Heartbreaking: Grieving Wife Of Pastor Shares Emotional Message After Husband Takes Own Life For This Reason
The senior pastor of the Inland Hill Church in California, USA, Andrew Stoecklein has died as a result of attempted suicide following a long battle with depression and anxiety.
According to reports, the 30-year old clergyman last Friday, August 24 morning was rushed to the hospital after he had tried taking his own life.
On Saturday morning, the church committee posted a heart-wrenching message asking the congregation to pray for their lead pastor who had been battling both depression and anxiety.
“IHC Family and friends, please pray for our lead pastor, Andrew Stoecklein,” the post began. “He tried to take his own life Friday morning, and is now in the hospital on life support. We love and serve a God of miracles, and we ask you to press in and respond in prayer and in faith.”
Tragically, the dad-of-3 little boys died over the weekend from complications from the attempted suicide and the church posted an update expressing their grief on Sunday evening.
”Inland Hills Church grieves with heavy hearts as our Lead Pastor Andrew Stoecklein was welcomed into Heaven on Saturday night after battling depression and anxiety. It’s not the outcome we hoped and prayed for, and today we grieve as a church family,” they wrote.
“In his time leading Inland Hills, Andrew reached so many with his warm wit, passionate heart for God, and teaching that always, always pointed others to Jesus.
The loving husband, father, son, and friend that he was will continue to inspire us in leading others into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”
READ ALSO: Ubi Franklin Shares His Gripping Experience With Depression & Suicidal Thoughts
Pastor Andrew’s grieving wife, Kayla Stoecklein shared an Instagram post of her own that is incredibly heartbreaking.
READ ALSO: Signs that Your Child Is Suffering From Depression
“Last night, the love of my life, the father of my children and the pastor of our incredible church took his last breath and went to be with Jesus. It wasn’t the miracle I was hoping for but he is now in heaven with his dad, free of pain, free of depression and anxiety,” she wrote.
“He was an amazing husband, he truly made me better, made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world, and he loved me so deeply. We fit so well together, we were one. He was an amazing daddy, his three boys are going to miss him so much.
He had such a unique and special relationship with each of them. He was an incredibly gifted teacher, communicator, and pastor. He was special, one of a kind and will be missed by thousands of people all around the world.”
”Please pray for me and the boys,” she continued. ”I don’t know how I am going to face this, I am completely heartbroken, lost, and empty. Never in a million years would I have imagined this would be the end of his story.”
READ ALSO: What To Do When Your Child Is Depressed or Suffering From Depression
She also encouraged anyone battling suicidal thoughts to reach out to someone.
“If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or actions, please tell someone. Please make sure you’re not alone, and please call a friend or family member before you make that irreversible decision. You are loved and valued more than you know! #godsgotthis,” she pleaded.
Paul Valo, pastor of Christ Church of Orlando, expressed his condolences to Andrew’s family and church community and highlighted the immense amount of pressure pastors go through.
“Depression is real and pastors are not exempt or defective who experience it,” he wrote. “In this generation, pastors are expected to be business savvy, Instagram quotable preaching celebrities, fully accessible, deeply spiritual, not too young, not too old, and if a pastor doesn’t quite measure up to someone’s expectation at any given moment, they are given a two out of five star rating on Google.”
READ ALSO: Newly Wedded Mocheddah Reveals How She Suffered Depression For 4 Years
He then suggested that church members pay attention and actively seek out ways to pray for their pastor.
“Let me recommend that you pray for your pastor and support your church faithfully! You’ll probably never realize what they walk through privately,” Valo said.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.
Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems, and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.
Depression can affect anyone—even a person who appears happy, lively, strong and lives in relatively ideal circumstances.
Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others)
- Feeling worthless or guilty
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Fortunately, depression is treatable. There are a number of things people can do to help reduce the symptoms of depression.
For many people, regular exercise helps create positive feeling and improve mood. Getting enough quality sleep on a regular basis, eating a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol (a depressant) can also help reduce symptoms of depression.
Depression is a real illness and help is available. With proper diagnosis and treatment, the vast majority of people with depression may overcome it.
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, a first step is to see your family physician or psychiatrist. Talk about your concerns and request a thorough evaluation. This is a start to addressing mental health needs.
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