The great online resource for mental illness and the faith community, Pathways to Promise has a new website and a new tag line. Go to the website and read Jim Zahniser’s article explaining why “Putting Faith in Mental Health Recovery” is the new motto.
Jim Zahniser, “Putting Faith in Mental Health Recovery,” Pathways to Promise, January 20, 2015. WebCite
The mission of Mental Health Ministries is to provide educational resources to help erase the stigma of mental illness in our faith communities and help congregations become caring congregations for persons living with a mental illness and their families.
Created by clergy and laity of the Diocese of Atlanta and launched in May 2009, CareForTheTroops is a 501c3 non-profit “…meant to be an interfaith effort to help all who have mental health needs associated with the current and previous wars. …primary target audiences are not only the military member and their immediate family, but also the entire extended family system, congregation and community leaders, and civilian mental health professionals to help them better understand the military culture and trauma, and thus be better equipped to help those in need.”
CareForTheTroops was featured in the July 2009 issue of EMIN News.
Pathways to Promise is an interfaith cooperative of many faith groups… a resource center which offers liturgical and educational materials, program models, caring ministry with people experiencing a mental illness and their families.
A ministry of outreach and care for people with mental illness, especially those who live on the streets. Training programs for clergy and laity to develop mental health ministry within faith congregations. Based in Seattle, Washington.
Outreach to faith communities through the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Faith Connections on Mental Illness
Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the organization describes itself as “an inter-faith coalition of faith communities dedicated to increasing understanding of mental illness through Education, Advocacy, and Support.”
Faith Connections on Mental Illness sponsors an annual, one-day conference—usually on a Friday in March.
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
The mission of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors is to bring healing, hope, and wholeness to individuals, families, and communities by expanding and equipping spiritually grounded and psychologically informed care, counseling, and psychotherapy.
The AAPC website is intended to provide information for both association members and the public.
The Housing Faith Alliance (HFA), a program of Abba’s Family, is building bridges of connectivity between the faith community and formerly homeless mentally ill men and women in different neighborhoods across Tulsa. The alliance seeks to transform the faith community in this city through relationships of service with individuals who are poor, homeless, or who have mental illness.
Many formerly homeless individuals, however, are shy, lonely and afraid to reach out to others, and do not have close friends or strong support systems. Many want to be a part of making their neighborhoods a better place to live. Many say that matters of faith and their relationship with God are very important to them. Meanwhile, faith communities want to reach out but do not know how. Stigma and fear are formidable challenges to overcome.
The HFA seeks justice and mercy for the poor through the transformational power of faith infused relationships. The HFA is in collaboration with 20 or so faith communities in 5 different Tulsa neighborhoods and includes 12 different housing programs.
As one of those faith communities, St. John’s Episcopal Church hosted Evening Prayer for the HFA on May 14th, providing an opportunity for formerly homeless persons with mental illness, the Parish of St. John’s, and the workers and volunteers of the HFA to pray and join in fellow ship together.
The Executive Director of HFA is Bob Althoff, LCSW, LMFT, who can be reached at Info@AbbasFamily.org. An Episcopal board member of the Housing Faith Alliance, Br. James Patrick Hall, BSG, can be reached at halljktt@gmail.com