CRISIS

Help first.Prayer second. Both are here.

The numbers below answer faster than any church can. Use them first. A trans crisis line is staffed right now, tonight, by people who will not make you explain what a pronoun is.

If you are in danger tonight, these answer faster than we can, at any hour. Nothing on this page is more important than the four numbers below.

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988Free and open every hour of every day, across the United States.
  • Trans LifelineCall 877-565-8860Peer support, staffed by trans people. Does not call police or emergency services without your consent.
  • The Trevor ProjectCall 1-866-488-7386, or text START to 678-678For LGBTQ people under 25. Chat, text, and phone.
  • Oregon Child Abuse HotlineCall 855-503-SAFE (855-503-7233)If a child is being harmed. The clergy of this church are mandatory reporters under ORS 419B.010, and that duty is not dispensable by anyone here, including the Ordinary.
THE NEXT TEN MINUTES

Small things, in order.

Call or text one of the numbers above

You do not need a plan, a reason, or the right words. Being unsure whether it is bad enough is a normal reason to call.

Put distance between you and the method

Give it to someone, lock it away, leave the room, leave the building. Distance buys time, and time is usually what changes the outcome.

Tell one person where you are

A friend, a sibling, a neighbour, a moderator in a chat. It does not have to be someone who knows what to say.

Do one physical thing

Water, food, cold air, sitting on the floor. This does not fix anything and it is not meant to. It gets you to the next ten minutes.

A stole hung
on a hook
beside a door
THE PASTORAL LAYER

A chaplain who will not misgender you is safety equipment.

If part of what is crushing you is religious — a God you were told hates you, a family quoting scripture, a hell you still half believe in — that is not a separate problem to sort out later. It is load-bearing, and clergy who are affirming without hesitation are part of staying alive.

You can ask for that here at no cost, and you can ask for it while in crisis, before you are stable, and without believing any of it.

Ask a pastor → Material help
WHAT THIS CHURCH IS NOT

Told plainly, because it matters tonight.

Not a crisis service

This church is not a crisis service and does not monitor anything around the clock. Messages sent here are answered within a day or two, which is not fast enough for tonight.

The numbers answer faster

A trans crisis line is staffed by trained people, right now, at no cost. Use them first, and write to the church afterwards or alongside.

Both, not one

Calling a line and asking for a pastor are not competing choices. A prayer is not a substitute for a lifeline, and a lifeline does not settle the religious part.

QUICK ANSWERS

Short, because you are not reading carefully.

Policies differ by line. If that is a risk you cannot take, say so at the start of the call or text and ask what their policy is — you are allowed to ask before you say anything else.
Yes. These lines exist for people who are not sure, not only for people at the edge.
No. You can ask for a pastoral conversation while certain none of it is true, and nothing will be said over you that you did not ask for.
No. The lines are free and nothing at this church has a fee.
Ask the main site through the request-assistance page. That is a different route and it is faster than going through the church.
STAY

Call the number.
Then, if you want, write to us.

The church will still be here tomorrow, and so should you be. Help first.

Ask a pastor → All support