Elder Gloria Rentrope, MSSA, Christian Revival Ministries – “Soul Shop™ for Black Churches Suicide Prevention Workshop: From the Eyes of One”
“Soul Shop™ for Black Churches Suicide Prevention Workshop: From the Eyes of One” --Elder Gloria Rentrope, MSSA, Christian Revival Ministries The statistics are startling: Black Children between the ages of 5 - 11 years are dying by suicide at TWO times the rate of their white counterparts. Black American suicide rates rose THIRTY percent between 2014 and 2019. Black men die by suicide at THREE times the rate of black women. Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for black youth between the ages of 15 to 24 years. I did not initially jump at the chance to help host a Soul Shop Workshop as part of the FCMI Suicide Prevention/Reduction Task Force. That’s a huge commitment of effort and time! But my hesitation was short-lived as those horrific numbers were revealed while investigating the Soul Shop™ for Black Churches program. The more I learned, the more my passion rose to “Do something!” After dual careers as both a Clinical Social Worker and a Pastor’s wif