May 2022

 May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Just like every day should be Earth Day, every month should be Mental Health Awareness Month!

The good news is, there is a growing awareness about mental health, and a better understanding that mental illnesses are real illnesses. And that people who suffer from them are not crazy or weak. Still, there is a lot of stigma attached to mental illnesses, and our mental health care system leaves much to be desired.

At Trinity Church, we have been trying to address this topic openly, in order to include and welcome all of God's children. Some of you may remember the book study we did on "Blessed Are the Crazy" several years ago. The ONA Team is currently working on a proposal for Trinity to become a "WISE" congregation ("WISE" stands for "Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged.")

The United Church of Christ offers worship resources for Mental Health Sunday on May 15. In the introduction, they write the following:

"New brain science confirms what our ancestors knew: God’s love has healing power. For emotional, social, and mental wellbeing, faith assures of two protective factors: (1) you are not alone and (2) you are loved." (Source: https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022_mental_health_worship.pdf)

Does that sound familiar to you at all? Does it sound like a message that you have heard at Trinity repeatedly? I hope so! "God loves you and there's nothing you can do about it" is what we tell our teens when they are confirmed or baptized. Our mission statement is front and center to everything we do:

Trinity Church's mission is to fill its people with the love of God and share God's love in all the world.

Why do I preach that constantly? Why do we try to share that message on our website and social media presence? Because it's what we all need to hear, and experience. We need it for our spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being. And it's what God wants: for us to be well, and whole.

Can faith cure a serious mental illness? No. That's what therapy, in-patient treatment and medication are for. Can faith, and a faith community, help us better deal with mental illnesses? Yes. Knowing that we are loved and that we are not alone, knowing that there is nothing "wrong" with us, that it's not our fault, that we are not a burden, that our lives matter and that we are important and someone cares... That helps. It helps us stay balanced, grounded, and connected.

God's love has healing powers for us as individuals, for our families and communities, and for our entire world.

I believe that. I need to believe that.

At Trinity, we will keep doing everything we can to share that message with you, with Northborough, and with all the world.

May the power of God's love touch and heal you today, and every day.

With Love,

Pastor Valeria.