Here are just a few stories of people to whom God has allowed Community Outreach Ministries (COM) to minister. (All names have been changed.)

He and his family had recently moved to Middle Tennessee to start over after having lost his son in a tragic accident. Doug enjoyed paragliding. One day his para-glider failed him and he fell some 50 feet to his death. I was sent to his home inform his wife and 2 teenage children. When I arrived at the house, the teenagers were at home alone. The mother was at work. I had to call the mom and ask her to come home immediately. I waited in the driveway until she arrived, then went in the house and shared the terrible news with the mom and the teenage children.

He was a 17 year old local high school student, an excellent student and athlete. One morning, he chose death over life, committing suicide in his bedroom. He was found by his mentally challenged 20 year old brother. The deceased was good friends with the Sheriff's son, making it an even more painful, emotional scene. We had the opportunity to minister to the family, who had no church home, as well as to our own officers, including the Sheriff.

She is 27, mother of 2 small children and stepmother to a depressed, suicidal 15 year old. Her husband, 47, who she met on the internet, is out of town for a month at a time working, leaving her to handle the entire household herself. Her own small children are having serious issues as well. The marriage is in trouble. Misty is deeply depressed and probably suffering from some degree of bipolar disorder. She has no church home and no one to turn to. She was brought to me by one of our deputies from the Sheriff's Office.

He is a corrections officer at the Williamson County Sheriff's Office. His entire family lives in New Orleans and was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. For several days, he did not know if some of his family had survived. He needed hope and reassurance as he plotted a plan to help the parts of his family that survived. We prayed for all of them.

He was a teenager who played football at a local high school. As he was leaving practice one day, he lost control of his car and was hit by another vehicle, killing him instantly. Dozens and dozens of friends, coaches and school administrators gathered at the hospital emergency room as word spread. For several hours, I sat with the mother and family in a small room in the emergency room, with the young mans body, trying to offer some encouragement and comfort. I addressed all those waiting outside and was a part of a prayer with them as we tried to control the distraught teens. The next day, I was asked to address the young mans teammates as they tried to cope.

He was in his late 20's, married and the father of a young girl. He was hit by a tractor trailer as he performed a routine traffic stop, killing him instantly. Dozens of officers were on the scene from various agencies when I arrived. The gruesomeness of the scene is beyond description. The emotional pain of the other officers as they dealt with the loss of "one of the family" was even more grotesque. For over 3 hours we were on the scene ministering to the officers, holding grown men as they cried uncontrollably, helping to bring some peace to a tragic situation.

Gloria is 72 years old. She recently came home from church to find her husband had committed suicide. She needed help and support to deal with the unbelievable grief and pain she was experiencing as she dealt with his decision to take his life and the emotional aftermath.

A deputy with the Sheriff's office. He was called to the scene of a horrific car/motorcycle accident. One mans leg was amputated, another killed instantly from severe head injuries. A third was critically wounded. He worked the scene alone for 15 minutes before further help arrived. Afterward, he needed help in processing the trauma he had witnessed.

An officer with the Sheriff's with 2 teenage children. Two close friends of theirs was killed in a tragic car accident. The teens were devastated and turned to their dad for answers. He had none and called us desperate for help in ministering to his children.

She is a single mom with no church family, an officer with the Sheriff's Office. She was desperate, depressed, and possibly suicidal. She had no one to call, no where to turn. She called me. She was going through hard times with family members and financial struggles. Instead of committing suicide, we were able to get her the help she needed.

She was a correction officer with the Sheriff's Office, in her mid-twenties, a divorced single mom, with 3 small children. Her ex-husband is a serious drug addict. She receives no support for her children from him, has no family in the area, and has no church family. During a training session she went to the bathroom and passed out, blocking the door opening. After finally getting in to check on her, other officers found her with no pulse or blood pressure. CPR was performed until an ambulance arrived to transport her. I was called and met her at the hospital. Beverly was revived shortly after arriving at the emergency. As she groggily woke up, she looked up at me and thanked for the Christmas gifts we had previously supplied so that her children could have a Christmas. She continues to struggle with health, financial, and familial issues.

He was in his mid twenties. He was coerced into trying drugs for the first time by an old high school buddy. He had a beautiful wife and family, beautiful house and a great life. But, his brief experimentation turned into severe addiction. He began to lose everything due to his severe addiction. After several efforts to overcome the addiction, Sam gave up, laying down in front of a train. I had to go to his house and inform his family of what had happened.

I was called to the Sheriff's office at 5:45am to visit with Larry. He was potentially suicidal. His wife had decided that she no longer loved him and was leaving, taking their 5 year old son with her. He wept openly and shared his deep depression, unable to eat or sleep for days. He needed help.

Early one morning, Janice left home to go to her nursing job, leaving her three young children and husband sleeping. When the children woke up, they tried unsuccessfully to wake up their dad. They attempted CPR, called 911 and ran to a neighbors' house. Emergency personnel arrived. Janice was called at work. I arrived just as she did. Rick had died of a massive heart attack in his sleep. Janice was overwhelmed with grief. She wanted me to go with her to see the body, still in their bed, and then to go with her and tell the children that their dad was dead. The children went hysterical, and the 10 year old screamed at me, "I was praying for dad to be okay. Why didn't God answer my prayer?" I assured him, as best I could, that God was present and had heard his prayer. After spending over two hours with the family and gathering their family and church support system around them, I prepared to leave. The mother was rocking the 10 year old. As I said goodbye to them, the mother whispered to the child, "See, God did hear our prayers. He sent this angel to take care of us through this awful day." I left in tears.

A severe drug addict serving her sentence at the Williamson County jail. She has 2 small children, no husband and lives with her mother. One week after being released from jail, she becomes pregnant again. Saying she has no time for a pregnancy, she wrestles with whether to seek an abortion.

As a Drug Court participant, I counseled Jesse extensively in small group sessions. Many of our sessions dealt with God's plan for relationships and God's perspective of sexuality. Both these areas are major issues with many of the people we work with. Jesse's girlfriend, Lacy, was pregnant with their child. As result of our study, Jesse sought pre-marital counseling and decided that he and Lacy should marry. He wanted their child to have a Godly home.

A former Metro police officer who seriously injured his back while on duty. He became addicted to pain medication and was convicted of forging prescriptions for painkillers. His wife was convicted as an accessory. Neither had ever been in trouble before. They were put in jail at the same time. They had no family support and lost everything while they were incarcerated. When released, they had no jobs, no home, no transportation, and very few clothes. We began contacting our ministry partners. By the end of the day, one church had given them a check to help with expenses, another had lined up a temporary place to live. Soon, another partner offered to let them live in her home, sight unseen. Others later helped with jobs and got them plugged into a local church. God's people demonstrating God's love!

Her husband had been missing for days. It was all over the local news. The Sheriffs Office finally found him, in a barn, dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound. I knocked on Betty's door at 1 o'clock in the morning to deliver the news to her and her 2 small sons. She was hysterical. I called her friends and minister to come and surround her. Even after their arrival, she would not let me leave. In fact, she asked everyone but me to leave the room. She had some questions and wanted me to answer them. Why? How could he? What could she have done? I stayed with her and her family for hours. (As chaplain of the Sheriff's Office, I have been called to deliver 12 death notifications this year. Four were suicides. Did you know that law enforcement officials have one of the highest suicide rates of all professions? )

He was a detective and he was my buddy. He died suddenly in the middle of the night at his home. I was called to the emergency room, where I prayed with his grieving wife and sons over his lifeless body. They had no church home and asked if I would preach his funeral. It was an honor.

I was called to the jail at midnight one night. An inmate had attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself. Cheryl was the officer in charge when it happened and found the inmate hanging. She was hysterical and was ready to quit on the spot. She was blaming herself for the incident.

Wayne was working with a tree trimming crew, had been pitched from the bucket of his cherry picker some 45 feet in the air, and had been broken in two by his harness. When I arrived, he was still hanging in the air. Every emergency agency in the county was on the scene. Wayne's brother was on the crew with him. He was on the ground and did not know how serious his brother was injured. I had to pull him aside and tell him his brother had been pronounced dead.

She is in her mid-twenties, beautiful, a former model. She was sexually abused from ages 2-15 by a stepfather and his friend. Her mother was paid for the daughters sexual favors. She was severely abused, physically, by her first husband. She has struggled with bulimia and has recently been diagnosed with MS.

Twenty-nine years old with 6 children by 5 different women. When he was dealing drugs, money was not a problem. With wads of cash up to $10,000 in his pocket daily, he was able to fill his children's closets with expensive clothes and toys. Now that he is determined to be clean and sober, he is broke. Poorly educated, he can only find a low paying job that won't support 6 children. The temptation to return to dealing drugs is extraordinary.

A police officer with marital problems. His wife, a former stripper and drug user, is returning to her old ways and is having an affair. Dan came seeking help.

Another police officer. Paul is under tremendous stress from a divorce, financial obligations, and custody issues with his child. He has turned to alcohol for solutions. He recently has experienced multiple seizures, diagnosed as the result of stress.

A 21 year old corrections officer. He just found out that his 19 year old girl friend is pregnant. She wants an abortion. He does not and is distraught at the possibility.

A young corrections officer. In the midst of qualifying on the firing range, he received a call from his wife, telling him to come home as soon as possible and clean his stuff out of the house. She said she never wanted to see him again. He has no idea why and doesn't have a clue what to do.

Hurting and wounded people in need of help, hope, and healing. Thanks be to God that COM was able to be there to listen, support, advise, teach and offer the love of God as the only real answer!

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