Approximately 80 leaders and pastors from the Puerto Rico West District attended crisis management and suicide prevention conferences 27 April. Both events took place in the El Cotto First Church of the Nazarene in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

The district Nazarene Compassionate Ministries team sponsored the event, and Integrated Mental Health and Counter Addiction Programs Director Monserrate Allende Santos led the trainings.

In the morning, Allende shared about crisis intervention and the different intervention models. She focused on managing crisis and using different models of intervention in order to best help those struggling through crisis situations.

In the afternoon, participants discussed suicide prevention. Allende taught them how to identify suicide risk factors and trained church leaders about responding to them.

“Suicide is a grave social problem [in Puerto Rico], and the church ought to be preparing to face it,” said Carmen Reyes, the West District NCM coordinator. “We thank God for the opportunity to be trained to help brothers and sisters and our communities who suffer these social ills and whom we are called to serve.”

--Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica