JACKSONVILLE, NC — From personal tragedies like disease, death and financial difficulties to catastrophes on a massive scale such as shootings, fires and floods, many Christians may feel unprepared to offer comfort and hope to those grieving and in despair.

On Aug. 10, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT)—a nationwide network of crisis-trained chaplains ready to deploy whenever disaster strikes—will hold an instructional session at River of Life Church, in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The training, entitled “Sharing Hope in Crisis,” will equip Christians to minister to those suffering.

“When tragedy strikes, whether it’s your family, your friends, or your neighbors, we want people to be ready—to be able to share the compassion and love of Jesus Christ,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “We want to come alongside people, to train and equip them to know how to respond and share God’s hope and comfort with those who are hurting.”

The training will take place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, at River of Life Church, 2460 Gum Branch Rd., Jacksonville, NC 28540. Seminar topics include:

• A Biblical view of suffering
• Effects of trauma
• Places of grief
• Listening skills
• A ministry of hope
• What to say and what not to say

The event is free. For more information and to register online, please visit: rrt.billygraham.org/training-opportunities.

About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 800 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. For more information on the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, including videos, photos, news articles and interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTchaplains.

Media Opportunities

• Interviews with Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT, and Ken Dunlap, manager of follow up and chaplain support with the BG-RRT
• B-Roll and photos of deployments (please use with credit to Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
• Interview request form

Media Contact: Taylor Koziarz, (704) 401-2530 – Office, (704) 343-1029 – Cell, tkoziarz@bgea.org

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