Fourteen years ago, our family decided to use the Ministers Assistance Program (MAP). Our daughter Kallie, who was a teenager at the time, was struggling emotionally with a tragic event that happened to a close friend within our church’s youth group.
Gary and I thought it would be best to find a counselor through Converge MidAmerica MAP that specifically worked with adolescents. After a year of godly and professional counseling, our daughter was able to process this tragedy in a healthy way. In May of this year, we celebrated Kallie receiving her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary, which is due in part to the influence and healing she received through her MAP counselor.
Because of the generosity of Converge MidAmerica Churches and private donors, we are able to commit $50,000 a year to the care of pastors and their families through The Minister Assistance Program (MAP) as well as our Pastoral Benevolence Fund that are touching the lives of many of our pastors and their families throughout our churches.
Here are a few anonymous testimonies we received this past year from Converge MidAmerica pastors and their family members who have richly benefited from our Ministers Assistance Program this year.
- It has given me peace in my current tension. It helps having an objective listener. I am grateful for our donors providing us a resource to unload, unpack, and process. Ministers need to be ministered to. (Pastor)
- I have been able to experience healing and a freeing perspective in an area that caused great pain. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The counseling sessions provided by MAP were transformational for me in a difficult season. I truly believe the help I received not only benefited me; but my husband, children, and church as well. (Pastor’s spouse)
- I am more joyful and secure. I feel like I have the resources I need to get better. Whether you feel you are having an impact or not my family feels it. In many ways, this program has been life-changing for us, even at times potentially life-saving. It means so much that people care about pastors and their families getting counseling, because it’s one of the most important resources. (Pastor’s child)
- Less anxious, more patient, less burdened, healing from grief. Thank you so much for making possible what otherwise wouldn’t have been had this program not exist. I already had enough excuses for why I should just “push through” my grief into counseling. I really needed it and your generosity gave me the counseling assistance I needed to continue to heal. (Pastor)
Can we count on you and your church to help us this Christmas season to continue giving this gift to our pastors and their families?
Thank you and may God bless you deeply,
Mary Rohrmayer