Counseling Services

Since the Fall of 2006, Susan L. Suomi, who received her Master of Arts in Counseling degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, has been working as a pastoral counselor for The Vine Community Church in Taylors, SC. The Vine wanted to offer Christian counseling as part of its outreach ministry and hired Sue as its pastoral counselor. Normally the cost of each counseling session is the responsibility of the client but it quickly became evident that there were those in this community who desired personal counseling, yet did not have the means to pay for it. The Vine then turned to The Master’s Mission (www.themastersmission.org). After applying for and receiving a charitable grant from this organization, the counseling ministry of The Vine has been able to reach out to even more people who otherwise would not be able to receive this type of service. As a part of their own personal counseling program, each client is asked to offer a donation to The Vine Mission Fund, but this is not a requirement. Sue is then paid on a “per session” basis, with no additional strain to the client.  This allows people in tough situations to still receive professional Christian counseling without the added financial burden. Being given the opportunity to serve in this way, Sue has said, “I am blessed to be able to work in a ministry area that allows me to extend the grace of God to hurting and troubled people, and to witness the healing work of Jesus Christ in their lives. I agree with St. Paul when he wrote to the Corinthians, ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.’ (2Cor. 1:3,4)”

See a photo gallery from Sue's mission trip to Sudan.