i
Dr. Joyce LaVerne Brock President/Executive Director
1997 - Present
Upon moving to Indianapolis in 1988 I attended a women's meeting at the Indiana War Memorial where Geraldine Alderink was one of the speakers for the prayer session. I felt an immediate connection with her as she spoke since her passion for prayer/intercession seemed to match my passion. I knew I had to meet her. From that date it seems God knit our hearts and we became friends and Gerry, as we affectionately call her, shared about her ministry, "Christian Lifelines for Crisis". This also touched my heart as I was in bible college preparing for my work as a Christian Counselor . I took Gerry's training for Christian crisis prayerline ministry and became a volunteer on the helpline. Periodically, over the next 6-7 years Gerry would invite me to serve on her board and/or take over Christian Lifelines. But, I always held off accepting this responsibility thinking that "I knew" God's plan. I repeatedly told Gerry that I eventually would have a crisis line associated with my work in ministry, but it was not yet time. Having finished my bible college training in 1997, the Lord let me know that He was ready to take me to the "next level". I could think of nothing left for me to do but to incorporate the ministry I had been working so diligently to develop. One day, during this time, I was holding a conversation with my sister telling her how exhausted I was as I was trying to put together the documents to incorporate the ministry. She listened to me and then began to minister to me, "Joyce. the Lord is saying that your work will be 'hard, but not stressful.'" Just prior to calling my sister, Gerry had called me and asked me again earnestly, "Joyce, won't you pray and ask God if it isn't time for you to take over the crisis line." Somehow, at that time, I knew I was supposed to pray about it and not put her off. I promised her I would pray and get back with her. While my sister ministered to me it seemed a light came on and I began to see exactly what God was doing and saying about taking me to the "next level". It was, in fact, that I was to incorporate the ministry. But, God had already taken care of that with me taking over the crisis line from Gerry. The fact was that in 1994, Gerry found out that there had been an error with the corporate filing and the original corporation, Christian Lifelines for Crisis, had lost its status as a non-profit organization. It was necessary for Gerry to re-incorporate the ministry. She decided to change the name to Compassion Helplines, Inc. and it was incorporated on September 16, 1994. At that time Gerry found out that the original number God had given them at the start of Christian Lifelines for Crisis was now available. However, it was not available in her area. It was available in the area where I lived. Sometimes, the crisis line would operate out of independent office spaces, in churches, or from volunteer counselor homes with the phones being transferred for their shifts. Because the original number was located in my area I agreed to let it be connected in my home and transferred to Gerry where she would control transferring it to the volunteers for their shifts. Even though I continued to put off Gerry's request to take over the crisis line until September 1997, inwardly I knew from the time it was connected in my home in 1994 that I was to be more deeply connected with it. So, when I agreed to take over the new corporation, Compassion Helplines, Inc. in 1997 not only was God taking me to the "next level", but He did it by handing me a newly formed Christian non-profit organization taking all of the process out of my hands. O', the wisdom of God! Gerry turned over all the ministry materials, accounts, telephone system and some furnishings and I combined all the other ministry work I was doing under Compassion Helplines (dba) Better Living Ministries, Inc. In 1997, the Lord established us in a ministry site that when I told Gerry about it, she informed me that it turned out the be the very site He had directed her to 14years earlier. Gerry, had a saying which we continue to this day. It is, "COMPASSION HELPLINES, INC, GOD'SIDEA.! We have been blessed to be stewards over this ministry since 1997 seeing God provide for it every step of the way. We have seen it grow from a telephone prayer/crisis line minisrty to what you see in this website. We are grateful to God for chosing us!
Read the original history from Gerry under the History tab.
Compassion Helplines, Inc. second ministry site was established in Colorado Springs,CO. December 2006.