Clergy Reflections on Mental Health

“Promoting African American Mental Health: Individual and Community Transformation” Written February 7, 2022 by Tonya D. Armstrong, Ph.D., M.T.S. Owner, CEO, and Licensed Psychologist, The Armstrong Center for Hope Associate Minister, Union Baptist Church, Durham, NC “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—[God’s] good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:1,2, NIV). Transformation is not only a psychological goal; it’s a Scriptural imperative. Nevertheless, there are several aspects of the experiences of many African American Christians that present barriers to such transformation. Stigma surrounding mental health treatment is a universal phenomenon, yet is especially strong in African American Christian communities. As a people whose dignity is often questioned and dismissed, it is even more difficult for African Americans to acknowledge weakness. We may ta...

Journey of Mourning                           ---Rabbi Jen Feldman   As clergy we are called to be with people at moments of rejoicing and also at times of great vulnerability and pain. Of the many situations we are faced with, supporting a family when a loved one dies from suicide may be among the most challenging and heartbreaking. I am not, by any means, a specialist on helping families through that dark time. However, I can provide some insights from the Jewish tradition -- ways of viewing suicide that may be new to colleagues coming from other faith perspectives. I offer, as well, insights from my own pastoral experiences in supporting families through the aftermath of a suicide. Preservation of life is of the highest value in Judaism. Traditionally, suicide was seen as counter to this central tenant of our faith and it is prohibited by Jewish law. Members of the Jewish community who were deemed to have died by ...

A Present for Yourself ---The Rev. Dr. Garry Crites      Have you ever noticed how many holidays in December include gift-giving? Perhaps most obvious are those within Christianity, starting with Saint Nicholas Day and Saint Lucia Day, and ending on Christmas morning…with the occasional foray into the twelve days of Christmas that end with Epiphany.  (Coming from a Swiss-German background, my family always opens gifts on Christmas Eve; Christmas Day was always a childhood anticlimax.) But other religions have December gift-giving holidays as well. Many Hindu adherents celebrate Pancha Ganapati with picnics and gifts. And Jewish families often celebrate Hanukkah, which offers (as Adam Sandler sings), “instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights.”  Some holiday gifts are big and flashy; every year there are commercials of someone going out their front door and seeing a fancy car wrapped in a giant bow. (Does ...

Rev. Rebecca Hewitt-Newson is a Baptist minister who has worked as a hospital chaplain, children’s minister, and is now Co-Pastor of the Emmaus Way community in Durham. “She would continue to have emotional breakdowns on a yearly basis.” I was watching a documentary about an influential, accomplished, though not well-known, civil rights activist. As I heard about their chronic emotional crises, my heartbeat increased, my chest tightened. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to remain present while my brain went haywire. I allowed the fearful thought – “that could happen to me” – and its accompanying anxiety to stay with me. I didn’t try to chase it away by reassuring myself, I didn’t pause the documentary to do internet research on how common it is to have more breakdowns if you’ve already had one or more. Instead, I said to myself “maybe this will be me and maybe it won’t” and I kept watching through the sound of alarm bells ringing on in my head.  Almost three year...

Rabbi Daniel Greyber serves at Beth El Synagogue in Durham, NC. This contribution is a sermon that he recently shared with his faith community.  "The Exile of Sadness" A sickness afflicts modernity; we exile sadness. Time after time, people sit in my office or stand with me at the cemetery and, when they start to cry, they apologize, as if tears are a turpitude and sadness a sin. These apologies are a symptom of an emotional illness that plagues our society. Emotional health is the ability to rejoice in happy times, like a wedding or or when a baby is born and it is to feel sadness when someone dies or is sick or when our marriage is ending or we are estranged from those we love. But we apologize for our tears. Jewish tradition tells a story. When the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, God cried. An angel, Metatron, plead with God, “Let me cry instead.” God responds, “If you do not leave me to cry, I will enter somewhere you cannot enter and I will cry.” Metatron is ashamed of Go...

The Rev. Jessica Stokes is the Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness, a program of the North Carolina Council of Churches. She leads the statewide mental health advocacy efforts.  Peace to you, wherever this finds you. I am grateful to share this space with you. My ministry is focused on mental health advocacy alongside faith communities and destigmatizing mental health. What better time than now to think about this with me? As people of faith, we know how important community is, and how important life together is (even virtually). Faith communities have the ability to be agents of compassion, healing, hope, and peace for those that are hurting, living with mental health concerns, and more. This is needed and sacred work that God joins us in. We can begin conversations of compassion, while fostering shared-vulnerability in a culture of mutuality and support. I pray that we can see this time as an opportunity, and not just a challenge. Faith communities have numer...

Welcome to Clergy Reflections on Mental Health! We are glad you're here.  Join us monthly for a blog that will offer wisdom, encouragement, and motivation for faith communities. Follow along as faith leaders share their connection to mental health through their stories, ministry, and context. This platform will offer many perspectives on how a faith community can eliminate stigma around mental health and offer hope to all. This blog will provide ideas on how our different faith communities are ministering to those with mental health challenges and navigating difficult but crucial topics, thus, helping us as faith leaders feel less alone in our efforts. We look forward to learning together!  Comments and/ or questions can be sent to: ClergyMHBlog@gmail.com Our committee includes: Cynthia Bucy, M.Div., M.Ed., BSN, RN-BC Faith Connections on Mental Illness Board Member The Rev. Dr. Garry J. Crites Executive Director NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) North Carolina The R...