It’s a conversation about what many people who battle with mental illness think is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
“If we can’t talk about these difficult subjects in the church there is probably no place for us to talk about them,” said Reverend Donnie Wilkinson.
Wilkinson said that suicide is a topic he has experienced within his family.
“My father-in-law committed suicide about 20 years ago,” said Wilkinson. “We know what it is like to wrestle with the pain, the hurt, the confusion.”
According to Frank Campbell with Campbell Associates, anything could be an early warning sign.
“If you feel something is out of the ordinary, just say ‘are you having thoughts of suicide.'” said Campbell.
The speaker of the event, Patti Rives said people affected have no age limit.
“It’s all across age barriers and genders and racial divides,” said Rives. “Anything could be an invitation to what people might determine as a warning sign.”
