Port Ann Wesleyan Church pastor Paul Sheets, children’s ministry director Robin Krazter and youth group director John Zaktansky represented the church at a special youth mental health discussion and community resource fair at the Midd-West High School on March 19, 2019.
The event, sparked by a pair of teen suicide deaths connected to the school, featured a panel of mental health experts representing the local chapter of the United Way, the county Children and Youth office, CMSU (Columbia, Montour, Snyder and Union) mental health, Geisinger Health System, a judge and other professionals.
During the panel discussion and subsequent question and answer period, several members of the panel shared the importance of local church youth groups — suggesting they are an under-appreciated resource and encouraged people to consider them.
Staggering suicide statistics, red flags and tips on how to respond to someone who may be struggling was included in the presentation. For some potentially life-saving suggestions on how to help someone who may be struggling, click here.
After the discussion, the audience was encouraged to walk around the school cafeteria to meet with a variety of agencies for additional resources. Port Ann Wesleyan was among these representatives, offering information about the youth and children’s ministries while handing out free keyring flashlights with a message about letting God be a light in the darkness with a reference to John 8:12.
The church was able to engage the community, with one of the neatest moments coming at the end of the event, when a grandmother asked the Port Ann representatives to pray with her and her grandson, who was extremely close to one of the two young people who took her own life. Pastor Paul Sheets led prayer in the school cafeteria for the families involved, the school and the community.
Again for some important tips on how to help someone who maybe struggling, click here. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.
Suicide intervention specialist Anne Katona-Linn shares some valuable advice in this video interview:
Some photos from the March 19 discussion and community fair:
