The following have endorsed Chaplain Gary Evans:
Bill Ellis, Lead Pastor, Riverside Community Church, Oakmont, PA:
I have had the pleasure of knowing Gary since he and his family moved to the Pittsburgh area over a year ago. He has been a tremendous blessing to our family here at Riverside Community Church.
Gary is a man with deep convictions who has the courage to live them out. There is no question, his integrity and honesty are of the highest degree. As to the value of Gary as a worker, he has always displayed a heart of loyalty, dependability, and commitment to those he serves.
Gary has team-taught a large group Bible study with me for the past four months and will continue to do so in the coming year. His willingness to do whatever is needed and his work ethic have freed me up to concentrate on Sunday morning message preparation and developing other potential leaders. That has been a tremendous blessing.
Gary is a team player and a true servant at heart. I am confident you will find him to be a conscientious and dedicated addition to any ministry endeavor he is involved in. He has already lead a CALM small group for us and I know it was a significant help to those who participated. Gary is an engaging speaker who uses humor and real-life examples to illustrate the timeless truths of the Scriptures. I give him my highest recommendation.
David Kennard, Adult Ministries Pastor, Riverside Community Church, Oakmont, PA:
I have had the pleasure of knowing Gary for the past two years while serving as the Adult Ministries Pastor at Riverside Community Church.
Gary has led small groups for the past year and frequently assists in the Sunday morning services by reading passages of Scripture and praying Pastoral Prayers.
When Gary initially came to RCC we met and I could see that he has a solid, step by step plan in place to help others. He is passionate and committed to the vision God has given him to serve the local church, communities and corporations. Currently I am blessed to serve on the C.A.L.M. Inc. Advisory Board and can wholeheartedly give him my highest recommendation.
Dr. Denny Nissley, Executive Director, Christ in Action
Dr. Gary Evans has become an invaluable asset to Christ In Action's (CIA)
Faith Based Disaster Response work. Since 2007, Dr. Evans has been CIA's Certified ICISF Trainer for our Faith Based First Responder Conferences. His passion for teaching fueled by years of field experience, brings an element to his classroom that engages & encourages his students to grasp & properly employ the CISM concepts.
Dr. Evans also served as our Deployment Chaplain during our response to
the California Wildfires and Hurricane Ike. His interaction with the public and members of our team was literally life-saving on more than one occasion. The seasoned, practical, CALM plan that he demonstrates works.
Taking a genuine and active interest in being the best he can be to serve when needed, he is professional, compassionate, attentive to detail, and working at the highest level of integrity. He is very approachable - a vital characteristic in the field and classroom. His “faith based” training eliminates the stereotypical “Bible beater/Hell fire” approach to assisting individuals in crisis. Truly validating, “Letting your light shine”, instead of your mouth run, can go a long way to aid in comforting those in need.
Rev. Frank Ippolito, Senior Pastor, Calvary Chapel, Vineland, NJ
I would like to heartily recommend Gary Evans and his training program for chaplains. Gary is highly trained and experienced in all aspects of chaplain work and Crisis Intervention and is, therefore, extremely qualified to teach a CISM or Pastoral Crisis Intervention (PCI) course. As a pastor, I was happy to see our congregants catch a vision for Crisis Intervention in our community and in time of need. But, the greater impact was seen in our congregation. I witnessed these well-trained saints become more concerned with people in our own church, whether they were in crisis or not. I saw their genuine love for others and it was wonderful to see.
Gary’s approach to teaching these subjects, especially in the church environment, was respectfully done. He has pastoral experience and is very sensitive to the church body and has a way of presenting the ugly side of crisis in a practical and easy to receive manner. Our folks learned the materials and felt equipped to use their training if called upon. Many of our folks have already been deployed and have put their training to good use.
Gary Evans has my complete confidence and support. I recommend that you seriously consider hosting a CISM and PCI course in your church with Gary’s presentation. I have a feeling that we will be needing more qualified and spiritual counselors across the country in our future.
Rev. David Auterson, Program Manager, New Jersey Community Resource Center
Gary is an exceptional trainer for emotional and spiritual response to disaster situtions. He is also a practitioner who understands the unique pressures that confront law enforcement professionals. He is certified to teach the most widely recongized emergency readiness courses and is a marvelous presenter. I highly recommend his careful and thoughtful work on behalf of hurting people.
Rev. Robert Bingham, Disaster Response Director, Mississippi District/Assemblies of God
Gary is an excellent trainer and his teaching techniques are fantastic. Gary kept the students captivated, and all of them commented on how much they learned from him.
I have used Gary to teach the Pastoral Crisis Intervention Class. I received great reviews from the participants on Gary's style of teaching. Gary took time to interact with the students both in and out of the class. I highly recommend Gary Evans!
Captain Clayton H. Norman (Ret.), American Airlines Pilot, Bethel, CT:
I have been both a recipient and user of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) trainng. After 9/11, my wife and I were literally saved under the skilled hand of Gary and CISM. Since being trained, I have used various parts of CISM to deal with a number of issues from marriage and parenting to group crisis issues. The training was literally used within hours of receiving it. I can't endorse the training or Gary more highly.
Francis E. Hines, Director of Emergency Medical Services, Belmar, NJ:
I met Gary in Pass Christian, MS. right after Katrina. The area was decimated beyond belief. We stumbled upon a food tent run by a bunch of teenagers, and we were greeted by Gary Evans. We had a meal and moved on. Several months later at Rutgers University in NJ, low and behold, there sat Gary in the very same class I was in. I was moved to see my friend again; it was truly unbelievable. Gary and I met up again when He came to Belmar, NJ to help me with my CERT classes. Many lives have been touched by this special man including mine. It is a pleasure and honor to know Gary Evans.