Sharing My Story

The NCF ministries has developed over a period of many years.
Dr. Narramore was a psychologist with the Los Angeles Unified
School District and in his share time developed a ministry
speaking in churches and other groups about mental and
emotional problems and how those relate to the Bible and
the Christian experience. Dr. Narramore had a a vision for
the integration of the Bible with sound psychological principles.

He established the Narramore Christian Foundation to address
these issues on a popular/lay level. When the Rosemead facility
was built it added greatly to the potential of helping people with
their mental/emotional issues. Rather than Dr. Narramore
spending a weekend church conference in Pennsylvania where
he could at best only lightly touch on important issues there
were seminars at Rosemead that could go into much more depth
over a greater period of time.

These seminars were aimed at specific groups. There were seminars
for Business People & Professionals ( 1 week); Laymen (1 week);
Ministers & Missionaries (2 1/2 weeks); Teachers & Educators
(1 week); and Missionary Kids (2 1/2 weeks). The Laymen's seminar
was given at least twice a year and the others once a year.
The seminars included lengthy and intensive psychological
testing (written), lectures by the Narramore staff and guest
speakers, and group work. The group work consisted of the
conferees splitting up into several small groups and going
over the material that had been presented during the lectures
and class sessions. For those who wanted it individual counseling
with a trained therapist was also provided during the seminars.
For those receiving this type of specialized help they were
encouraged upon returning home after the seminar to seek out
a qualified Christian counselor to continue work on their issues.

The seminars were designed for people who were functioning
individuals. People with severe emotional or mental problems
or handicaps were not invited to the seminars as they needed
more intensive help than a week or two week seminar could deal with.
About two years into my time with NCF I had an opportunity to
take one of the Business People seminar. I found it interesting
(I'm not sure how helpful). I had to go through the lengthy written
testing again and I had read enough of Narramore's literature
since coming to NCF to have a heads up on what was being
presented at the seminar.

Prior to this time my interface with psychological matters was
a subscription during college to the magazine Psychology Today.
I found the magazine (it was seductively secular) very interesting
though not enough to want to go into the field. Also I appreciated
the Campus Crusade staff psychologist Howard Blandeau whose
tapes I collected and listened to frequently. Also I happened on
to James Mallory's The Kink and I which made a big impression
on me early in my Campus Crusade years. I even gave some
devotionals on it.