My heartbreaks at this news…………so many Americans are suffering. I have officiated so many funerals of people who have committed suicide. We must love all people, we must seek out the lonely. We are losing so many people. The Church is in crisis in America as only 4% of Americans have a Biblical Worldview and just 37% of Pastors have a Biblical Worldview. Much of the Church has lost its mission.
It is the responsibility of the church to evangelize, disciple and nurture people in the Kingdom. Yet, from the command of Jesus, it is also the responsibility of the church to love their neighbor and their neighborhood. Churches should be seen as lovers of their community and neighborhoods. How is your Church doing in these matters? Does your Church get out from its walls? Is your Church known for its love and service to all people? Is your Church growing? Is your Church baptizing people and growing up mature Christians? Does your Church minister to all families? Does your Church make home visits?
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:
just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.
–John 13:34-35
The Baptist Press Reports:
ATLANTA (BP) — Senior adults suffered the largest increase in suicides as nearly 50,000 Americans killed themselves in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest report.
The 8 percent rise in suicides among adults 65 and older was the highest driver in suicide deaths, the CDC said, with 10,433 deaths in that age group alone. That’s compared to 9,652 adults over 65 who killed themselves the previous year.
Suicide declined 8.4 percent among the youngest Americans the CDC tracks – ages 10-24 – falling from 7,126 to 6,529. The number counters recent reports of an increase in mental health struggles among young adults, and a concurrent call for ministry to address mental health concerns among millennials and Gen Z.