Barbara Borntrager writes of her journey with her son Jon, a troubled child whose Tourrette syndrome and related problems eventually led to his suicide at the age of 21.

 

A wealth of study materials on social issues in this Beyond The News video set.

 

Every year, about 37,000 U.S. citizens are killed with firearms.  No matter what you think about gun control, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to take a serious look at this video and find out how you can make a difference.  Includes many little-known facts and moving stories about violence and the use of firearms in our society.

 

Many images come to mind when we hear the word "homelessness."  They may include a woman pushing a cart loaded with all her belongings, a man sitting on a bench holding out a cup for money, bodies wrapped in blankets sleeping over grates along city streets, or cardboard houses. Our images don't often include children, families, and those with college educations.  What is our response to this issue?  This video will ask you to examine your attitudes toward the homeless and perhaps choose new ways to respond to a need that is all around us. 

 

Thought-provoking. Informational. A look at immigrants and refugees in the United States. Why do we fear immigrants? Why do people leave their countries to come to the United States? What is the Christian response to immigration and undocumented worker issues? What are the racial and economic implications in the immigration debate?

 

Sexual abuse is in our churches, homes, and institutions. Features psychotherapist and author Carolyn Holderread Heggen, along with disturbing but true stories of sexual abuse told by actors.

 

Be inspired and challenged as you encounter families moving from fury to forgiveness after the death of a murdered family member.

 

Examine TV's role in society. Media experts Dr. Quentin Schultze and Dr. George Gerbner, and educator Ramona Pence explain how and by whom our attitudes on race, sex, roles, politics, and current events are being shaped. DVD and VHS.

 

  

Building On Faith explores how faith groups and others are working to bring decent, affordable housing for all.  Today people living from paycheck to paycheck often have to choose between paying the rent and buying food for their children.

 

Three documentaries.  Set includes Fierce Goodbye, Journey Toward Forgiveness and Hunger No More. DVD or VHS.

 

Weekly issue of essays and opinions on national (U.S. and Canada) and international issues primarily from an Anabaptist perspective.

 

Families Facing Change.  In this documentary, families, experts and "wise ones" share insights on aging, housing choices, facing illness, and cooperating as siblings in the care of aging parents.

 

Five loving and courageous families take you to the innermost depths of their heartbreak and pain to bring hope and healing to others dealing with the numbing aftereffects of suicide.  Additional families, individuals, mental health experts, Bible scholars and theologians add their experiences and insights in dealing with the issue of suicide.  DVD,  VHS, and Book.

 

 

Families Living With Addiction.  Challenging and heartbreaking stories of addiction and recovery.  This documentary examines the role that chemical dependency plays in family dynamics.

 

 

This book by Rosalynn Carter with Susan K. Golant is a helpful, basic resource for understanding the major mental illnesses: depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety disorders. Mrs. Carter discusses the emotional and psychological issues in caregiving and offers ways to get rid of stigma and misinformation.

 

A TV documentary presented by the National Council of Churches. This video takes an unflinching look at the persistent problem of hunger in the 21st century. . . and offers solutions. Meet the people behind the facts on hunger. Also encounter people of faith across America who have taken up the challenge of eradicating hunger in the U.S. and globally. What you do will make a difference. DVD and VHS

 

 

Susan Gregg-Schroeder offers a bold statement about living with chronic depression and discovering gifts of God in the midst of that depression. Taking readers on her own personal journey into depression, Gregg-Schroeder describes what happened to her while she served as a church pastor. She recounts her personal and painful experience and provides insights for life with depression.

 

Written to accompany Gregg-Schroeder's book by the same title, this guide provides small group leaders with the material needed to facilitate a four-session study.