Saddleback! Inspiration & Generosity for Mental Health Ministry

Rick & Kay Warren are my heroes, and the inspiration for Hope for Mental Health at Monmouth Christian.  In 2013, they lost their son to suicide.  Not only did they give the gift of being transparent about their grief process, in 2015 they created  a conference, "The Gathering on Mental Health & the Church", and started a ministry.

When I was studying "The Purpose Driven Life", I explored their website &, to my delight & amazement found, not only all the videos from the conference, but a package for churches wanting to develop their own ministries!  In inimitable Rick Warren style, there were steps that allowed any size or sort of church to figure out how to proceed, with or without ongoing financial support.

The videos from the conference are presentations from mental health & other professionals, people in ministry, and individuals sharing their stories of mental health challenges:   

The Gathering on Mental Health & the Church


On This website, you can find about Saddleback's mental health ministry:

Saddleback's Hope for Mental Health website


On this page you can find out how to start your own mental health ministry:

Start Your Own!


Blessings!

Berta Aronson, MSW

Coordinator, Hope for Mental Health,

a ministry of Monmouth Christian Church

HMH@mymcc.cc for more information




Popular posts from this blog

Blue Christmas - thoughts of a Jewish Christian

Image
Blue Christmas - it's a thing!  I just discovered that some churches do special services for those struggling during the holidays - brilliant!   (I'm thinking we may do one next year at MCC, as, at this point, bandwidth is limited:) Anyway, I've always been glad to be Jewish, especially at Christmas time, when I felt free of all the commercial madness.  Since I've become a Christian, my perspective has changed, naturally, but - I still don't have the expectation many life long Christians have of it being a wonderful family time.  So, I light candles, listen to the Messiah, call/text family and friends, and call it good.   However, having made it through Thanksgiving, I'm well aware of, and have experienced lots of angst.  I'm also aware (see last month's post Here Come the Holidays), that it's a tough time for many people for many reasons. Grief, loneliness, expectations, mental health challenges, mental and physical illness (add your list he...
Read more

Mental Health Ministries monthly post

Image
Mental health ministries come in a great variety of forms, from a resource list posted in the front office, to hosting groups & classes, to renting space to professional counselors. Bottom line : every church can do something, and it doesn't require lots of  money or a professional level of training.   Therefore, firmly believing that the Church is our hope for improving mental health & increasing mental health resources,  each month I will have a post about Christian resources.  This month, I want to feature a few local mental health ministries that offer both in-person & online groups:  Salem Alliance Church, Salem, OR Hope Connection is a monthly support group for people with a family member living with a mental  illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety.  It meets on the first Monday of the month, 6:30-8:30pm in room 303 of the Broadway Commons, 1300 Broadway St. NE, in Salem.  There is no registrati...
Read more

About our mental health resource blog & our ministry

Image
Why a ministry?  Everyone experiences mental health challenges, and needs mental health skills & support!   As a person who has had life-long practice at coping with depression, anxiety, & trauma, I'm here to tell you there's hope!   As a Christian, I'm here to tell you that faith & science are a great team! As a retired mental health social worker,  I'm intimate with the resource problems in our communities.  (I'm trying not to rant, so I'll just say it's frustrating & heartbreaking.) It's important to note that our mental health ministry at Monmouth Christian started with a $79 "Hope for Mental Health" kit from Saddle Back Church, one pastor, and one volunteer.   Our main goals were to normalize the conversation, and have resource information available.  We instituted a yearly Mental Health Sunday insuring that the conversation has become part of our rhythm.  Donations have helped provide materials, & recently, tech tr...
Read more