Thanks to our friends at Belmont University’s School of Mental Health Counseling, Operation Andrew Group hosted more than 60 pastors around tables for dinner and a conversation about how to respond in a school crisis.
Dr. Steve Berry, Malcom McDole, and Cory Bishop facilitated a conversation to help pastors know how best to be Ready, Respond well, and Recover in a healthy way. 

This Ready, Respond, Recover framework created invaluable conversations around the tables. By looking at data from the State of Nashville and knowing our community’s experience of stress and trauma, this understanding allowed the context of the training to deepen as we honored the two-year anniversary of the Covenant shooting and continue to respond to the Antioch High shooting. 

One of our favorite quotes from the evening was, “School crisis response begins long before a crisis happens,” and this conversation began the process to be ready.

If you are a congregation or a pastor who is wanting to be ready to respond to a crisis, we invite to explore becoming a United4Hope partner today! For more information on how to deepen an existing school partnership or begin a new school partnership through United4Hope, email Laura today! And if you are a pastor looking to be a part of conversations or to be with other pastors, we invite you to join the United4Pastors movement by emailing Adam. 

As we continue to work toward a world where everyone flourishes and there are no more crises to respond to, we want to ensure our congregations are ready, that they can respond, and that they can recover fully as we seek the kingdom of heaven in our neighborhoods as it is in heaven.