As the month of May approaches, many congregations are preparing for Mental Health Sunday on May 16, 2021, part of the designation of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. To assist in your liturgical preparation, the UCC Mental Health Network offers this new resource, Radical Belonging: Mental Health Sunday Liturgies and Resources for All.
This downloadable resource, available in both a PDF and a large print Word document, is for any congregation of any denomination that wishes to become a place of radical belonging. It was created in prayer and partnership between the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network and The United Church of Canada, with generous contributions by Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, the United Church of Christ’s Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice. Within it, you will find liturgy that challenges the systemic sins that create “otherness” and ableism, resources that share the stories of people living with mental illness and disabilities, and words of grace and celebration for the opportunities we have as the Body of Christ to love, care for and accept one another.
As our communities slowly emerge from the collective trauma of COVID-19, the losses of the pandemic weigh heavily on our lives and communities. Within this context, The United Church of Canada and the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network join our voices in calling faith communities to become intentionally inclusive places where God’s Kin-dom manifests through relationships of mutual respect for all people, including those living with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, neurodevelopmental differences, brain disorders, and their families.