Come in—bring your whole self
News –
Come in. Come into this place which we make holy by our presence.
Come in with all your vulnerabilities and strengths, fears and anxieties, loves and hopes. For here you need not hide, nor pretend, nor be anything other than who you are and are called to be.
Come into this place where we can touch and be touched, heal and be healed, forgive and be forgiven.
Come into this place, where the ordinary is sanctified, the human is celebrated, the compassionate is expected.
Come into this place. Together we make it a holy place.
These opening words by Rebecca Edmiston-Lange remind us of what beloved community longs to be. When we gather on Sunday mornings, our hope is that you truly come to know that you are beloved, whole and holy, just as you are.
This Sunday will be a time to honor all that we are for “Mental Health Sunday,” a (mostly) annual service that started in 2017. We have several annual services that create rituals of meaning and intentional community. We know that naming the truths of our lives is an important part of our shared sacred journey.
Barbara F. Meyers, in her book Held: Showing Up for Each Other’s Mental Health points out that discomfort, unexamined assumptions about mental illness, and cultural norms isolate people and families who are in desperate need of community support. At a time when so many beloveds who are BIPOC, trans and gender expansive, and/or immigrants are being targeted by heightened unjust political actions, we know that some of us are experiencing an additional weight and severity of mental health challenges than others.
The invitation of this faith community is one of authenticity, love, and care. There are so many places in our lives where we need to show up looking together, dependable, and strong. That facade can be exhausting and if a person is really struggling, it can prevent them from getting the care and resources they may need. As a congregation that centers love, we truly can be a place where people need not hide, nor pretend and instead, can come as their full selves.
This Sunday we will hear from a number of congregants and honor the way that mental health conditions impact our lives and those of the people we love and ways that First Universalist and other resources can help.
First Universalist is part of an organization called Mental Health Connect. It is a local organization that collaborates with faith communities. They work with congregations to help destigmatize mental illness and they have navigators available to help congregants find customized and confidential help that is covered by insurance or available at no cost. To contact a navigator text or call 612-642-1220 or email them at navigator@mhconnect.org. Navigators are available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
If you reach out outside these hours, they’ll return your message the following day. They also have a page of crisis resources available at 2024CrisisResourceHandout.pdf – Google DriveVail Communities is a local place where a number of First Universalist congregants are connected. They are shattering the limitations imposed by mental illness and co-occurring conditions through the transformative power of relationships, purpose, and opportunity. At their Uptown Community they provide comprehensive support including targeted case management, community health partnerships, and housing initiatives. They foster wellness and cultivate meaningful connections to ensure every individual can thrive. They are located at 1412 36th St W, Minneapolis, MN 55408. Call 612-824-8061 to set up an initial visit or fill out a referral form: Vail Clubhouse Program Referral