As we begin resuming with an outdoor service, a digital bulletin will be provided each week before Sunday along with announcements. This weeks bulletin:
- We begin a new sermon series on Sunday. It is called “Mental Health Matters” and we will be going through the book of Philippians. Because of all the transition, we will not have a Wednesday night Bible study tonight, but I do encourage you to read through the entire book of Philippians before worship on Sunday. (It’s only 4 short chapters, so it won’t take you long.)
- Worship – It looks like it will be warm on Sunday morning for outdoor worship. If you choose to worship in person, please be sure to bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on. You may also want to bring some sunscreen and a bottle of cold water. Outdoor worship begins at 9:00 and you probably want to get there a little early so you can find your spot in the field. Virtual worship will begin at 10:30 and will be led by Margaret Dietz on the piano.
- Free potatoes & frozen “Loaded Bites” on Sunday – In an unusual circumstance, Paul & Beth Shaw received 1,000lbs of potatoes & 50 boxes of a frozen breakfast food called “Loaded Bites” (its from Tyson and is turkey sausage, egg & cheese formed into a bite size ball). They would like to offer this food for the congregation to take home on Sunday. After worship, you can take a bag of potatoes and/or a box of frozen “Loaded Bites” home with you.
Mental Health Matters
In the upcoming weeks, we will be talking about different topics of mental health. Before we can really dive into this, it is important to understand what mental health is, why talking about it is important for our community, and why it is important for you.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is a state of well-being that encompasses the emotional, psychological, and social aspects of our lives — it impacts the way you think, feel, and act. If you have a positive mental health, you are able to realize your own potential, work productively, manage the routine stresses of life, have healthy relationships, and make contributions to your community. When your mental health causes significant functional impairment in your day to day life, over a longer period of time, it becomes a mental illness or a mental health disorder.
Why is Mental Health important to talk about?
Mental health is a critical part of a person’s overall health, yet it is often a hushed topic of discussion — if it’s even discussed at all. The stigma surrounding mental illness is ever present in our society when mental illness is actually quite common and there is treatment to help with recovery. The stigma often prevents people from seeking treatment, which can isolate someone even more and worsen their conditions. Talking about mental health helps improve our community by making it more acceptable for those struggling with mental illness to seek help, learn to cope, and get on the road to recovery.
Why is this important for me?
Mental health isn’t just about mental illness. With the current state of our world right now — with the pandemic and other events across the country — it has been difficult for many to maintain their own mental health because so many things feel out of our control right now. It is common to feel less productive than you want to be. It is common to feel overwhelmed with information and not know to how to process it. It is common to feel more exhausted at the end of the day. It is common to feel stress, grief, depression, and anxiety. It is common — this is why it is so important to talk about it! Regardless of the severity, you can find healthy ways to cope with the things that are negatively impacting your mental health, including speaking with a mental health professional when you need it.
As we continue in the upcoming weeks, we are going to talk more in depth about stress, grief, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse and how each of these affects the different aspects of our lives, how to recognize when you are going from “normal” levels to more severe levels, ways to manage your symptoms, and resources you can use to seek further help.
Your mental health matters and you are not alone.
~ Lauren McMullin, LSCSW