I am not alone in wondering - and to be honest worrying at times - what impact COVID-19 will have on our mental health. Prolonged times at home, self-isolation, social distancing, loss of income and jobs, plans and hopes dashed or cancelled, stories of overwhelmed health care systmes around the globe, growing numbers of infections daily, massive disruptions to our way of life . . . I could go on. I suspect I am not alone in feeling a bit more on edge, a bit more anxious, and finding it a bit harder to remain calm.
We want to break the silence on mental health and there is no better time to do that than right now. While we are unable to gather together physically, we will be creating space to come together online and discuss mental health as a church community. We will be doing that by offering "The Sanctuary Course" that is provided by Sanctuary Mental Health Ministires.
"The Sanctuary Course" is for a number of different people . . .
- People who have questions about mental health
- People who have knowledge and experiences to share
- People who want to engage our communjity in mental health conversations
- People supporting others with mental health problems
- People living with mental health problems
If any of this resonates with you - I want to invite you to consider joining us for this online course in the weeks ahead. Coming together right now to engage in these conversations will be a big help to many in our church community and in our families.
We are offering a Wednesday afternoon group from 1:30-3:30 and a Wednesday evening group from 7:00-9:00. Both groups are meeting over Zoom.
If you are interested in joining me in this course - please email me directly at pastortim@mapleridgecrc.com.
I look forward to taking the journey through this course together with you and am confident that it will be a great help to many.
Below is a short "trailer" you can watch that is provided by Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries. You can also learn more about Sanctuary and this course at their website - https://www.sanctuarymentalhealth.org/
Please be in touch if you have any questions as well.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Tim
