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09/22/2014

Don't Miss Out! Mental Illness Awareness Week Activities Scheduled by SOS Mental Wellness and Recovery Task Force for Oct 7 & 8

Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 5-11, 2014. The Southern Ohio Synod Mental Wellness and Recovery Task Force has teamed up with The Castle, a ‘safe haven for adults with mental disorders,’ located in Centerville, Ohio, to offer two programs featuring Amy Simpson, award-winning author of Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission and Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry.

Amy offers her own story of living with a mother who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and how church’s can offer support for individuals with mental illness and their caregivers and families. 

Why might your congregation be interested in participating in one or both of these events on October 7 & 8?

  • 60 million people live with some form of mental illness in the U.S.
  • The church has groups for divorce care, celebrate recovery, and grief support but little is offered for those who live with mental illness.
  • In the U.S., 1.5 million people have been diagnosed with heart disease; 25.8 million have been diagnosed with diabetes; 1.3 million have been diagnosed and live with HIV/AIDS. All of these combined only equal 1/4th of the population afflicted with mental illness.
  • Most often, people will visit a pastor, priest, or rabbi before they make an appointment with a therapist. The church is the first place these members seek comfort.

 

IT’S Time: Mental Illness Awareness Week 2014

October 7, 2014 – 5:30 pm
The Castle
113 Main Street, Centerville, Ohio

 

Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission

October 8, 2014
10 am – noon
Christ the King Lutheran Church
50 Nutt Road, Centerville, Ohio

In addition to the National Mental Illness Awareness Week events, Christ the King Lutheran Church in Centerville is offering a faith-based support group to the community, called ‘Hope4Us.’ Hope4Us will provide HOPE (Hopeful Outcomes [through] Prayer and Engagement) to people living with mental illness or who live with and care for a loved one with the disease. The support group will meet twice a month, be based on a model of deliberative dialogue through peers helping peers and offer access to community resources.

If your congregation would like to learn more about Hope4Us, please contact Pr. Dona Johnson at ctk.donajohnson@sbcglobal.net.

Please download the National Mental Illness Awareness Week flyer below to share with your congregation and community. All are welcome to attend.

MIAW Oct 7 Event Featuring Amy Simpson flyer

Troubled Minds Book Signing And Discussion Flyer

 

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