Jarrid Wilson, an associate pastor and social media force at Harvest Church in Riverside, California, has passed away.
The married, father-of-two took his own life on Monday night.
Jarrid, 30, was actually a mental health advocate, who even started his own organization, AnthemofHope.org.
He recently made headlines for taking a stance against Alyssa Milano, who shared why she was proud of having had two abortions. He started the #GreatJoys hashtag to encourage parents to share photos of their “greatjoys,” their children.
Pastor Greg Laurie, the senior pastor at Harvest, took to Instagram to share the tragic news.
“It is with the deepest sadness and shock that I have to report that Jarrid Wilson went to be with the Lord last night.
At a time like this, there are just no words.
The Bible says, “There is a time to mourn.” This is certainly that time.
Jarrid is survived by his wife, Juli, his two sons, Finch and Denham, his mother, father, and siblings.
Jarrid loved the Lord and had a servant’s heart.
He was vibrant, positive, and was always serving and helping others.
Jarrid also repeatedly dealt with depression and was very open about his ongoing struggles.
He wanted to especially help those who were dealing with suicidal thoughts.
Tragically, Jarrid took his own life.
Jarrid joined us as an associate pastor at Harvest 18 months ago and had spoken out many times on this very issue of mental health.
Jarrid and his wife, Juli, founded an outreach to help people dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts called “Anthem of Hope.” Sometimes people may think that as pastors or spiritual leaders we are somehow above the pain and struggles of everyday people. We are the ones who are supposed to have all the answers. But we do not.
At the end of the day, pastors are just people who need to reach out to God for His help and strength, each and every day.
Over the years, I have found that people speak out about what they struggle with the most.
One dark moment in a Christian’s life cannot undo what Christ did for us on the cross.
Romans reminds us that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39). At times like this, we must remember that as Christians, we do not live on explanations but on promises. We fall back on what we do know, not on what we don’t know. We do know that Jarrid put his faith in Jesus Christ and we also know that he is in Heaven now.
We stand on the promise of Revelation 21:4 that reminds us that in Heaven there is no more sorrow, suffering, or death.
Please keep Juli and Jarrid’s family in prayer.
The Harvest family has lost a bright light.
Pray for us as we grieve together.”
As Pastor Greg said, Jarrid’s battle with depression and suicide appears to have been something that plauged his life.
In an interview with Faithwire, Jarrid, who got saved in 2007 after hearing Greg’s message at a Harvest crusade in 2002, admitted to “Googling painless ways to commit suicide.”
“I was sitting in my car, as I’ve shared many times before, Googling painless ways to commit suicide, and this flood of emotions and wisdom and guidance and God’s presence just began to infiltrate my life,” he began.
“And I started remembering the things I’d heard from the [Harvest] crusades and the passages of Scripture I had memorized, the Bible studies I had been to, devotionals I had read and the conversations I had with my family.”
Please, please friends, know that you are valuable and you are worthy. There is nothing to far gone in your life, that you cannot make it on your own.
We need Jesus Christ. And we need medical professionals. They were created for a reason.
If you are struggling with suicide thoughts, please seek help by talking to a trusted pastor, and contacting the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
A Go Fund Me account has been set up for his family. You can donate here.
Hi friend!
My name is Brittany, and I’m an entertainment journalist and Christian apologist who loves the Lord like no other! I also love my family, eating cake, entertainment news, watching Youtube, traveling (especially to Europe), the mountains, Big Bear Lake, learning apologetics, listening to Christian music, Christmas and fashion. I hope you enjoy the content here at Bravely Daily, and I’d love to hear your suggestions and comments!
