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Beginning Steps and Big Dreams
Beginning Steps and Big Dreams
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Since that time, several people from other faith communities have asked us how our ministry began; they asked us to walk them through the beginning steps in developing our ministry. We are only one year old, but we are willing to share our steps with any faith group interested in reaching out to members and their families who are affected by mental illness. Some faith groups and mental health groups believe that there is a formula to follow, a one-size-fits all. The good news is that you already have what you need to begin a ministry or program to reach out to the members of your congregation who are hurting and hungry for a safe place of welcome in their faith community.
We recommend that step one be an open parish brainstorming session or sessions to listen, to get to know your community and their stated needs and wants. Together, you can gather ideas and resources and plan some form of ministry that fits your community and belongs to your community. We find that ownership by the members of a particular faith group is what gives energy, empowerment and helps you dream big dreams. The needs and philosophy of each congregation are unique and each congregation needs to explore and respect that uniqueness. There are many faith groups with websites, books, guides, but the best ones that we have found recommend that you study their ministries and take whatever ideas that you find helpful, adapt it to your community and make it yours.
St. Joan of Arc Mental Illness Ministry, MIM, is a mixture of people; some live with mental illness, some are family members or friends of people who live with mental illness, and some wish to participate and help end discrimination. Most of our active members are St. Joan parishioners, but some regular participants are not. Some people are on our mailing list because they are interested in what is happening, and we are glad to share that; occasionally some of those members attend a workshop or monthly meeting when the topic interests them. Our ministry is free and open to all. “…about one in four Americans will manage a mental disorder in his or her life. Until everyone knows this and addresses the needs of these individuals, there’s so much more to be done.” - Reintegration Today, Fall 2006, www.reintegration.com/today
Participants in our brainstorm meeting wanted education, resources and support and they listed some specific events they wanted, which included to begin monthly meetings immediately. And so we began. Some meetings were chaotic because each person had a specific agenda. Some people chose to stay with us as we stumbled along and some of them are among our most active members. And we dream big dreams.
“Consumer” is a national term used for a person diagnosed with mental illness, but MIM members who are consumers find that term demeaning and choose to be called “Pursuers of Wellness.” MIM members separate into two support groups: Pursuers of Wellness and Families/Friends; at all other times we are one group.
Several Pursuers of Wellness members have been active leaders in MIM since the beginning, but we didn’t know who would join our ministry or how active they would be; we were open to whomever joined us. Some Pursuers stated very strongly that when MIM was ready to form a leadership group, we must include Pursuers. When we organized a leadership group, Pursuers were a part of our Task Force, but it happened naturally because several Pursuers of Wellness were our most active members.
MIM family members and Pursers of Wellness see themselves in partnership with mental health professionals, as experts, because they live with mental illness every day. The strength of the participation and leadership roles that Pursuers have demonstrated has helped our ministry develop a model that inspires all of us. Because of our strong belief in Pursuers of Wellness leadership role and our belief in “Nothing about us without us,” our first MIM speaker was Maureen Marrin, Executive Director of Consumer Survivor Network, the only Minnesota mental health organization that is completely run by consumers.
We have monthly meetings with a speaker on mental health issues, followed by support groups. The topics are determined by the interest of the members. The Task Force meets monthly. Twice a year St. Joan of Arc Church has Sunday homilies about mental illness and MIM members staff some resource tables. We have a library with literature about mental illness. We have resources and events listed on our St. Joan of Arc website and some articles and personal stories. And we dream big dreams. We believe that our library is central to our ministry, both as a resource and as an informal gathering space. We are planning several events each month in our library; book clubs, brainstorming/information chat and munch meetings, a library Task Force team meeting. We continually gather ideas from our members for new directions. And we dream big dreams.
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