As the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for work and life became clear, it was obvious they would fundamentally change the way the Compassion, Peace & Justice (CPJ) ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency operated.
The psychological weight of living through today’s challenges, from COVID-19 to racial oppression, was acknowledged during a panel discussion this week hosted by the Presbyterian Mental Health Network.
The global pandemic’s impact on mental and spiritual health will be the focus of a panel discussion by the Presbyterian Mental Health Network on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has developed a proven and comprehensive method to help members and friends receive quality mental health services when they need them the most.
The Rev. Ryan Althaus, the founder of Sweaty Sheep and the Hunger Advocate for the Presbytery of San Jose, convened a thoughtful and moving webinar over the weekend on mental illness and the church. His first-person story is told with candor and grace in the sidebar below.
During a Zoom conversation Wednesday with the founder of Homeboy Industries, Father Gregory Boyle told hundreds of leaders connected to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement that in the midst of twin pandemics, “we must stand in the right place — with the poor, the powerless and the voiceless.”
In an effort to provide access to marriage and family therapy resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Louisville Seminary Counseling Center (LSCC) will begin offering services free of charge to its clients via phone and the online Zoom meeting platform beginning June 29. The seminary’s counseling center has been closed since March 16 due to the need to implement coronavirus social distancing protocols.
On the surface, things seemed calm. Professors came and left every two weeks, teaching courses to adult South Sudanese students on various aspects of peacebuilding. The students sang together during morning devotions, laughed while acting out dramas in class, and played boisterous volleyball matches before dinner. The staff enjoyed the liveliness of a campus brimming with activity. Yet underneath, we were all aware of the country’s instability. At any time, a spark might fly, igniting a rapidly spreading flame of violence.
