Burden Bearers

The Primary Purpose of the Burden Bearer Chaplaincy Program is to serve our Law Enforcement, Firefighters and other Emergency Personnel. Because the stress level is very high in those brave First Responders, the Chaplains are there to be a sounding board, to encourage, and assist in keeping strong mental health. Whether its after a bad scene or to help in everyday stresses they face with family and the community, Burden Bearers are willing and able to assist.

Our Second Purpose is to serve our community in crises intervention, emergency situations, and as the public needs through 911 calls. The Burden Bearer Chaplains are volunteer Ministers, who are screened and go to specific trainings to serve.

The duties of the Chaplains include:

    First Responder Counseling
    Responding to death and emergency calls
    Dealing with domestic situations
    Assisting in various ceremonies
    Helping those who have attempted suicide
    And, much, much more

If you would like to start a Chaplaincy Program in your area, please call (270)726-7109 or email us.

To see the impact of our Chaplains, take look at some of our Response Statistics below.

When the president of Agape, Mike Humble, returned from "Ground Zero" in September of 2001, he realized rural America needed a chaplaincy program just as much as major cities. This was the beginning of the Burden Bearer Chaplaincy Program.

Chaplains go through extensive training courses. Some of these include: Certification for Kentucky Fire Chaplains, and International Conference of Police Chaplains Basic & Advance training.

Our Call-Outs (automatic page outs ) include: Structure Fires, deaths, serious accidents, suicide threats, missing children, serious accident or death of children, fires requiring multiple departments, injury or death of Law Officer, Firefighter & emergency personnel or their families, Transits (as requested by the public or agency personnel) and more. We will average  300+ page outs a year.

Currently, Burden Bearer Chaplains operate in three counties in Kentucky. Those counties are Logan County, Todd County, and Nelson County.

Below is a recording in which Chaplain Mike Humble speaks about his time at Ground Zero on 9/11.

Beyond First Responders, the Burden Bearers support the community by participating  in Community Events and partnering with other agencies. Some Community Events include Hanging with Heroes and the Tobacco Festival. The Burden Bearers have partnered with KCCRT (Kentucky Community Crisis Response Team). Currently, five Chaplains are KCCRT Members. 

Check out  some of our favorite pictures below! (For better viewing click an image to enlarge.)