May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Hear a little from Pastor Jenna:
Video Transcript
Hey Church. It is a beautiful evening here at Green Lake and I hope, like me, you too have been able to get out recently for these gorgeous days that we've had at the beginning of May.
Speaking of May, I want to lift something up, which maybe you already know about, and that is that the month of May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. As we see folks walking by behind me, I've got a pretty staggering statistic to lift up for you. According to the CDC, more than one in five American adults are currently living with mental illness. More than one in five. Some sources say it's closer to one in four. That's 25% of our family members, our friends and our neighbors who are living with mental illness.
The statistics are even higher for young people. The statistics are even higher for the LGBTQIA+ community, and black community, and for people who are experiencing homelessness. And church, I want to remind you that there are people at Trinity who are here to support you, or maybe someone you know who is living with mental illness. We are here to pray with you, to provide pastoral support, or to point you towards professional help.
Church I want to remind you: you are not alone. In fact, I hope the people of Trinity, the community here, can be a place for you to be with others, to be in solidarity, and to feel like and remember that you are never alone.
As we continue to move through this season of Easter, we give thanks and we celebrate the ways in which Christ brought resurrected life to the world. And so I pray that you may embody that resurrected life, especially in this month, as we recall and remember all of our siblings in Christ who are living with mental illness.
God loves you.
We love you.
And church, remember that you are never alone.
Amen.