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About ReThink Hope UMC

Our Mission

Our mission at ReThink Hope UMC is to actively contribute to the prevention of mass shootings and suicides while providing unwavering support for their victims. Through open dialogue, community education, and compassionate intervention, we strive to create an environment that fosters healing, resilience, and a profound sense of hope. Our commitment extends to understanding the signs, offering targeted assistance, and standing as a beacon of support for those affected by these tragedies. Together, we aspire to build a safer, more compassionate community where the light of hope prevails.

Our Vision

The faith-based ministry of ReThink Hope UMC envisions a United States where the shadows of mass shootings and suicides are significantly diminished, replaced by a landscape of hope, understanding, and resilience. We aspire to be a transformative force, fostering communities that actively engage in preventing these tragedies. Through our unwavering commitment to open dialogue, education, and compassionate intervention, we seek to create a future where the light of faith illuminates the path toward healing and support for all those affected. In this vision, our ministry stands as a beacon of compassion, working collaboratively to reduce the number of mass shootings and suicides, cultivating a society where every individual is valued, supported, and embraced by the uplifting power of faith.

By volunteering with ReThink Hope UMC, you'll not only be making a difference in the lives of others but also experiencing the joy that comes from being part of a supportive and caring community.

If you're ready to contribute your time and talents or you want more information, please call
618-685-0619!
 

Your commitment, no matter how big or small, will play a crucial role in fostering hope and positive change. Together, we can create a community that reflects the values of compassion, understanding, and generosity. Together we can save lives!

Volunteers Needed 

Background

ReThink Hope UMC Ministry was established with a primary focus on guiding individuals in distress to pause, reconsider, and redirect their actions away from self-harm or harm to others—a definitive resolution to what may appear as insurmountable challenges. The development team has dedicated 2023 to formulating the "What to Do" approach. Persistent inquiries and speculations revolve around two pivotal questions concerning both individual suicides and mass shootings:

  • What thoughts were occupying the minds of the shooters leading up to the moment they decided to act?

  • What distinguishes those who navigate through difficult moments from those who choose to end their own lives or take the lives of others?

 

It is widely acknowledged that the most insightful answers emerge from individuals who have stood at the crossroads of despair, contemplating suicide. Thus, the ReThink Hope UMC Ministry emerged as a fusion of prayer and action:

  • Foster continuous opportunities for individuals to openly discuss their stresses and concerns by identifying support groups available at United Methodist Churches.  

  • Under development, both the ReThinkHopeUMC.org / ReThinkHope.org website will showcase and advocate for the 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline. This platform will provide information about the faith-based ministry, encompassing its vision and mission statements, objectives for 2024, suicide-related data, and Christian messages of Hope designed specifically for individuals grappling with self-destructive thoughts. 

  • Currently in development, a prayer phone line and online prayer wall involve committed volunteers equipped to offer prayer-based intervention for individuals facing despair, anxiety, or grief. This assistance is tailored for those coping with the aftermath of losing a loved one to either a mass shooting or suicide, without an immediate crisis warranting access to the 988 Suicide Crisis Hotline.

  • To enhance awareness of mass shootings and suicides within the community, educate individuals about the signs indicating potential shooters and those contemplating suicide through diverse channels like billboards, posters, flyers, mugs, and t-shirts—because it pays to spread the word!

 

This faith-based ministry in partnership initially with: 

  • New Bethel United Methodist Church, Glen Carbon, IL

  • Lebanon First United Methodist Church, Lebanon, IL 62254

  • St Andrew United Methodist Church, Florissant, MO

 could function as the primary point of contact for troubled individuals across the entire United States. ReThink Hope UMC Ministry recognizes no human boundaries that could divide people, understanding that violence-induced deaths impact everyone, transcending geographical and social distinctions.

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