As Spring nears, we are excited to enter a new chapter within the spiritual and cultural care of children on our residential campus in Helena. Van Orsdel Commons will provide a permanent space for the chaplain’s program and related activities. We hope your 2018 plans will include a trip to 500 South Lamborn to come …
Tag Archive: churches
Jan 15
Moving towards completion of Van Orsdel Commons!
It’s been fifty years since there was a dedicated chapel space for the children in care at Intermountain’s residential campus. In fact, the last place dedicated for worship and learning about God was the Helen Piper memorial chapel in Mills Hall, which once stood on 11th Avenue across from the Capital Mall. So, as I …
Oct 23
Helping Samantha this holiday season
The holidays are almost upon us again! This time of year can be wonderful for children – filled with magical moments, time with loved ones, and treasured traditions. But the holidays can also be a difficult time, especially for children like Samantha. At seven, she was sexually molested by someone close to her. Taken from …
Jun 12
The foster care system, trauma and resilience
Trauma often does its greatest harm when it occurs during the impressionable stages of our youth. Losing one’s parents, moving from different schools, living in an unstable environment – all of these are issues that can break into a child’s world and cause difficulties well into adulthood. What can we do? What has research shown to …
Mar 18
Following in Brother Van’s footsteps by building trauma-informed ministries
As the chaplain at Intermountain’s residential program, I often hear the stories of families parenting children who have experienced trauma and how hard it is for them to find a church that “gets them.” One mother shared with me, “The hard thing was, just as my daughter’s behaviors were getting worse and I needed a …
Nov 13
Was Jesus’ ministry “trauma-informed?” [part 4]: Responding to trauma within the compassionate Kingdom of God
There is a movement taking shape across the country when it comes to ministry settings: becoming trauma-informed. I am personally invested in this movement and I am intrigued by the ways I see connections between Jesus’ teachings and trauma-informed ministry principles. In the first post in the series, I focused only the first identifier of …
Sep 18
Advocating for Rachel, part 3 – guest contributor, Crystal Amundson
(In this final post in the series, we see where Rachel is after the first nine years of her life. She is a survivor, but she’ll need a lot of help going forward. In case you missed the earlier posts, please go back to the first post, and learn just how much this young lady …
Sep 06
Advocating for Rachel, part 2 – guest contributor, Crystal Amundson
(In a previous post, we met Rachel and followed the first part of her journey. In this second installment, we will continue to look at Rachel as a case study and interject ways in which faith communities can reach out to these precious children that are slipping through the cracks. There is a great deal …
Sep 01
Sign up for the Resilience Fall Summit in Helena!
Everything is NOT fine, despite what people in our churches may be telling each other during the coffee social following worship! Montana’s children, youth, and families are in trouble, and we have the ability to do something about it! In an effort to pull together the tremendous resources our faith communities possess, I’ll be facilitating …
Aug 15
Advocating for Rachel, part 1 – Guest article by Crystal Amundson
Note: Crystal Amundson LCPC, RPT-S runs a private practice in Helena, Montana, where she works as a child play therapist. Crystal specializes in Play Therapy, working with children ages 2-12, alongside their caregivers. She is a previous employee and current board member at Intermountain. Her passion and expertise is in the field of early childhood …
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