A Conversation for Those Standing at the Intersection of Faith and Mental Health |
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If I were to ask you what the biggest challenge is to helping people with mental illness get connected to a faith community, what answer would you give? Some of you might say it’s the stigma of mental illness held by members of congregations. Others might conclude that it’s the anxiety people have about entering a worship space surrounded by a group of strangers. Still others may offer that it’s the negative experiences people have had through past “church hurt." There’s certainly some truth in each of these answers. And yet, based on the feedback of our Intersect team members, the most significant obstacle to helping people with mental illness get connected to a faith community has nothing directly to do with mental health. Strangely enough, it has to do with transportation. We have consistently found that many people struggling with their mental health desire to get connected to a local faith community but have no way of getting there. Further, we’ve discovered that even though faith leaders want hurting people to join their congregation, they find it difficult to identify congregants willing to give people a ride. Do they not know who to ask? Are people unwilling? Are people unable? The answers likely change from congregation to congregation. What doesn’t change, though, is that many people continue to be by themselves on Sunday mornings not because they want it that way but because they don’t have access to transportation.
To combat this challenge, there are things that can be done at all points of the intersection of faith and mental health. Service providers can look at employing staff members to take people to weekend worship gatherings. Not only would this provide a way for people to get to a service, but it would be an opportunity to help individuals make connections to parishioners who could give rides in future weeks. Our own Intersect team is currently exploring how we can do more to provide initial transportation to such gatherings. At the faith community point of the intersection, leaders can identify people with a heart for mental health ministry and the means to provide transportation for people. For other faith communities, it won’t require a full-blown ministry as much as a culture shift. One of Intersect’s partnering churches provides transportation through an organic process whereby the individual reaches out to different people for rides on different weeks. Because so many in the church have come to know and love this man, finding a ride any given week hasn't been difficult. At the end of the day, strategic planning in ministry is vital, but it’s no match for a community of faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13).
As a pastor myself, I know how much effort our churches put into reaching our broader communities. We spend money on buildings, we develop outreach committees, and we plan big events. We do all this so that people are more likely to come to us. Such efforts can be extremely valuable. But perhaps we need to put less resources into getting people to come to us and more on how we can go to them. Maybe what we need isn’t to build another program, but to simply give someone a ride. |
Dave Eckert, Senior Director of Intersect |
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| Apoyando los que Sufren Problemas de Salud Mental
Se calcula que uno de cada cinco adultos estadounidenses padece una enfermedad mental como depresion, ansiedad y otras luchas. Entre los ninos y adolescentes, las cifras aumentan de forma espectacular. Esto significa que cada parroquia y muchas familias tienen miembros que luchan de esta manera, y a menudo en silencio. Este taller esta disenado para dar a los !!deres parroquiales, asf como a los miembros de la familia y amigos, herramientas practicas para ayudarle a apoyar a aquellos que experimentan luchas de salud mental. Los temas del taller incluyen:
- Que entendemos por problemas de salud mental?
- Mitos y estigmas comunes en la cultura hispana en torno a las luchas por la salud mental - una vision bfblica de la salud mental
- Como crear un espacio en el que las personas puedan compartir sus luchas sin salirse de los lfmites de nuestra competencia (por ejemplo, actuar como un amigo, no como un terapeuta)
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Como responder cuando alguien puede estar pensando en el suicidio
Cuando: Sabado 29 de marzo, 2025
9:15 AM - 2:30 PM
Misa disponible a las 8:00AM
en la iglesia de Visitacion Dónde: Community Center at Visitation
2646 Kensington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125 Costo: $20 por persona |
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| Fostering Inclusivity: The Intersection of Faith, Work, and Understanding
Join us as an interfaith panel of clergy explores how individuals of different faiths navigate their beliefs and values in the workplace and how leaders and colleagues can foster a culture of inclusivity and understanding. The panel will explore how individuals of different faiths (and potentially those with no faith) integrate their beliefs and values into their professional lives as they interact with colleagues and those served. The discussion will touch upon the importance of religious diversity in the workplace and how to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. The panel will provide tips for developing interfaith skills, such as active listening, empathy, and communication, to facilitate constructive dialogue and collaboration.
