Creating Caring Congregations, is a project of Mental Health Ministries, an ecumenical program through the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The mission of Mental Health Ministries is to educate clergy and lay persons for the purpose of decreasing the stigma associated with mental illnesses in our faith communities. Providing resources to churches to develop a mental health program in the local church is the important first step in the inclusion and support of persons with mental illnesses and their families into the life of the church community. The sharing of personal stories and experiences provides a way to give voice to those who have suffered in silence, and allows churches to begin the process of reaching out and providing compassionate care to those affected by disorders of the brain.
This DVD is divided into four sections. With a total running time of under 30 minutes, it can be viewed in one sitting. Another option is to view the various sections separately to provide education and encourage discussion among specific groups in the church. A Discussion Guide is included that provides a brief overview of each segment and some questions to help generate discussion among group members.
Individuals share their personal experiences with various mental illnesses in the first three sections. Shawn's Story tells of an adolescent's experience with bi-polar depression, addiction and suicidal ideations. Carol's Story is about the most common illness of the brain, clinical depression, with accompanying anxiety issues. Jan's Story highlights how the normal life changes associated with the aging process can lead to depression in older adults. The final segment, How Congregations Can Respond, provides a five-step program of education, covenant, welcome support and advocacy, to help churches begin to address mental health issues in the local church.
Creating
Caring Congregations has
been awarded
in the 24th
Annual Telly
Awards for
its high
standard
of excellence
in the Religious
program
category.
The Telly
Awards annually
showcases
the best
work of
the most
respected
advertising
agencies,
production
companies,
television
stations,
cable operators
and corporate
video departments
in the world.
Run time of resource: 29:15 minutes
This DVD resource sells for $24.95.
To buy this DVD with a credit card (Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover), click on the "Buy Now" button below to purchase through PayPal (you do not need to be a PayPal member to send payment through this service).
To pay by check or money order, make payment payable to “Mental Health Ministries" and send to:
Mental Health Ministries
c/o Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
6707 Monte Verde Drive
San Diego, CA 92119
Download our Creating Congregations flyer in PDF format, to hand out to friends and family members. Click on image to the left to download.
Click on the image to the left to download the Creating Caring Congregations Brochure outlining the subjects discussed in the video while giving helpful tips and resource information. (PDF Format)
This program is also available on VHS (Closed-captioned). Please check our Programs on VHS section for further information or click on the image to the left.
Creating Caring Congregations, is a project of Mental Health Ministries, an ecumenical program through the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The mission of Mental Health Ministries is to educate clergy and lay persons for the purpose of decreasing the stigma associated with mental illnesses in our faith communities. Providing resources to churches to develop a mental health program in the local church is the important first step in the inclusion and support of persons with mental illnesses and their families into the life of the church community. The sharing of personal stories and experiences provides a way to give voice to those who have suffered in silence, and allows churches to begin the process of reaching out and providing compassionate care to those affected by disorders of the brain.
This DVD is divided into four sections. With a total running time of under 30 minutes, it can be viewed in one sitting. Another option is to view the various sections separately to provide education and encourage discussion among specific groups in the church. A Discussion Guide is included that provides a brief overview of each segment and some questions to help generate discussion among group members. 
Creating
Caring Congregations has
been awarded
in the 24th
Annual Telly
Awards for
its high
standard
of excellence
in the Religious
program
category.
The 
