Faith United Methodist series examines the relationship between mental health and faith
NORTH CANTON − It's common − even expected − for pastors and churches to talk about such things as prayer, sin and salvation.
Addressing congregants’ needs when it comes to mental health does not come as easily.
Yet, social isolation, the fear and physical effects of the recent COVID-19 epidemic, and an increasingly divided country has many Americans − including people of faith − feeling anxious, fearful and depressed.
In recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month, which is in May, Faith United Methodist Church at 300 Ninth St. NW has created a four-part sermon series, “All of Us: Breaking the Silence on Mental Health.”
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The Rev. Steve Stultz Costello is the church's senior pastor.
“It really just originated out of an increasing sense and awareness of the mental health challenges,” he said. “It really seems like there’s an increase in the number of families and children and adults, just across this whole spectrum of people, feeling like they’re the only ones that have gone through what they’re going through, and how do we help address that?”
Stultz Costello said the church in general has “not always done the best job of speaking to mental health,” and that he sees the effort at Faith UMC as a gesture of repentance for how the faith community has mishandled their response.
“People tend to look at it as a ‘spiritual problem,'” said the Rev. Matt Kluchar, Faith UMC’s new director of youth ministries. “Like if you’re depressed, you need to pray more, or if you’re anxious, you need to give it over to God; things like that. They turn it into a spiritual (issue).”
The Rev. Jake Heskett, associate pastor, said there remains a stubborn stigma in faith communities around mental health but that “no one needs to be ashamed of their story.”
“So, part of this, and part of the hope for the series, is that we can break down that stigma, to let people know that struggling with depression does not mean you haven’t been faithful,” he said. "The whole point being, we all struggle with lots of different things, and so we really, all of us, are in this together, and it's important that we all take care of each other and create a space where we can talk about things like mental health.”
The three pastors will take turns preaching on a different mental health topic each Sunday, coupled with relevant scriptures.
“The first Sunday in May, it’ll be a familiar text: Psalm 23,” Stultz Costello said. “And I’ll pair it with a passage from Acts. What we see in the Book of Acts is that the disciples didn’t just say to one another who were struggling, you know ‘Thoughts and prayers.’ They made things happen. They took care of one another for material needs, for spiritual things. They made sure everybody had food and clothing, and so, that will be the first week.”
Kathy Schumucker, the church's spiritual formation director, noted that because Psalm 23 describes God as a shepherd keeping watch over his flock, they are inviting people of all ages to bring their favorite stuffed animal on May 7.
“Stuffed animals can be comforting to us,” she said.
On the second Sunday, Stultz Costello said he will focus on a passage in 1 Samuel that details an episode involving Israel’s King Saul. It also will feature a performance on the harp by Sue Wheeler.
“This is the story where Saul is tormented, and it says, ‘Now, the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit tormented him,’ and he called for David to play the lyre, and it comforts him,” he said. “And were recognizing that, as we read some of these texts, the translations, and even in the original Hebrew and Greek, how a lot of the thinking was that anything out of the ordinary was considered evil, and so that, we believe, has contributed to the church’s mishandling of mental health.
“We feel like this is an opportunity to invite people to become aware of some of that and help to broaden our scope of the whole narrative that would provide a corrective lens to some of that interpretative.”
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According to a 2023 Mental Health America survey, 21 percent of Americans, or about 52 million people, suffer from at least one form of mental illness. Of that number, more than 50 percent are not receiving any form of treatment. In its survey, U.S. News & World Report, ranks the U.S. 29th in the world for people with depressive symptoms. Greece is No. 1.
Kluchar, who will preach May 21, said he’ll focus on the Book of Psalms and some passages from the Book Revelation, using the title “You’re Not Alone.”
“It’s mostly going to focusing on how the Bible never glosses over things,” he said. “It shows raw emotion, it shows pain, and suffering, but at the same time, God never rebukes his people; he comforts them and walks with them.”
Kluchar said that when it comes to mental health, some pastors still harbor outdated thinking.
“Even now, I’ve heard things like medication is bad, that it’s a weakness,” he said.
Schmucker agrees.
“There are times when I’ve driven past signs that say “Anxious? Pray,’” she recalled. “Yes, we want people to pray, but just because you’re anxious doesn’t mean you don’t also pray or have close relationship with God.”
Schmucker and Stultz Costello said that pastors and their ministerial staff also have their struggles and mental health challenges.
“I think this is true in lots of different lines of work and especially lay ministry as well,” he said. “From my own experience, the thing I struggle with is that I don’t feel I’m ever living up to all of the needs and expectations and so it’s a constant discipline of truly accepting God’s grace, and that’s also the joy of it because I feel like every Sunday, God uses whatever I’ve brought, and I’m not bring nearly what I should have – I don’t study enough, I don’t read enough I don’t pray enough, and God says ‘Guys, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.'”
Kluchar noted that Faith UMC recently partnered with Stark County's National Alliance on Mental Health to host the agency’s new outreach, “Youth Move Stark,” for people ages 18 to 24.
The next meeting will be at 3 p.m. May 27 at the church.
Everyone who attends service at Faith UMC this month will receive a green-ribbon Mental Health Awareness Month pin attached to a card containing “wisdom” tips.
“We want to be cautious about not becoming the prescription for mental health,” Schmucker said. “The church does not replace therapists and medication and all the things that are necessary. It’s a piece of the puzzle. It’s helping the church to embrace the acceptance that we all deal with mental health, we all have challenges, but the church can come alongside people with just accepting and understanding and support.”
To learn more, visit www.myfaithunited.org or to read what the United Methodist Church has to say about mental health advocacy under its Social Principles, visit ww.umcjustice.org
Faith and Facts
30 percent young adults 18-25 have the highest prevalence of mental-health concerns, compared to 25% of adults 26 to 49 and 14.5% of people 50 and older.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.
In 2020, an estimated 12.2 million American adults considered suicide; 3.2 million planned an attempt, and 1.2 million attempted it.
Sources: National Institute of Mental Health; National Institutes of Health; World Health Organization; U.S. Center for Disease Control.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Faith UMC explores the relationship between mental health and faith
