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Rev. Cameron Barr, United Church of Chapel Hill, "Come Healing of the Mind"

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  Come Healing of the Mind ----Rev. Cameron Barr Mental health concerns are very common in the life of faith communities because - well, mental health concerns are very common in human life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 8.3% of all adults in the United States have experienced depression in the past year. Almost 20% of US adults have experienced an anxiety disorder in the past year. In 2022, it was reported that more than 23% of US adults experienced some sort of mental illness. Statistically speaking, it’s unlikely that you ever come to a place of worship without shaking hands with someone whose life is touched by mental illness.  People are often under a great deal of stress in their ordinary lives. There is enough pressure from the regular commitments in one’s life such as childcare, marriage, work, or caregiving for aging parents to cause even the healthies...
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Barrett Freeman, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, "Cultivating the Spirit"

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  Cultivating the Spirit                            ---- Barrett Freeman     “O God, you are closer to me than I am to myself. O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, you were within and I was outside myself .”   I don’t know if any of the preschool teachers witnessed it happen, but if they did, I imagine it was an awful site. One minute a 5-year-old boy is chasing friends across the church playground, the next minute he’s gone. Vanished. Although somewhat fragmented, I still vividly recall the scene. The sound of metal and concrete scrapping together, the earth giving way, and then, approximately eight feet later… cold, wet, and dark. That’s what falling into a manhole feels like. I know because that’s what happened to me. I can’t say I remember specific feelings and thoughts, but I do know the general details of the story because it’s...
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Maria T. Palmer, Hispanic Ministry ("La Mesa") of United Church of Chapel Hill, "Finding strength and courage in community and prayer"

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  Finding strength and courage in community and prayer Encontrando fuerza, valentía y sanidad en la oración y la comunidad                                                                                —Maria T. Palmer/ Maria Teresa Unger de Palmer  English text follows the Spanish text. Tengo una versión caligrafiada de Josué 1:9 colgada en mi cocina, al lado de mis calendarios (uno mensual y el de cumpleaños). En letras grandes me recuerda: “Sé fuerte y valiente, no tengas miedo ni te desanimes, porque el SEÑOR TU DIOS estará contigo dondequiera que vayas” JOSUÉ 1:9   Yo vengo...
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