UCC Goes to the White House

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Jess Chancey

Submitted by Rev. Alan Johnson, UCCDM Board Member, UCC Mental Illness Network Chair, and UCC Mental Health Network Member

Sometime in late May there will be a White House Mental Health Summit and three UCC members have been invited to the White House for this Summit. Our UCC representatives are Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, Rev. Craig Rennebohm and Rev. Alan Johnson. This is the message from the White House. “We are working on launching a national dialogue on mental health to address the social barriers preventing people from seeking mental health services – particularly the shame, fear, and misperceptions that surround mental illness and mental health services.” The first decision our UCC team has made is to work on a plan for at least a one-day event, Sunday, Oct 13, 2013 (part of Mental Illness Awareness Week), that will serve as a catalyst to strengthen and build congregational engagement in mental health response. Please stay tuned about how we, the UCC, can engage our denomination in this national dialogue.

Since May is also Mental Health Month, it is a good time for you to raise awareness about mental health challenges in your congregation. 1 out of 4 American families has a relative who has a mental illness. This staggering figure comes from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) which is the largest grassroots organization of people who are affected by mental illness/brain disorders. This figure mostly likely is also true for your church.

We want to point you to one resource which has an already prepared bulletin insert for highlighting Mental Health Month. MentalHealthMinistries.net. The director of Mental Health Ministries is the Rev. Susan Gregg Schroeder who is a keynote speaker at our fourth national UCC Widening the Welcome: Inclusion for All, June 27, in Long Beach, CA. Check out the Conference at wideningthewelcome.com . For more information or to register for the upcoming Conference, click here: Widening the Welcome 2013 Registration Brochure

We have come to believe, “There is no health without mental health.” Please give some of your attention to the mental health challenges that are being faced your own church members. If you have any thoughts, ideas, stories, or questions, please email Alan Johnson at revalan2004@comcast.net. Grace and peace.

February 28 Deadline for Award Nomination Invitations for UCC DM and MIN

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Jess Chancey

United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries and UCC Mental Illness Ministry Award Nominations are due by February 28, 2011.
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The Brian Williams Story

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Jess Chancey

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Save the Date – The 2010 UCC National Gathering

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Jess Chancey

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SAVE THE DATE September 23-26, 2010 for
The 2010 UCC National Gathering in St. Louis

Widening the Welcome: Inclusion for All

Your congregation is a people that is called to be a welcoming community. In Romans we read, â€œWelcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.â€ Romans 15:7, 13. Welcome embraces the involvement of everyone, including people who have been touched by or have experienced a mental illness/brain disorder and/or a disability, apparent or unapparent. Sponsored by the United Church of Christ (UCC) Disabilities Ministries and the UCC Mental Illness Network, the purposes of this Conference are:

i. to educate about mental illnesses/brain disorders and disabilities;
ii. to learn how to develop Mental Health Ministries and A2A Covenants in your congregation;
iii. to share best practices by telling stories;
iv. to network, staying in touch with each other and learn from each other;
v. to offer spiritual support group experiences;
vi. to worship and offer devotions;
vii. to wrestle the words and actions for the UCC MIN Covenant;
viii. to plan activities around UCC Synod, including the Covenant; and
ix. to work toward encouraging every UCC congregation to be committed to compassionate action and widening the welcome for all.

This National Gathering will be hosted by the UCC Mental Illness Network (MIN) and UCC Disabilities Ministries (DM). This Conference will be held Thursday, September 23-Sunday, September 26, 2010. It will be in St. Louis. This gathering is for clergy, consumers, laity, families, and mental health professionals.

So far the speakers include Dr. Nancy Kehoe, a nun and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, author of â€œWrestling with our Inner Angels: Faith, Mental Illness, and the Journey to Wholeness,â€ Dr. David Greenhaw, President of Eden Theological Seminary, the Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman and the Rev. Bob Molsberry, UCC Conference Ministers, the Rev. Jeanne Tyler with the UCC DM, Mr. Jeffrey Pollack Esq., Attorney in Cleveland, the Rev. Dr. Craig Rennebohm, author of â€œSouls in the Hands of a Tender God,â€ and the Rev. Alan Johnson, author of â€œEncounters at the Counter: What Congregations can learn about Hospitality from Business.â€

For more details and information, email Alan Johnson, Chair of the UCC MIN, revalan2004@comcast.net

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