Temple Crisis Hotline

The name of the thing "crisis hotline" -- that is going to be changed. And we really are not going to be equipped to do crisis management. That is not what clergy do ...

The "warm" line idea is what I've been saying for months ; it is not for people who are feeling suicidal, or on the brink of a total psychological meltdown.

This is just for talking : for getting things off one's chest, for expressing things that need to be expressed to someone -- just someone who will listen without carrying the story further.

So, this isn't about crisis intervention - we can't do that. This is just about 'talking' (worries, rants, joys & sorrows, hopes & fears) about the "human condition" stuff. It doesn't all have to be pessimistic even ...

"Wing flapping"?

Jestor wrote: "Wing flapping"?

:blink:

I like the "warm line"...need a friend to talk to? IMHP this seems to be a clerical thing but that is my vision of a church leaders role and responsibility not that I'm imposing that on anyone.

Having said that can one work on clerical studies without being a member or taking an oath?

If someone needs to just talk to someone, then they have friends, theoretically, or they can PM anyone they choose.

If we are going to have some kind of official capacity where we offer an ear and shoulder and help them find the help they need then I feel it needs to be done by our Clergy.

It not need be a “hot line” but I would like for at least a group of people to check in on it daily and converse amongst each other, or at least report anything sever to ranking Clergy or Council in their absence, about what’s going on (not gossip).

Start a new thread called, “A Friend in Need, an outreach and support group.” Add a basic intent and design of the group, a “who we are and what we do.” And a disclaimer. Then add instructions to use the contact email provided and/or PM someone on the group list.
Then add the contact information that has already been provided by so many of our members in replies to the topic and group them by region for each reply.

It should be simple and to the point.

I don't see a gauge of priority of need for this versus other demands on the time faced by clergy and the college of Knights in general. I think it is important to be realistic about how much time a formal process might require.

It seems that assistance is inherent in the structure of the TotJO itself and assistance is offered in an intuitive response to need.

Aside from the question of what level of assistance can be offered, there is the question of volunteer-availability. In my previous experience with volunteering, there is an 80/20 rule. That is that 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work (that isn't a criticism, just a generally-observed rule of thumb). Volunteer-based groups ignore this reality at their peril and the risk is burn-out of the 20%-ers. I don't know if that is true of TotJO, I haven't been around long enough to gain that insight...

It is possible that in the wall of the storm, the obvious fact that there are a number of "doors to knock-on" might get lost in the tempest. So, possibly for this reason, having a more formal offering of "help" might assist those who are stressed, a more formalized beacon of assistance might serve to cut through that confusion...

I guess my question would be, is this a real-need, or is it something which folks feel "an organization like this" ought to offer? If the need is real and identifiable, then moves should be made to fill the need.

If, however, it is deemed that this is more to say "ya, we do that too", maybe we can wait to formalize a process which is already occurring informally...

Whatever the process, if it can be designed to be scale-able, as more folks become available, the offering can grow organically.

People, even on forums, often feel unsure about messaging someone for help. If they had a problem they really needed support for, they definitely wouldn't post it on the forum. Some people won't even post questions about how to find the IP or make an oath.

Even if we just provided a list of possible places to go for help, I think that is worth our time.

I guess my question would be, is this a real-need,

yes judging from some of the posts and issues that come up

or is it something which folks feel "an organization like this" ought to offer

yes this is a church and it seems there there are many good hearted people willing to serve

Start a new thread called, “A Friend in Need, an outreach and support group.” Add a basic intent and design of the group, a “who we are and what we do.” And a disclaimer. Then add instructions to use the contact email provided and/or PM someone on the group list.
Then add the contact information that has already been provided by so many of our members in replies to the topic and group them by region for each reply.

It should be simple and to the point.


I think Wescli Wardest is spot on.

Right now, we are just kicking ideas around...

And I mean "we", the people in this thread, as there have been no more discussions away from here on it...

We are zeroing in on what we would expect and want to see from this...

Arkayik hit on some points, and like Rickie, I wanted to comment... Arkayik didnt say anything wrong, actually, like everyone else, he is quite right...

Arkayik wrote: I guess my question would be, is this a real-need, or is it something which folks feel "an organization like this" ought to offer? If the need is real and identifiable, then moves should be made to fill the need.

