FFCI Neighbor Love Initiative

Imagine Opening Your Email to Find This in Your Inbox

“Hi Alisa,
I have a firefighter going through depression and thoughts of suicide. There’s another one going through similar issues. This is far beyond our area of expertise. Do you have a referral for mental health?”

We don’t have to just imagine that scenario because this is a real question that came to the CMR from Victor Laveaga, 33-year veteran of the Pasadena Fire Department (PFD) and volunteer Chaplain for the PFD. He also happens to be the director of communication for Firefighters for Christ* (FFC).  

Long gone are the Norman Rockwell days of volunteer firemen sitting around the firehouse playing checkers, waiting for the bell to ring. Today’s fire service handles a wider variety of emergency services, is much more technically involved, and the call load is ever increasing. It’s not uncommon for firefighters to be away from home three to five days at a time, returning stressed, sleep deprived, and suffering from PTSD. The compounding detrimental effects on their physical and mental wellbeing goes home with them, damaging their marriages and families. 

“Various municipalities, fire agencies, and labor unions have addressed these issues, and do a good job,” added Victor, “but none of their programs are faith-based; they fail to meet the spiritual need at the core. Biola University’s Center for Marriage and Relationships (CMR) already has the perfect Christ-centered resources for firefighters and their families. What if there’s a way to make CMR resources available to firefighters everywhere through FFC nationally and internationally?”

And that’s how dreams are born. That’s how the Lord creates divine opportunities!

Divine Opportunities

It’s through the CMR’s strategic Neighbor Love partnerships like this with the FFC that the Lord has extended our reach exponentially worldwide, bringing with it the potential to impact over one million firefighters with the gospel of Christ and the biblical, relational, and mental health resources they so desperately need.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help!

We make 90% of the CMR’s content free so that it is accessible to the largest number of people possible. The CMR is also funded entirely by donations from friends like you, and currently our need is serious. We need to raise $50,000 by December 31 to help close our funding gap for the ‘20’21 academic school year and keep those vital resources for millions of firefighters and their families available. 

Every Dollar Makes a Difference

Every dollar you give goes to fund projects like Free Relationship Advice, professional counseling referrals, online seminars and webinars that introduce the Gospel and address core relationship issues, as well as podcasts, social media, blogs, and videos.

Would you please help us take advantage of this divine opportunity and consider making a generous year-end gift to support the continued outreach of the Center for Marriage and Relationships? More than ever before, people like our first responders long for and need significant, meaningful, long-lasting relationships and mental health, and the CMR is uniquely positioned to help them.

“Because of the nature of the job, firefighters can feel indestructible,“ said Victor. “They believe that they can handle things on their own and will not seek help. They see it as a weakness. The CMR is an easily-accessible, trusted source they can turn to for effective help from a biblical perspective.”

Click here today and help us reach our goal of raising $50,000 by December 31. A gift of any amount, large or small, can make a real difference for the CMR.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…" – Ephesians 3:20 NIV

Donate Today

(*Firefighters for Christ does not solicit donations as an organization.)