For this summer term of equipping, 16 of us at JCC have been doing the Livability course ‘Lifting the Lid on Mental Health’. It has been a fantastic course, full of information, biblical truth and a community focus. We have looked at anxiety, depression, psychosis, addiction and asked lots of tricky questions, but also looked at how God cared for Elijah, and how Jesus dealt with Jairus, Zacchaeus and many others. It has been a great time to dispel myths, and really think about how we at JCC can care for each other and our wider community.
These are the thoughts of one of our group:
‘When I was a child I managed to break my arm three times. Each time, a visit to A&E and some smoothly applied plaster fixed the problem. When, in my early forties, my mind broke, neither the church nor my loved ones knew what to do. Mental illness affects many of us in the UK, and is more prevalent in our society than ever before. We, as the church, need to know how to respond to the brokenness around us.
I’ve been attending the Lifting the Lid course at JCC and it’s been great. We’ve looked at mental health and illness from a biblical viewpoint and learned how Jesus related to those on the fringes of society and how Christians can respond likewise. The course follows a useful structure of teaching that encourages us to think how Jesus thinks. Conversation has been lively, therapeutic and wonderfully honest. For anyone who wants church culture to reach those who are struggling with life I can wholeheartedly recommend Lifting the Lid – it will do you and those around you good.’
We will definitely be running it again, so for more information contact Sarah Wallis sarah@jcceg.co.uk
