As stress increases more and more people in our congregation are likely experiencing the effects of depression. I have found that too often we have difficulty speaking the truth about depression because we feel we should be better able to control our moods. We become convinced that depression is a sign of weakness.

May faith groups have put together resources to assist congregations in talking about and responding to depression and other form of mental illness in our midsr. Here are links to a few of them:

United Methodist General Board of Church & Society

Department of Jewish Family Concerns- Union For Reform Judaism-Mental Health information

Presbyterian Church (USA)- National Health Ministries- Serious Mental Illness Information

Mental Health: Ministries: To Erase The Stigma of Mental Illness

I was reminded of these issues and the importance of providing space for this important conversation by a recent interview I saw with Quaker teacher and Scholar Parker Palmer.

Please take a few minutes minutes to view the clip below:

I would love to hear your reflections on our times and the rise of depression. I would also love to hear from readers concerning your reflections on the Parker Palmer clip.

This story from the Cleveland Plain Dealer examines some of the ways that inclusion in our religious communities benefits everyone.

I would love to hear what some of you think about this?

Reverend Alan Roof, Consultant for Still Speaking Church Development for the Southeast Conference of the UCC interviewed me recently for the Southeast Conference United Church of Christ podcast series. You can find the podcast here. I would love to hear your feedback.

The Interpreter Magazine is a publication of the United Methodist Church. This  month’s issue features the stories of a couple of United Methodist Churches and work they are doing to reach out to people who have disabilities.

The article is helpful as far as it provides a couple of models of ministry with people with disabilities. I would have appreciated  fewer references in the article to “special needs” language. I know we struggle from time to time with appropriate language about disability, but there are more life giving ways to speak about disability than the language of “special needs.”

Kathie Snow, in her article about People First Language says the following:

Many parents say “my child has special needs” this term geberates  generates pity, as demonstrated by the usual response, “Oh I’m so sorry,” accompanied by a sad look or a sympathetic pat on the arm. (Gag!) A person’s needs aren’t “special”-to him. They are ordinary! Many adults have said they detested this descriptor as children.  Let’s learn from them and stop using this pity-laden term!

I would love encourage each of you to examine your language about disability. The language we use shapes the reality we are working to create.

The basic premise I proceed with when I think about language and disability is that people are not their diagnoses. When all else fails refer to a person by the name their parents gave them when they were born.

I would love to know what folks think of both the article from the Interpreter Magazine and my comments on language?

A colleague just passed this article along to me and it showcases and intriguing approach to congregational education and advocacy

The Lutheran reprinted a letter from Gloria Tessler whose son, Nick lives with Autism.

Gloria Tessler wrote this article for her congregation’s newsletter.  The letter explains Autism and behaviors that fellow parishioners might witness .  The article also invites congregants to ask questions and seek clarification.

What do you think about this? Would this approach work in your congregation? Have you seen this kind of education and advocacy used previously?  What outcomes did you witness?

Update: I received a message from a Parish Nurse at an Atlanta Area Lutheran Congregation that said:

I have two grandsons in the same family with autism. I think it is a wonderful idea to publish an article in the newsletter to let people know just how intelligent these kids may be, but because of their outward behavior, they aren’t always accepted.

I read this insightful post from Real Live Preacher this morning and it made me think about the ways our congregations do and do not address the issues that face people with mental health diagnoses.

Real LivePreacher has been very open about his journey with depression and his struggle in seeking treatment. I applaud his willingness to speak the truth of his experience and to hopefully provide an opportunity for his readers to “hear” the story of a person who is living his life in the midst of depression. The stories matter!

According to the National Institutes on Mental Health (NIMH) about 1 in 4 people over the age of 18 experience a mental illness in any given year. That’s a huge number.

It is incredibly important for our religious communities to be places where the silence around mental illness and disability is lifted and the truth is told.

Nancy Maris in her essay Carnal Acts makes this point much better than I could ever hope to when she says,

I can subvert its power(the power of shame), I’ve found, by acknowledging who I am, shame and all, and, in doing so, raising what was hidden, dark, secret about my life into the plain light of shared human experience. What we aren’t permitted to utter holds us, each isolated from every other in a kind of solipsistic thrall. Without any way to check our reality against anyone else’s, we assume that our fears and shortcomings are ours alone.

If you are a person in a congregation living with the secret of depression you are most certainly not alone.

There is a trend in some of our denominations to address the issues faced by people living with mental illnesses. Some examples of those efforts can be found:

Union of Reform Judaism- Department of Jewish Family Concerns

Mental Health Ministries

Creating Caring Communities Article- United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism

The Caring Congregation Program- Mission Peak UU Congregation- Freemont, CA

I would be interested to know about other resources readers have found as they sought to be educated around this too oft ignored set of issues?

I hope that these resources assist us in continuing to lift this important issue out of the darkness of ignorance and into the light of communal compassion. And let it be so.

This is a camping experience offered through the Office for Ministry With Persons with Disabilities at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta.

If you are a person with a disability or you know someone with a disability that might enjoy the retreat check out the information here.

I have volunteered at the retreat previously and it was a wonderful experience. If you would like to volunteer at the camp click here for further information.

The camp is hosted annually at Camp Twin Lakes. This is a wonderfully accessible camping facility near Rutledge, Georgia.

This is one of many camps throughout metro Atlanta that seek to provide camping experiences for individuals with disabilities. If you are looking for additional inclusive camps you can check out this previous post and click of the link to the resources guide.

This article is about Baptist Churches and some resources that are available for outreach to people with disabilities and their families.

The Evangelical Covenant Church is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. I recently came across resources the denomination has put together to encourage their congregations to work to welcome people with disabilities in ECC Congregations. They offer a wide range of resources to connect congregations who are working to welcome people with disabilities. Check out the information the ECC has put together.

I am grateful for the commitment of the Evangelical Covenant Church to this life-giving work.

The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta had it’s 101st Annual Council last weekend at the Cathedral of St. Phillip in Atlanta.

The Annual Council passed a resolution titled: Access For All! The diocese has just taken the most important step toward full-access and inclusion for people with disabilities and their families. They have begun the conversation!

I am grateful for all of the work that went into getting this resolution passed by the Annual Council. And now the work begins.