If, however, it is deemed that this is more to say "ya, we do that too", maybe we can wait to formalize a process which is already occurring informally...

Whatever the process, if it can be designed to be scale-able, as more folks become available, the offering can grow organically.

I think there is a need, many people think there is a need, so we shall make it happen...

Even if people dont use it, the availability of it is just one more tool for folks t have at their disposal...

It is something already going on, I feel, and this way it might go one even more...

Many people PM me, starting with "Sorry to bother you", if this place was a bother, I would stop coming... I enjoy this, very much... lol... I admit, I can have my hands full with stuff, but I doubt anyone can say they had to wait too many hours before I responded... Not to mention those I reach out to on my own... lol...

I think I start those with "Sorry to bother you", :lol:....

But, with this, it is an email, and just a way to vent if nothing else... As an ex-catholic, we had the "blind" confession where the priest couldnt see beyond the screen, and it was easier sometimes, to talk to someone who couldnt see who it was...

Wes wrote: It should be simple and to the point.

Really, I would have thought this was, but how many pages in are we?

:lol:...

Wes wrote: Start a new thread called, “A Friend in Need, an outreach and support group.” Add a basic intent and design of the group, a “who we are and what we do.” And a disclaimer. Then add instructions to use the contact email provided and/or PM someone on the group list.
Then add the contact information that has already been provided by so many of our members in replies to the topic and group them by region for each reply.

Sort of like the "who to ask" thread...

We just dont have any regional contact info...

I think, due to the sheer size of this, it might be the casue for the slowdown before...

Arkayik wrote: Aside from the question of what level of assistance can be offered, there is the question of volunteer-availability. In my previous experience with volunteering, there is an 80/20 rule. That is that 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work (that isn't a criticism, just a generally-observed rule of thumb). Volunteer-based groups ignore this reality at their peril and the risk is burn-out of the 20%-ers. I don't know if that is true of TotJO, I haven't been around long enough to gain that insight...

Yes, this is true here as well....

Ideas abound... Few get implemented due to manpower shortages...

"Not my job" mentality runs amuck everywhere... :lol:...

Rickie wrote: Having said that can one work on clerical studies without being a member or taking an oath?

No Rickie...

The IP is the basic requirement to getting in the seminary, ans this is probably going to be a clerical thing...

Sorry bud...

Alex wrote:

So, 'wing flapping'...

Is what I meant..

Cabur Senaar wrote: If a few people volunteered, a small team could do it. Two or three? Who is responsible for the line. One might send a request to volunteer to that person.

I am assuming that people submitting to the Warm Line will be anonymous. Will people responding on the warm line be anonymous also? Just curious.

Of course it can be anonymous... But that is up to the sender, for now...

If I send something from 'jestor@totjo.org', I am pretty sure people will assume its me...

Again, something we need to sort out...

A junk email, a generic totjo email for rants possibly with an easy password to send stuff in, im not sure yet...

I was thinking of forwarding the 'initial email' to interested clergy, then they could log in to the 'warm line' to respond, then others would know it is being handled...

Again, no idea on logistics as of yet...

Kicking things around...:lol:...

Jestor wrote: Of course it can be anonymous... But that is up to the sender, for now...

If I send something from 'jestor@totjo.org', I am pretty sure people will assume its me...

Again, something we need to sort out...

A junk email, a generic totjo email for rants possibly with an easy password to send stuff in, im not sure yet...

I was thinking of forwarding the 'initial email' to interested clergy, then they could log in to the 'warm line' to respond, then others would know it is being handled...

Again, no idea on logistics as of yet...

Kicking things around...:lol:...

I have explored this option before for another idea with the Knights, every email account I found had some way of finding the IP addresses of those who had logged into it, otherwise we would have already made such an account. The only way to really do it (unless someone knows of an anyonymous email service) is for someone to just make a new email account and use that which isn't really a bad idea.

One idea thrown around was to have some sort of formal clerical structure where a bishop looked over some priests and they looked over some deacons etc. The details were never looked into, synod has been sorting out clerical training and stuff so it's unclear exactly how it would work, but the idea was akin to having a structured way of ensuring that people have a line of people with which they can talk with when in need.

It's just the outlines of an idea, but given the responses in this thread it sounds like this sort of thing is something people want so clergy can look to seeing what we can do to try and provide this service.