Christian Life Service and Action Committee sponsors training to help vets

The Clergy and Lay Leader Training to Help Returning Veterans, initiated by the PNC’s Christian Life Service and Action Committee, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15, at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 1700 Edmonds Ave NE, in Renton.

Katy Lloyd

Katy Lloyd, who has been organizing the event, said it is co-sponsored by St. Matthews, the Washington Association of Churches and Valley Cities Clinic.  She chose to serve on the CLSA Committee to provide such training so “churches can participate in healing of so much pain and hurt.”

Chaplain Billy Hawkins of Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis, a veteran of Iraq, will be one of the speakers.  He and other presenters will help participants understand issues, signs of problems, family dynamics and referral resources.

“Medical advances have created new challenges, because people who previously would not have survived are surviving, and surviving broken by both seen and hidden injuries,” Katy said. 

Those injuries include traumatic brain injury, suicide, drug abuse, divorce, domestic violence and post traumatic stress disorder.

“We may disagree with the war, but I believe it is doing the work of peace to focus on how to help people heal,” she said. “It’s a statement of faith in the resurrection power, in God’s power to heal in putting our resources together so healing can happen.”

Katy, who attends Findlay Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), recognizes that churches can’t do everything, but they can provide listening, prayers, meals and child care for veterans and for families of people deployed.

She said two members of Wayside UCC in Federal Way have also helped with planning: Pam Taylor, development director of the Valley Cities Clinic, which has a counseling program for veterans and their families, and Dan Parker, an army chaplain at Fort Lewis, have assisted.

Registration for the free workshop is due by Oct. 9 to Doris Waggoner at 206-748-7288 or doriswaggoner@juno.com.  For other information, call Katy at 206-935-4733 or email at revkaty@nwlink.com.

Copyright © September 2009 - Pacific Northwest United Church of Christ Conference News