Special Guests/Panelists include: - Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (former Pastor of Bethel AME in Ardmore)
- Rabbi Glenn Ettman, Congregation Or Ami
- Rev. Dwayne A. Mosier, Ascension United Church of Christ
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Imam Eslam Rakah, Norristown Islamic Society
- David Eckert, Moderator, Director of Intersect and Founder of the Montgomery County Multi--Faith Coalition
When: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 12:00PM -1:00 PM Where: Online via Zoom |
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Companions on the Journey: When Pastors and Churches Care for Caregivers Who May Attend? What Can I Expect? - Enjoy a delicious breakfast
- Engage in a thought-provoking presentation
- Gain new insights that will empower you in your role
Is There a Cost? - Free if you pre-register by May 9
- $20 the day of the event
How do I make a reservation? When: Tuesday, May 13, 2025 Registration: 8:00AM; Seminar: 8:30AM – 12:00PM Where: Peter Becker Community Maplewood Estates Arbor Conference Center, 2nd Floor 815 Maplewood Drive Harleysville, PA 19438 |
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National Survey of Religious Leaders The National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL) dataset is now publicly available from both the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)! You can find it here: |
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The NSRL is a survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,600 clergy from across the religious spectrum. It surveyed religious leaders who work in congregations, including full-time and part-time ministerial staff, assistant and specialist ministerial staff (such as youth ministers, religious education directors, and others), and head clergy. Conducted in 2019-2020, the NSRL contains a wealth of information about congregations' religious leaders. There are questions about respondents' jobs and careers, including job satisfaction; religious beliefs and practices; views about and practices related to mental health; attitudes and practices related to end-of-life issues; community involvement; political attitudes and practices; engagement with the larger religious world; knowledge of and attitudes about science, and how science informs their work; primary information sources; mental and physical health; and demographic characteristics such as gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, birthplace, marital status and income. The NSRL constitutes a significant new resource for deepening our knowledge about religious leaders in 21st century America.
You can learn more at the NSRL website: |
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Looking for a way to help those in your community? |
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| Intersect Care Portal
The Intersect Care Portal recognizes the need that all individuals have to be, and feel, safe and secure. For a hearty quality of life, sometimes it is an item that brings safety or comfort. Over the past year, the Intersect Care Portal has been able to connect those we serve with a wheelchair, mattress, bike, kitchen chairs, loveseat, dresser, hanging rack with hangers for clothes, and a Bible to name a few. Most often, these items are donated by someone who wants their gently-used item to go to good use.
Driver's Needed!
While it is often possible to match the need with an available item, the challenge we often face is transporting the item from the donor to the recipient! If you or someone you know has a truck or a van and a little time, we would love to add you to a list of volunteers willing to help with loading and transporting donations.
Please contact Juli Apple at intersectneeds@accessservices.org if this is a way you would like to support the Intersect Care Portal!
Join the Care Portal to learn more about the needs of the people we serve at Access! |
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| Intersect Donation Page
Intersect now has their own donation page on the Access Services website. Any donations can be designated to specific aspects of Intersect. Funds will be used to: - Offer consultation to ministry leaders and mental health professionals
- Empower faith communities and mental health providers with trainings on faith and mental health
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Provide spiritual support and collaboration between faith communities and human service providers
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As a faith community, how does your congregation currently help people in need of a ride? How would you respond if people outside your congregation requested a ride to one of your public gatherings?
- As a service provider, do you see helping people get connected to a faith community as part of your holistic approach to support? How would you respond if a person you serve asked for help attending a weekend worship service?
- What creative new approaches would make it more likely for people with mental illness to get transportation to faith community gatherings?
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Do you have something to contribute or a question to ask? |
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| Intersect is brought to you by: |
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