Crisis-trained chaplains make themselves available at people's most vulnerable moments when people often need someone to help them process their emotions. Chaplains offer a ministry of presence; they want to be there for others in the midst of their pain. Do you know the deep hope that comes only through Christ, even in heartbreak?
A family gathers around a Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (RRT) chaplain at a makeshift memorial outside an El Paso Walmart where a shooter took 22 lives.
The August 3 tragedy has brought the El Paso community together in droves as people of different ages and races grieve the loss of life.
A sincere prayer together for the days ahead in a brokenhearted Texas community.
Locals congregate near the RRT's Mobile Ministry Center (MMC), parked within sight of the Walmart. Chaplains are available both inside and outside the vehicle to talk and pray with those hurting from this tragedy or other life crises.
Balloons, flowers and memorabilia nearly engulf this little girl who has come to help pay her respects at an El Paso memorial.
Chaplains are also serving 1,500 miles away in Dayton, Ohio, another city rocked by a mass shooting just hours after the bloodshed in Texas. Please keep both communities in prayer as these disasters have left many people broken and seeking hope. Chaplains have prayed with more than 100 people across both cities.
Events like this are horrific, yet often have the power to strengthen the communities—and the individuals—where they happen.
The Dayton shooting happened around 1 a.m. on August 4 in a popular nightlife district. It left 10 people dead (including the gunman) and many injured.
A sign in Dayton, Ohio, to thank law enforcement for responding quickly following a shooting early Sunday morning, August 4.
Chaplains pray with first responders who often carry their own weight in a tragic situation.
Sometimes, people come by a memorial to remember those lost, mourn with their city or in search of answers. Part of a chaplain's job is just to be there and to listen if people want to talk.
A crowd gathers near where the deadly Ohio shooting occurred. Will you pray for the ministry of the eight chaplains serving in Dayton and the 12 serving in El Paso? Please pray for God to lead their conversations, and for many to be comforted by their prayers and encouragement.
