Maintain the Right of the Afflicted

By Rev. Angel L. Sullivan

Photo credit: Danielle Scott, used by permission Creativecommons.org.

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” Psalm 82:3

Did you know that, according to NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness), approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year? Or that approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life? Going even younger, for children aged 8–15 the estimate is 13%.

We’re talking about this now because AB Women’s Ministries’ 2017-2018 mission focus is on homelessness in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. There is a direct connection between homelessness and mental illness: An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

I work as a hospital chaplain primarily with men, women, and children living with mental illness. I am often asked, “How do you approach persons with mental illness?” My response is simply, “Be kind.” Mental illness is an illness. It is not a punishment from God, karma, or demonic possession, as some people think. It is an illness that presents in various forms. It can present as mood disorders. A person can experience trauma, have a family history, or it can be brought on by substance abuse. In any case, it is an illness and persons should receive the same amount of love and dignity as someone who is facing a chronic or life-threatening physical illness.

As leaders in our churches, homes, communities, and workplaces, we have an opportunity to create comforting spaces that will allow individuals living with mental illness, and family members affected by mental illness, the opportunity to educate and share stories, to help to break down stereotypes, and create support systems.

How can we do this?

• Hold a church forum where there can be supportive and honest dialogue.
• Create a mental health ministry where people can feel free to build supportive relationships.
• If you have a leadership position in your church or community I encourage you to reach out to other mental health professionals in the area and build a professional network. Therefore, if you or a person in your church is in need of support beyond what you can provide, you will know who to call.
• Contact your government officials and advocate for policy changes to access better funding and resources. I have listed three e-mail helpful e-mail links below.

Finally always remember to just be kind. Kindness goes a long way. These are small changes you can make with a great impact.

Here are some links with more information.

https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/state-mental-health-america

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

Rev. Angel L. Sullivan is president of American Baptist Women’s Ministries. 

Easter Sunday: The Ultimate Forgiveness (John 20:1-18)

By Jackie Arnold

“Mary Magdalene at the Tomb.” See below for photo credit.

My son Rick asked me recently what I was up to. My answer was, “Well, I was asked to write a blog. I said yes, of course, because I don’t know how to say no. So, first I need to find out what a blog is.” He is used to that answer, so he laughed. It is wonderful at my age to learn new things. He gave a program on human trafficking recently and was surprised to learn I knew something about that too. It is amazing what you learn in women’s ministries, isn’t it?

My scripture for this blog post is John 20:1-18. It’s the story of Christ’s resurrection. Put yourself in Mary Magdalene’s shoes for a moment. She goes to the tomb to pray and finds the tomb empty. Thinking the body of Jesus had been stolen, she runs to tell someone and finds Peter and the other disciples. They don’t believe her.

How many times have you, especially when you were a child, had people not believe you? It’s very disheartening. It took Jesus several times to convince the disciples himself that he had risen again. It took Jesus three times to convince Thomas it really was Jesus. (That’s where the phrase “Doubting Thomas” come from).

Jesus said “Peace be with you. As the father has sent me, even so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.” Those are pretty powerful words.

I volunteered at the hospital for about 20 years. One day I met a new volunteer and the first thing she said to me was, “I understand you are a Christian. I just want you to know that I have done some really bad things in my life and I know God won’t forgive me.” I looked at her and was stunned. First, I didn’t know I had that reputation and, second, I was stunned that she was so adamant that God wouldn’t forgive her. Was she testing me? What was going on?

I looked at her and said, “Jesus forgave you when he died on the cross.” “Oh, not me,” she said. “I have done some really bad things.” I wanted to assure her that it doesn’t matter how bad you have been, God forgives you. All you need to do is ask him.

After that we had customers coming in and didn’t have any more time to talk. Unfortunately, I never saw her again. I have prayed for her often and wondered how she was. Sometimes we can’t convince others that God forgives. We just need to pray for them.

My pastor spoke of how important it is to remember those “quiet” ones: the ones who stay at home a lot, don’t get involved in anything, and don’t talk to many people. I thought of my sister, Judy. Some of you may know that she went to be with Jesus in December. Someone told me once if someone sneezed around Judy she would send them a “Get Well” card. How cool is that? If you know someone who is a “quiet one,” send them a “thinking of you” card or give them a phone call. Judy will look down on you and smile.

Jackie Arnold serves as coordinator of the Western Section of American Baptist Women’s Ministries.

 

Photo Credit: Keller, Albert von, 1844-1920. Mary Magdalene at the Tomb, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46231 [retrieved February 28, 2018]. Original source: http://www.yorckproject.de.