CONTACT NNJ is affiliated with
CONTACT USA, Lifeline International,
and 1-800-SUICIDE

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On March 16, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Alan Walker, a minister in the Methodist Church, Sydney, Australia founded Lifeline. This was a unique program that was designed to train volunteers to be available by telephone to callers 24 hours a day.

Two years later, Rev. John Brand, a minister in Dallas, Texas began to take the initiative on beginning such a program in the United States. With permission from his bishop, Rev. Brand was chosen to lead the new initiative and to use his church as the location for the first center. Since the name of Lifeline was being used in Texas by a nationally broadcast radio program, CONTACT was chosen as the name of this new ministry.

In the autumn of 1966, a class of 150 persons began their first six month training as telephone help line volunteers, and on March 27, 1967, CONTACT Dallas, Texas became the first center in the United States.

On March 1, 1968 in Nashville, TN, the Council for Telephone Ministries was formed to develop CONTACT centers throughout the US. By the time this meeting commenced, 31 communities had already expressed interest in establishing a center in their community.

During the next three years, under the leadership of Rev. Ross Whetstone and with the support of the United Methodist Church, 36 communities began the process of starting a center.

On April 15, 1971, CONTACT Teleministries USA was incorporated in Tennessee to promote the development of CONTACT. One day later, the first national conference of CONTACT was held in Newport News, VA. The Rev. Robert Larson established the first national office in Harrisburg, PA, where it remains today.

In October 1985, the name of the organization was changed to its current form: CONTACT USA, Inc. Today CONTACT has expanded to over 60 centers in 21 states, with 10,000 volunteers responding annually to over 1.2 million callers per year.

CONTACT of Northern New Jersey was founded in 1981 and was recognized in 2001 on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The center is currently staffed by 80 volunteers, who responded to 22,310 phone calls in 2003.

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Created by Stephen Milley
Last updated: July 28, 2004