tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33029643.post361177001479390831..comments2023-08-22T04:21:46.802-07:00Comments on Roller Coaster: Helping a church become supportivemarjahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810913152746930742noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33029643.post-60896233875895573082007-09-17T19:46:00.000-07:002007-09-17T19:46:00.000-07:00It's wonderful that your church has understood and...It's wonderful that your church has understood and supported you in your efforts to educate others regarding mental illnesses and their effects on people. It's also wonderful that you got a support group in propagating your Living Room project. God bless you more for these noble endeavors. Have nice day.Mel Avila Alarillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00166954063114607598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33029643.post-27799774780505791662007-09-16T12:41:00.000-07:002007-09-16T12:41:00.000-07:00Marja,Thanks for sharing your story about how you ...Marja,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for sharing your story about how you came to help your congregation grow in their understanding of and compassion towards meantal health issues. I admire your courage and your persistence. I can only imagine that this was not always an easy task.<BR/><BR/>I'm curious, how large is your church? And what denomination?<BR/><BR/>I've been involved in various degress in a number of churches and unfortunately, have rarely found the kind of genuine love and support that you write about often in any of them, and mental health issues weren't even on the table. I found that there was usually a very close-knit group of church members who either had been in the church for a long time through all of its growth and change, or they were people who knew each other outside of church - perhaps they were neighbors or their children had grown up together.<BR/><BR/>While the "cornerstones" of these churches tended to be friendly on the surface, it was very difficult to feel a connection. It was sort of like switching schools in the middle of your senior year when all the groups of friends are well-entrenched.<BR/><BR/>As I've written on my blog, for some reason, I never feel lonelier these days than I do when I go to church. Of course I feel God's presence there so I'm not truly alone, but I feel his presence at home and in my car too. It's feeling emotionally and spiritually isolated in the one place where I'd hope to feel conected that causes such intense loneliness.<BR/><BR/>At some point, I hope to be able to get the strength to go through the process of "church shopping" again and that I'll be blessed to find a truly loving church like yours.<BR/><BR/>Syd<BR/><A HREF="http://bipolarity.wordpress.com" REL="nofollow">Bipolarity</A>Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12005916124869961892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33029643.post-80584079011303763212007-09-16T10:41:00.000-07:002007-09-16T10:41:00.000-07:00Marja,I think your point about one person taking t...Marja,<BR/>I think your point about one person taking the lead to influence others is an important one.<BR/><BR/>I certainly hope it is possible to teach compassion and empathy. I believe that one of the difficulties with "mental illness" is the terrible stigma and thus "fear" that it engenders.<BR/><BR/>With depression, I think many people still believe that if depressed people would just pull themselves up by their bootstraps--so to speak--they'd feel better.<BR/><BR/>As I write all this, I realize it's too complex for me to answer as a comment, so I'll post about it next week. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps others who have read our exchange will post as well. I believe it's an important and interesting discussion.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for bringing it up!<BR/><BR/>Susansbwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05881627992105939490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33029643.post-25096769125541201062007-09-16T05:39:00.000-07:002007-09-16T05:39:00.000-07:00Susan, My only reason for going into such detail w...Susan, My only reason for going into such detail was that I wanted to show how a compassionate congregation doesn't just magically appear. It's developed - in large part by the leadership of a few people who do understand and are compassionate.<BR/><BR/>I've been wondering lately if it's possible to develop compassion and understanding in people who haven't been there. I've even been working on writing some articles that I hope would teach people to be more understanding.<BR/><BR/>But I wonder if this is possible. What do you think, Susan?marjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01810913152746930742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33029643.post-69916642898767125912007-09-16T00:17:00.000-07:002007-09-16T00:17:00.000-07:00Marja,It's nice to learn about the background of y...Marja,<BR/>It's nice to learn about the background of your group and how you developed relationships with fellow congregants. <BR/><BR/>Now that I'm mostly well, I prefer blogging about bipolar issues to discussing them in person. When I was very sick, I just felt it would have been nice to have experienced compassion and understanding-- particularly from those people who knew about my illness.<BR/><BR/>Still, thanks for sharing!<BR/><BR/>Susansbwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05881627992105939490noreply@blogger.com