suicide Prevention
convener: Kathy Mank, Southern Ohio
board liaison: Betty Bowersox, Missouri
Resource Numbers to publish
– new number for the suicide prevention hotline!
– 988lifeline.org
If you or someone you know is struggling, get help from the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at: 988
(this number also still works: 1-800-273-8255)
If you are experiencing emotional stress and anxiety but are more comfortable texting than talking, get help from the Crisis Text Line by texting the keyword RESTORE to 741741.
The Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7 to help any veteran. To reach them, call: 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. The VA also has mental health resources for veterans and many Vet Centers offer community based counseling, click here to learn more.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Mental Health First Aid
Images to use in your communications
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Resources
June 2021 meeting notes
May 2021 meeting notes
April 2021 Networking meeting recording.
Soul Shop Presentation
During our April meeting, we heard from Michelle Synder of Soul Shop: Faith Based Suicide Prevention. You can see the recording here.
Books
Courage to Thrive: Finding Joy and Hope in the Midst of Mental Health Struggles by The Rev. Dr. Robert D. Flanagan
Redemption Press and Amazon
Episcopalians will find its words healing and inspiring. They will also discover themselves anew, comforted by the Holy Trinity and filled with God’s presence.
Here’s a portion of a review by an Episcopal clergy published in the Academy of Parish Clergy.
Reading this book is itself a healing experience. With great personal vulnerability, Bob Flanagan invites us onto a journey into spiritually illuminated psychological health. With lucidity, warmth, and gentleness, we are shown that God loves us in our struggles and can transform them into the fullness of life.
—Charles Mayer, Priest and Psychotherapist
When wrestling with depression and anxiety, getting out of bed is a courageous move. When panic attacks and suicidal thoughts strike, finding victories in the small things of life and reframing feelings can help a person flourish even in the midst of mental health struggles. Rev. Dr. Bob Flanagan knows all about that–he’s spent two decades combatting mental illness head on.
In his first-person spiritual journal Courage to Thrive, Flanagan takes the reader with him as he traverses the dark and scary landscape of his mind and then the paths of faith that lead him to the Source of light and hope. Through a vulnerable look at the realities of a priest battling mental illness and still thriving, readers–whether dealing with similar mental health challenges or the stressors of everyday life–are left with a quiet confidence that assures them they too can thrive and enjoy the gifts God has given them.
Each of the forty reflections concludes with a heartfelt prayer that revels in God’s healing mercies. Join Flanagan on a journey to joy, peace, and hope.
A Long-Shadowed Grief : Suicide and its Aftermath
A Second Day: A hopeful Journey Out of Suicidal Thinking by Fe Anum Avis
Life, Death, and Reinvention: The Gift of the Impossibly Messed-Up Life by Michelle Snyder and Fe Anum Avis
Bible Studies:
Gospel Relief for the Despairing – a resource from the ELCA.
I will Grieve for the Suicide – a resource from the ELCA
Documents:
2020 US Suicide Facts and Figures
The Language of Suicide
Websites:
The Episcopal Church – Faith Formation – Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Our Crisis Centers
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – this site is very good, especially the Learn and Stories sections. The site is well organized and broken down topically. There’s even a survivors of suicide section here which is very good.
Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Prevention – a resource from The Episcopal Church
Articles:
The Unthinkable – from the New Yorker, April 11, 2022 – download here
Michigan releases harrowing 2020 suicide data, recommends increased emotional support, April 12, 2021
Michigan – Mental health crisis: Children at breaking point during COVID, June 30, 2021
A Daughter Tries to Make Sense of Her Mother’s Suicide, New York Times, April 19, 2022
Suicide Stalks Rural Michigan, May 23, 2022
I initially blamed myself as one of the reasons for my dad’s suicide, Nov. 16, 2022
Narcan info (tangentially related to this conversation)
Vending Machines, June 7, 2022, Detroit Free Press
Getting Narcan from a pharmacy is not as easy as you may think, April 29, 2022, Detroit Free Press
Newsletter Announcements
Moving from Statistics toward Solutions
from the Suicide Prevention Network
1,400,000 Americans attempted suicide in 2020.
132 Americans die each day from suicide.
54% of all Americans have been affected by suicide.
These are stunning numbers that stop us in our tracks. However, we can help. Preventing suicide and supporting those affected by suicide are not insurmountable tasks. With community involvement, culture change, and education, these numbers can be reduced over time. Our faith communities can be pivotal in this effort of supporting and saving lives if we choose to prepare ourselves. Look to the Province V Suicide Prevention Network articles in this newsletter in the months to come to guide us in this preparation.
Today we offer an essential number. Let’s start our efforts by making it available everywhere.
Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741
Visit with the Suicide Prevention Network on June 8 at their next meeting. Find out how to join in at this page.
