the walk- a voice in the midst of silence

This is one of the most encouraging things I have read on the internet in as long as I can remember:

A historic, first-time gathering of leaders from both the evangelical and Catholic communities met on Friday to discuss the importance of churches working together to address critical mental health issues. 

An overflow crowd of more than 3,300 people at Saddleback Church and an online audience for the live webcast witnessed the all-day unifying event, co-hosted by Rick and Kay Warren of Saddleback Church, the Most Rev. Kevin Vann, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County. 

The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church was designed to encourage individuals living with mental illness, educate family members, and equip church leaders to provide effective and compassionate care to any who face the challenges of mental illness. 

(From Christian Post article)

Why is this such a monumental statement to me?  Because the Church has been largely silent- and often very unhelpful when not silent- when it comes to mental illness.  The fact that this event happened gives me hope.

It has been incredibly hard in my journey with mental illness to not find much support or help or even hope from the Church.  Many of the most hurtful things that I have heard regarding mental illness- said to me directly, or I have read, or overheard- have come from within the Christian community.  But far more appalling than that, to me anyway, is the silence from the Church, especially on the larger scale.  It seems really obvious to me that God explicitly loves those who are hurting, are struggling, are misunderstood/marginalized, etc.  And clearly God is "in the business" of giving hope that won't disappoint to those who have no hope.  Those of us living with mental illnesses, especially in times of crisis, definitely fit into multiple of those categories.  So where's the Church?  Why don't we hear their voices?  Why aren't they offering the resources?

Hear me in this- I'm not saying that no Christians are engaged.  Some of my closest friends who have walked through some of my darkest hours with me are fellow believers.  And they are able to point to Truth and Hope and offer Community in ways that no one else can.  When, though, we are talking about larger scale realities- congregations, organizations, etc. (and in my opinion, the Church as a whole, or at least the American church)- these entities just aren't very present in seeking to come alongside those whose lives are affected by mental illness, aren't offering education and advocacy, aren't trying to provide the support and resources necessary.

As cliche as it sounds, I think a lot of it boils down to stigma and ignorance regarding mental illness.  And I think a lot of it boils down to not knowing and/or not wanting to obey the stuff Christ told us to do.  And I think fear is at the core of both those things, and/or they both create fear.  (Notice the vicious cycle that is then created...)  It makes sense- mental illness is really fucking messy, and confusing, and painful... for those living with the illnesses, those living with mental illness by association, for those offering care and support... for everyone.  But just because it makes sense doesn't make it excusable.

This is getting long-winded, especially since I want to share some of the stuff the Rick and Kay Warren (Saddleback Church, "Purpose Driven Life") have shared in the year since their son died by suicide.  I don't mean to do a soapbox rant or whatever.  This stuff REALLY matters to me though.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that part of why I'm walking is because I want to stand up- to show up, to speak up- as one who is following Christ and is not going to shy away from the realities of mental illness.  In a lot of ways, I can't- it's part of my daily reality.  Maybe I wouldn't be as engaged if it weren't such an intimate part of my story, but I hope I would.

I want to call Christians- in gentle ways and in very blunt ways- to step up when it comes to the reality of mental illness.  I think one of the best ways I can do that is by sharing my story.  And one of the other most effective ways I can call others to step up is to show what that looks like in my own life- to invite others into something I am already trying to live out.

* * If you want to support me in the walk, you can donate at my donor page.  Donations go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  If you want to help with the personal costs for the trip (i.e. transportation, food, etc.), contact me and we can figure that out. * *

Okay, enough of my words.  Rick and Kay Warren are well-known church leaders.  A year ago their 27 year old son died by suicide, and the way they have publicly and vulnerably walked through this tragic experience has given me immense respect for them.  A week ago they were part of a team that put together the conference mentioned at the beginning of the post.  Below are some quotes from articles that have been written about/with them.

From Christianity Today article "A Year of Grieving Dangerously":

I [Kay] said to Rick, "When we pastor a church, even if I have to stand on the rooftop of that church, I will tell people that we are just like everybody else. We are sinners. We are broken. There are some days I'm not sure God exists. Sometimes I feel like this is a big cosmic joke. We need God to get through every single day." So we made a determination to do that... 

The mental health system is just broken in the United States. I can't say that strongly enough. Not that people aren't trying and not that there aren't some really wonderful, compassionate people in the field of mental health. But it is so complicated. And most of the attempts to help don't always help. 

The conference that we're doing is a little pebble in the giant lake of mental illness. But the church has a role to play. Christ followers have to be in those conversations, and we have not. And we must. 

From Christian Post article "Saddleback Church Hosts Historic Gathering on Mental Health and the Church" :

"I'm not an authority on mental illness, but I am an authority on living with mental illness," Warren said. He added that he wanted to "pull back the curtain" on his family's own struggles and tell people that it's perfectly fine to say, "I'm not okay, you're not okay, but that's okay because God's okay."

From TIME article "Rick Warren: Churches Must Do More to Address Mental Illness":

There are hundreds of conferences around the world by health professionals, government officials and NGO’s which address mental illness from medical, social, and policy perspectives, but the Church, with its vast network of volunteers and resources is rarely included in the discussion. What do churches have to offer to the mentally ill and their families in light of the multi-layered, complex set of issues that surround mental illness? The answer is – a lot! There are biblical, historical, and practical reasons that churches must be at the table with this issue.

From Orange County Register article, "Rick Warren Returns to the Pulpit"

Matthew's struggle sensitized me to an enormous body of pain that our culture teaches us to ignore. Mental illness is the last taboo. Sixty million Americans suffer with mental illness and everyone knows someone struggling with it but few are willing to talk about it. There's no stigma if your heart or lungs or kidneys don't work properly, but if your brain gets sick, people feel ashamed. But it's not a sin to be sick. Ten years ago, God called Kay, and then me, to help remove the stigma attached to HIV&AIDS. Now, it looks like we're being called to help remove the stigma for a much bigger disease. 34 million people have HIV&AIDS but 400 million battle mental illness worldwide. 

... I've recommitted the rest of my life to battling hopelessness. I think hopelessness is the most widespread epidemic on earth, and I believe the Good News of Jesus is the cure.