Missoula Chaplain Services

Crisis Support

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Helping Missoulians move with grace through trauma and grief
Every day, Missoula, Montana’s police officers, firefighters and other first responders face stressful, dangerous, often harrowing situations as they work to make our community a safer place. When those burdens become too heavy, Crisis Support is there to provide emergency responders and the public they serve with emotional and spiritual support, guidance, and resources.

Since 2008:

Traffic fatalities

Suicides

in Missoula County.

These deaths cause ripple effects across our community and among first responders.

Testimonial

“Chaplains have been a huge asset to my department, not only for work-related call-outs but also for personal issues that arise due to the stresses of our jobs.”

– Sergeant Pat Erbacher, Missoula Police Department

What we do

Care for Missoula’s soul in times of crisis and grief

Crisis Support chaplains provide a ministry of presence in the spirit of the values shared by all faith groups: integrity, humility, compassion, decency and love. Our time, support and resources are available at no cost to everyone who seeks us out, regardless of the individual’s race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, creed or religion.

Patrol ride-alongs

We accompany officers on routine patrols to encourage them to share and address their daily pressures and responsibilities. Our assistance is privileged and confidential between the officer and chaplain.

Disaster & critical incident support

We provide leadership in implementing department protocols regarding critical incident stress. We also assist with large-scale disaster events that occur in our community.

New officer orientation

We provide training to new officers and their families to help them understand the unique stresses of police work and to maintain healthy, resilient relationships.

Victim support

We provide practical assistance to traumatized individuals and crisis counseling to victims in instances of child abuse, domestic abuse, sexual violence, grief and natural disasters.

On-call support & counseling

We are available to assist in any kind of crisis situation where the presence of a chaplain might help. First responders struggling with stress or family crisis issues can reach out to us at any time.

Prayers and ceremonies

We offer formal prayers at special events, officiate at services such as weddings and funerals, and help organize ceremonies to honor officers killed in the line of duty.

Survivor notifications

When officers must notify a family of a loved one’s suicide, homicide, accidental death or serious injury, we accompany them and offer support and resources to the survivors in their time of grief.

Community education

Through events such as the Citizen’s Academy and by speaking in classes at schools, we help members of the community better understand and appreciate the work of our police officers.

Testimonial

“Our citizens look to us to bring order out of chaos. Sometimes, even with all our efforts, things cannot be undone.

In those situations, the chaplain on the scene is an agent of hope, our trusted friend, my brother in Christ, who is there to help the family come to grip with their tragedy.”

– Captain Richard Wear, Missoula Fire Department

Who we are:

A friend and confidant in troubled times

Crisis Support chaplains David Lodwig and Aaron Koepke are specially trained clergy members who serve Missoula’s 110 police officers and their families, as well as other emergency responders and the community at large.

David Lodwig

David became a chaplain for the Missoula Police Department in 2014, shortly after the tragic Mount Jumbo avalanche that killed a member of our community. A pastoral minister for the past 22 years, David earned his bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies from New Hope Christian College and his master’s degree in Christian leadership from Multnomah University. He and his wife, Heather, are parents to two children. David is a board member of Mt. Sentinel Little League.

Aaron Koepke

A pastoral minister in Missoula for the past 23 years, Aaron began working as a Missoula Police Department chaplain in 2017. He also serves as pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship. Aaron earned his bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Arizona. He and his wife, Kimberly, are parents to two children.

Crisis Support is a program of Missoula Chaplain Services

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and expanding access to spiritual and emotional support services for Missoula’s emergency responders and the community as a whole.
Missoula Chaplain Services staff, 2020
  • David Lodwig, co-executive director
  • Aaron Koepke, co-executive director
Missoula Chaplain Services 2020 board of directors
  • Captain Chris Odlin, Missoula Police Department
  • Ron Brunnell, Missoula Fire Department
  • Mark McQuirk, ReMax Real Estate Group
  • Shawn Friedeman, Farm Bureau Financial Services

Testimonial

“Chaplains not only provide assistance to the greater public by responding to traumatic scenes, allowing officers to focus on investigation, but they also help maintain the mental and emotional health and longevity of our officers.”

– Officer Shaun Loya, Missoula Police Department

You can support Crisis Support

Crisis Support receives no funding from the city of Missoula, Montana, or the Missoula Police Department; all expenses including chaplain stipends, professional expenses, duty equipment and vehicles are funded through donations from members of the community.

Your tax-deductible donation helps ensure that Missoula’s officers, firefighters and grieving families know they are not alone when life hurts. Thank you.

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Our sincere thanks to the businesses and community members who have already shown their support:

Partners

$10,000+

 

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Donors

$5,000 – $9,999

 

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Contributors

$1,000 – $4,999

 

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Talk to a chaplain

If you or someone you know would benefit from speaking with a chaplain, or if you would like more information about our activities and the ways that you can help support our efforts, please reach us via this form. We will respond to your message at the earliest possible moment.