These seatmates are our friends,
our family, our elders, our pastors. It’s been me. Maybe it’s been you. Maybe it is 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. Kay graciously spoke with us at Anabaptist Disabilities Network. She said that while growing up, her family tried really hard to hide all their failures, weaknesses, and
flaws. “It’s a toxic way to live,” said Kay. “It cuts off genuine
connection with other people.” After the suicide of their son, she and her husband decided that they would not be silent about it. “Our
son was ill. There is no shame in having an illness.”
Nowadays, Kay advocates for people in the church to nurture vulnerability and openness while providing support to others. In a recent interview, Kay said this about mental illness stigma and the church:
"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."
Although
stigma surrounding mental illness is on the decline, it’s still hard for many
people to talk about their experiences with mental illness and seek support. The unspoken culture of congregations too often communicates that we need to keep our problems like mental
illness to ourselves….. or to a whisper.
On
behalf of the people who feel like 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 clearly communicate about our
love, care, and full acceptance of 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 out 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 studied in Sunday
school class, the church effectively communicates, “We see you. You are not
alone. Your hurt and hopelessness belongs here. We know the darkness, too. Here you have friends to help carry the
burdens.” healthyplace.com
It’s
time to start shouting. Consider planning a Mental Health Sunday in which
worship is inspired by the experiences of people living with mental
illness. It’s an easy way to communicate 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.
Mental Health Resources for Worship, Advocates.pdf
Widening the Welcome: Resources for Mental Health Sunday Worship
worship-resources Nouwen network for mental health.pdf
Blessings
in your work,
Denise Reesor
Denise Reesor is the former program director for Anabaptist Disabilities Network. She can be reached at adnet@adnetonline.org
