September 2024 was “National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.” Data on suicides among young people ages 15 to 24 is alarming. A group called Samaritans has provided suicide prevention services in Massachusetts for 50 years, and they released data for that state. They reported 596 suicide deaths in 2021, but since March of 2022, 3800 young people have accessed the Samaritan’s “Hey Sam” text line. They have volunteers in the 15 to 24 age bracket trained to dialogue with their peers struggling with thoughts of suicide.
It is good that individuals and organizations are attempting to provide suicide prevention services, but the Church needs to pay more attention to the needs of young people. Too many congregations assume that their role is entertaining young people rather than opening dialogues about our purpose in life and the importance of faith when life is rough. The “Does God Exist?” ministry offers free videos online, free postage-paid correspondence courses, and class teaching materials to assist the Church in providing answers to questions young people ask. We also welcome questions that we answer privately and online.
As the world plunges deeper into naturalism, greed, humanism, atheism, the break up of family, and denial of purpose for our existence, we can expect more frustration in the minds of young people. Some kids survive in spite of us, but suicide prevention services can’t address the needs of all kids. Jesus gave a pattern for life in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, and His teachings make sense to thinking young people. What they see in world leaders does not.
— John N. Clayton © 2024
Information from USA Today Network-New England. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the National Alliance on Mental Health provide phone and online help. You can dial 988 or online chat988lifeline.org. The Samaritans phone number, 877-870-4673, is available 24/7 for calls or text messages.