Hope for Mental Health

Below is a link to our November 20, 2022 Mental Health Sunday service at Monmouth Christian Church.  You'll see that after our first worship song,  we do an anonymous survey with the congregation.  Spoiler alert:  by the end the majority of folks are standing, representing someone else in the congregation who has experienced mental health challenges in the last year.  It's a profound "this is us" moment.  Bring tissues. After that it's "worship song, Scripture, and prayer"  times 4, and then, as always, communion.  Just a bit different than a regular service, but, most importantly, possible!  Possible to use your liturgy and music, possible to give your congregation hope and comfort  and connection in the process of connecting with each other and with Christ.  Possible to normalize the conversation about mental health.   If you would like to consult about creating a mental health service at your church, please contact me at hmh@mymcc.cc.    Blessings! Be

  Ok, pretty corny picture, but I can't emphasize enough that learning to help someone who is suicidal is a skill set!  If you can learn CPR, you can learn how to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone to appropriate help. This free 2 hour class is provided by Polk County Family and Community Outreach staff, Abby Warren.  She taught it at MCC several years ago, and I still get feedback from attendees that they have felt equipped to help a loved one or friend! This Class is open to the community.  Next month I will post a link to register.  For more information, email hmh@mymcc.cc.

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 here), can

"Reboot Recovery is our nation's largest faith-based response to trauma and suicide." This organization provides services to medical personnel, first responders, veterans and military families, to anyone who has experienced trauma and is looking for recovery.  There are groups around the country, including in Oregon.  Groups are peer led, and Reboot provides leadership training. Their website provides lots of free information and resources.   To learn more about Reboot Recovery, visit their website: www.rebootrecovery.com To find a group, visit this page: Join a Course To explore peer leadership, visit this page: Train to Be a Leader