By Grace Thornton
The Alabama Baptist
As tornados ripped across Lee County earlier this month, Alabama’s first responders were right there, ready to serve. And as ambulances and hospitals filled up with storm victims, policemen, firefighters and emergency medical personnel saw the kind of human suffering and heartbreak that can take a significant toll.
And that’s just one day on the job.
All over the state, first responders and combat veterans regularly face the kind of trauma that can cause life-altering impact — impact that John Murphy understands.
Murphy, a Marine who served two tours in Iraq, dealt with PTSD that continued to get worse until a family friend encouraged him to go to a Christ-based recovery center.
It changed his life.
That’s why he started a ministry called Cadence Call, a nonprofit ministry aimed at helping veterans and first responders facing trauma or transitional issues. It’s not a support group — it’s a course where participants can get practical help to take steps toward healing in an environment, said Murphy’s wife, Anita, who serves as administrator for the program.
“It’s for anyone who deals with trauma on a regular basis as part of their job,” Anita Murphy said.
Cadence Call’s next courses start March 28 (dinner at 6, course at 6:30) and will be held at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook. Veterans will walk through a course called REBOOT Combat Recovery, and first responders can take a course called Firstline. Materials and meals are free.
And for churches interested in learning more, there are a lot of ways to get involved, said Anita Murphy, who for more than 30 years was a member of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Trussville.
“There is such a huge opportunity for churches to impact their church members who have these traumas,” she said. “A lot of times they mask those traumas, they don’t feel like they have anybody to talk to who understands. Being a part of our ministry and connecting people with us can help.”
For more information about how to get involved, visit the Cadence Call Ministries page on Facebook. To register for classes, visit rebootalliance.com, scroll down and click on REBOOT or Firstline, choose “join a course” and select the Birmingham location when you register.
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