Andy Molatch, our founder, attracted men of service and action. As a 30 year veteran police officer with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, Andy saw firsthand what personal and family sacrifices it takes to live in that world. Andy’s two sons served as Navy Seals further sensitizing him to our military veterans.
We do not believe in coincidence. We are seeing God bring to the ministry many men coming out of military service battling PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome). This manifests itself in many destructive ways – most dramatically in suicide. As of January 2018, Twenty One (21) veterans are dying by suicide every day, according to the latest statistics.
More of our young men and women in military service have died from suicide than at the hands of the enemy in the war on terror. Because of this, Wilderness Scout Ministries was moved to reach out to the people of REBOOT Combat Recovery, who created a biblically based combat recovery course to help those suffering with PTSD and lead a course locally. This free, 12 week, course has already made such a huge impact in the local military community.
In our very first course we had veterans representing 5 different combat theaters, spanning 50 years. The course material has allowed veterans and their spouses to walk through underlying traumas that have never been mentioned since returning home from conflict. Through this course, Jesus has healed deep wounds in the veteran as well as the secondary trauma caused in their families and loved ones.
With the success of the Reboot course nationwide, attention was turned to the First Responder community to create a course tailored specifically for those that serve on the home front. Many members of our national first responder communities expressed the need for such a course. While our military veterans are in the national spotlight our EMT, Police, and Fire Fighters can suffer trauma each time they go to work. More often than not, the resulting trauma is held inside and over time, without an outlet, can lead to debilitating PTSD. Because of our willingness to lead a local Reboot course and the fact that we have several first responders active in Wilderness Scout, we were invited by the people who created the Reboot Combat Recovery Course to host one of 13 pilot courses of Firstline Recovery in the nation.
This course is based directly on the highly successful Reboot Combat Recovery Course and is tailored specifically to our EMT, Law Enforcement, and Firefighter communities; our First Responders. Our ministry team is actively working with various Fire Departments in N.C. to assist them in setting up courses in their areas.
We stand ready to work with any community of veterans and first responders in our larger Carolinas area to break the cycle of destruction and death PTSD causes in our heroes.
After the recovery and healing of the faith based PTSD Recovery courses, each graduate exits with different needs. We go alongside each one and offer all the other services our ministry is known for. Some may need one on one mentoring which we provide as an extension of the Men of God ministry. Our Saturday bible study may be the place where they go for spiritual growth and guidance. They may need our Transition ministry to give them a safe place to recover and transition into the “normal” world. Military work skills may need to be augmented and built upon in our Jobs program. Each individual has their own unique needs and we are here to stand with them.
