To mark World Mental Health Day, a new joint initiative was launched at Church House, Westminster last week between the Church of England and the ‘Time to Change’ Campaign.
The C of E’s mental health group and the Revd Eva McIntyre have teamed up with Time to Change to create a pack for churches, providing ideas and resources for churches to plan worship on the theme of mental health. The pack is available for free download on the Time to Change website.
“It’s really exciting to be working with Time to Change in this important campaign,” said Eva McIntyre. “Statistics tell us that one in four people in the UK will suffer from a form of mental illness during their lives – in every 20 people in church, four are likely to have experienced some form of mental illness.
“That statistic is based just on the people who go to the GP for help, so the real figure is probably even higher. If we can take away the stigma associated with talking about mental illness, more people will feel able to access help, support and justice.
“Churches are seen as places where support and acceptance can be found, so we really need to educate ourselves about these issues, so that we don’t get it wrong when people do open up and talk about their struggles.”
To celebrate the launch on World Mental Health Day on 10 October, members of the C of E’s national Committee for Ministry by and with Deaf and Disabled People, chaired by the Bishop of Blackburn, signed the Time to Change pledge to work to end discrimination against people with mental illness.