Care for Congregations and Self-Care

Supporting Our Clergy

Are you living with a mental health challenge/diagnosis? Do you need a confidential space outside of your setting or clergy circle? Are you yearning for a place to share your strengths and your struggles with symptoms? The United Church of Christ Mental Health Network is here to support you.

Here is information about two online support groups for clergy led by two of our board members:

Online Peer Support Group for Clergy Living with Mental Health Challenges
Free * Confidential * Thursdays, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EDT via Zoom
Contact:
Rev. Amy Petre Hill
UCC Mental Health Network Board Member
Mental Health & Inclusion Minister
Mountain View United Church, CO
revamy@mhiministries.org or 510-967-4890

Online Peer Support Group for Clergy Living with Mental Health Challenges
Free * Confidential * Tuesdays, 3:30 pm CST via Zoom
Beginning May 5th
Contact for Zoom Link:
Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe
UCC Mental Health Network Vice-Chair
Former Psychiatric Chaplain
Pastoral Psychotherapist
Author of The Lifesaving Church (2018) by Chalice Press
Senior Minister
Living Table UCC, South Minneapolis, MN
rachael@livingtable.org or fb.com/rachael.keefe

For many young people, sheltering at home means missing milestones and public recognition of their achievements.  This is especially true for seniors graduating from high school and college.  This is a great article about supporting teens and college students during this unusual time.  “With Senior Year In Disarray, Teens And Young Adults Feel Lost. Here’s How To Help”

Guidance for talking with people during this pandemic; talking with people in crisis

“That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief“ by Scott Berinato, Harvard Business Review
This is a helpful article providing insight on why it’s important to acknowledge the grief we may be feeling, how to manage it, and even how to find meaning in it.

Strategies for Working from Home During COVID-19, including strategies for those who have kids at home

These resources provided by Traci Smith, ordained minister and blogger:

• PANDEMIC HOPE DEVOTIONAL
• FEAR NOT – a worship service for those practicing social distancing
• BREATH PRAYERS FOR ANXIOUS TIMES
• Ways to Keep Your Church Community Running

COVID-19 Disciplines as Spiritual Practice, a timely blog post by psychologist Arden Mahlbert, member of Community of Hope UCC in Madison

The COVID-19 situation calls for both active and passive roles. For most of us, our role is passive. It is important that we abstain from doing certain things, like encroaching on another’s six-foot safety zone. Even further is following stay-at-home orders. We also have had to master the discipline of control of what we touch with our hands and the practice of effective hand cleansing. This is what love of neighbor and love of self look like right now. Since these are difficult disciplines, we can be tempted to just want to get through them so our lives can return to normal. But what if we could emerge transformed instead of just returning to normal?

Approaching these practices as a moral and spiritual disciplines can help. In many spiritual practices, abstaining from one thing opens other doors. Read this blog post and other covid-19 posts by psychologist Arden Mahlbert, member of Community of Hope UCC in Madison.

Preparing for “Safer at Home” guide from Wisconsin Council of Churches