Shouting Out About Mental Health
By Denise Reesor
It’s estimated that one in five people sitting in our church pews on Sunday morning struggle with mental health problems: darkness, despair, relentless grief, chocking fear, self-loathing.
These seatmates are our friends, our family, our elders, our pastors. It’s been me. Maybe it’s been you.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. A good time to beg the question…. Are our pew-mates who experience persistent darkness finding support here? Are their struggles known and shared? Do we really believe that Jesus calls us to care about the whole person, body, mind, and spirit?
Kay and Rick Warren lost their son Matthew to death by suicide in 2013. Matthew had struggled with severe mental illness for several years. Since his death Kay Warren has written and spoken prolifically about faith, the church, mental illness, and suicide. Warren recently spoke with Anabaptist Disability Network. She indicated that while growing up, her family strived to keep hidden failures, weaknesses, and flaws. “It’s toxic way to live,” believes Warren, “its cut off genuine connection with other people.”
She said that after the suicide she and Rick decided they wouldn’t be silent about it, “Our son was ill. There is no shame in having an illness.” Nowadays, Warren advocates for the role of the church in nurturing vulnerability and openness while providing support.
“No one should ever have to whisper anything about their lives in the church, in the faith community. Of all places, this is where we must be welcoming and embracing. This is within the power of the faith community. The faith community is the number one legitimizing force in society.”[1]
Although stigma surrounding mental illness is on the decline, it’s still hard for many people to vocalize their experiences and seek support. Our congregational culture often communicates that we need to keep our problems, our mental illness, to ourselves…..to a whisper.
On behalf of the people who feel they can only whisper about their experiences with mental illness….. it’s time for the church to do some shouting. It’s time for us to shout about our love, care, and full acceptance of the friends who suffer with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, suicidality, and other isolating experiences of mental illness. We must be able to say to our brothers and sisters in Christ, “Your experiences are not too big, too scary, or too hopeless for us. We want you, we need you, let us support you.
The church shouts their support when they speak to and include everyone in the congregation. This normalizes the experiences of mental illness. For example, when the experiences of depression are discussed from the pulpit, or from a Sunday school class, The church is effectively communicating, “We see you. You are not alone. Your hurt and hopelessness belongs here. We know the darkness too. You BELONG here. This is a home where you can be safe. Here you have friends to carry the burdens.”
It’s time to start shouting. Consider planning a Mental Health Sunday in which worship resources are inspired by the experiences of people living with mental illness. It’s an easy way to show our compassion, understanding, and relentless acceptance.
We’ve compiled several resources for you to get started planning a Mental Health Sunday.
Take a look. Form a committee. Get started. And be in touch if there’s anything we can help with along the way.
Widening the Welcome, Resources for Mental Health Sunday Worship
[1] https://www.christianexaminer.com/article/saddleback.urges.a.crawl.walk.run.strategy.towards.a.mental.ministry.in.every.church/49638.htm
