Beth Am, a congregation in Los Altos Hills, created Beit R’fuah (House of Healing), a mental health support group, to bring together people who felt marginalized in their communities. This led to the production of a powerful documentary, “House of Healing,” showing how houses of worship can become mental health friendly by de-stigmatizing mental illness.…
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The holiday season is supposed to be a time full of joy, parties and gatherings with friends and families. But the holidays can be a difficult time for many persons dealing with: Personal Grief, Loneliness, Illnesses of all Kinds, Economic Concerns, Separation From Family Members and Relationship Issues Like Separation or Divorce. We talk…
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I. If you feel blue during the holiday season instead of joyous or warm and fuzzy, you are not alone. Give yourself grace for however you are feeling and try not to be down on yourself if you find it hard to muster up the jolly feeling others expect you to have. May the God…
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Father Brendan McGuire, St. Simon Catholic Church, Los Altos, CA Illness to Wellness: I to We “Master, I want to see.” Irony is defined as the deliberate use of opposites or contradiction to emphasize or to make a point. Life seems to have a lot of irony built into it! We all experience irony…
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Come to the general meeting to be inspired. We’ll hear testimonials from individuals for whom spirituality is a cornerstone of their wellness and recovery. We’ll see an excerpt from a powerful new movie produced by Congregation Beth Am that documents its mental health support group, Beit R’fuah, House of Healing. We’ll honor twenty congregations in…
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NAMI FaithNet is an interfaith resource network striving to educate and support faith leaders in creating a mental health friendly, stigma-free congregations in Santa Clara County. In this blog series, we highlight local faith communities that are commited to this goal. Congregation Beth AM is truly one of Santa Clara County’s pioneers in developing a…
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Spirituality can be a bridge between mental illness and science without proselytizing. This is the role of NAMI FaithNet. Cindy McCalmont, an ordained United Methodist Minister for 15 years, is part of the NAMI Santa Clara County leadership team for FaithNet. She notes that FaithNet is not a religious network. The focus is to assist…
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The holidays can be a joy-filled season, but they can also be stressful and especially challenging for those impacted by mental illness. A NAMI study showed that 64% of people with mental illness report holidays make their conditions worse. “For many people the holiday season is not always the most wonderful time of the year,” said…
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Recently, at a virtual NAMIFaithNet Luncheon, a faith leader of a nearby parish, asked, “What can you do when the person you love has mental illness and refuses treatment?” Edmund Ibarra, a FaithNet staff person and member of St. Martin of Tours Parish recommended the anguished parent read, I’m Not Sick. I Don’t Need Help!…
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“On Hearing Voices” Reverend Cindy McCalmont Willow Glen United Methodist Church May 5, 2019 Acts 9:1-20 Revelation 5:11-14 Twenty-nine years ago, I heard a voice. I was a seminary student at the time, praying one morning in Duke Chapel when the voice said: These hands can heal. The voice was so real that my eyes…
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