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| Q U O T E |
Mental illness something makes you forget that Christ live and that he lives in you, but it’s important to talk about faith and mental illness. |
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– support group member |
All of us have experienced a time when we felt alone and not included. When we felt excluded we probably felt a variety of strong emotions such as fear, confusion, anger, and loneliness. By contrast when we were included we felt good, we felt happy, we felt our contributions were worthwhile and that life was worth living. We really wanted to be included; we wanted people to live in new and different ways in their relationship to us.
A major goal of the Mental Health and Disabilities Program is to help individuals and congregations become more inclusive of people who live with disabilities or mental illnesses. In spite of significant progress over the last decades to accessibility and inclusion many people still do not experience inclusion in their churches. Some tell us that inclusion is much better in communities outside of the church than it is in the church. Our hope is that churches will become more inclusive and value the gifts that people with mental illnesses and disabilities bring to their congregations. Many people could experience that as the community living in new ways.
It is because of this that we seek opportunities to talk about mental illnesses and disabilities in church contexts. We are happy for all the opportunities we get. We also promote MCC’s mental health and disabilities resources with the expectation that these, too, are helpful tools for congregations. Our brochures for youth, our FASD video and our resources on farm crises are examples of resources that many individuals and congregations find helpful in understanding individuals, in supporting them, in including them and learning from them.
We continue to support individuals who live with a mental illness. We have a mental health support group that meets twice a month and an annual retreat for people who live with mental illness. We encourage the beginning and sustaining of support groups for individuals who live with disabilities. As people feel valued and supported they are empowered to heal and grow and can then become instruments of healing and growth for others.
I also network with individuals and groups beyond our constituency. In some instances I refer people to these groups and in some instances they refer people to us. Our materials that offer a Christian perspective on mental illness are appreciated by several local self-help groups. Even though our primary mandate is to the constituency this is a small opportunity to be salt in the bigger world.
Our hope is that people who are often excluded will find God’s love in their congregations and that congregations will experience their love. That kind of mutuality brings glory to God. It would be for many a living in a new way!
Report written by Irma Janzen
Lynell Bergen, Program coordinator
Advisory Committee:
Sol Janzen
Lorne Friesen
Jessie Kehler
Visit the MCC Canada
Mental Health and Disabilities website.
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