More spiritual connections to mental health

Russ Waldrop / "From the Pulpit"
Published: May 29, 2008

The Mental Health Association of Augusta, a United Way agency, announces its 54th annual emphasis on “May is Mental Health Month.” Its goal is to raise public awareness about mental illness and the importance of promoting mental wellness for everyone. The theme this year is “Get Connected” and, according to Donna Gum, Executive Director of the Association, they have issued a “Mental Health Connection Challenge” for everyone to do just that: “get connected” with their own resources for mental health. Do you know what yours are?
They recognize five positive and life-fulfilling connections that can be made and developed during the month of May. They are: 1) family and friends, 2) coworkers, 3) community members, 4) oneself and 5) mental health professionals.
We conclude our “mental health connections” theme with a spiritual perspective to community, ourselves, and mental health professionals.
For a while, the early church lived together in one house (Acts 1:12-14), violating numerous social, religious and legal taboos. They did so for several reasons. They were still trying to “figure it all out,” both theologically and personally. Jesus, their beloved leader, had died and had returned. Some “theologizing” and “personalizing” of this event was necessary for themselves and their neighbors.
They also had to make plans for future mission projects: leadership and finances were but two such issues. Safety was always a concern since, officially, they were “atheists,” having rejected the officially approved gods of Mount Olympus for one rejected and killed by their government. No wonder Christians were suspicious, maybe even paranoid, about strangers knocking on the door.
They could be executed for their “Lord’s Supper” meal alone because it advocated beliefs and practices grotesque to anyone peeking through their window. Who can doubt that living in that milieu would bring up issues of mental health and illness? For many people today, it still does.
Their strength was in their fellowship with one another. They were a “priesthood of believers,” healers to one another, living in a pagan society that was suspicious, if not paranoid, of them; perhaps rightly so. They were “turning the world upside down and closing in fast” (Acts 17:6).
Each individual could be the proverbial “weakest link” in the church. So, they strengthened one another and carried each other’s burdens, thus bearing witness to the world of the love of God. However imperfectly, it still does.
Paul’s letter to Titus reminds us of the church’s own mental health and illness issues. Like the rest of the world, we have always had them and we always will in this life. After all, the church is made up of people, not angels.
The Mental Health Association of Augusta is a chapter of a nationwide non-profit, non-governmental volunteer organization that provides information and referral services, pro-bono counseling, and a mental health directory of professional counselors.
Donna H. Gum is Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Augusta, located in the Professional Building, Room 206, in Staunton. She may be reached at 949-0169; 886-7181; or e-mailed at . Their Web site is http://www.mha-augusta.org. The Central Shenandoah Valley Office on youth, with locations in Staunton and Waynesboro, can be reached at 942-6757.
The Rev. Dr. Russell G. Waldrop is a licensed professional counselor and a pastoral counselor. He is chaplain of Western State Hospital. Contact him at 540-332-8004 or at .