The Doors of The Church Are OPEN: A basic guide to assist the faith community in understanding and reaching out to the mentally ill.

By Areda Neal

The Doors of the Church are Open aims to assist those of the faith community to learn practical approaches to helping people who are diagnosed with a mental illness. The book discusses mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia/Alzheimer, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), ASD (autism spectrum disorder), and Alcoholism/Substance abuse in accordance with biblical principles with the hope that the doors of the church will truly be open to those who have traditionally been denied access for far too long.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641405430

Book preview

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The Doors of the Church

Are

Open

A basic guide to assist the faith community in understanding and reaching out to the mentally ill.

Areda M. Neal

ISBN 978-1-64140-542-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64140-543-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Areda M. Neal

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

The Doors of the Church Are Open aims to assist those of the faith community to learn practical approaches to people who are diagnosed with a mental illness in the hope that the doors of the church will be open to those who have traditionally been denied access for far too long.

Acknowledgments

Thanks, be to you oh God

How Majestic is Your Name!

When I consider all Your great and miraculous doing,

Your awesome Holiness and Power

And all of creation which You have made

Who am I that You should think of me

Who am I that you should care about me!

(A paraphrase of Psalm 8:4)

Special Thanks:

To my husband Roderick Neal who says Yes, you can.

To my lovely daughters Tonya, Monica, and Angeline.

To all my grandchildren and my great-grands known as GGs.

To my friend and mentor BJ Brown, who started me on this

journey, and to you, Tonie for sharing.

To My Spiritual Advisors—

Reverend Leroy Berts Jr.

Reverend Dr. Annie Davis

Reverend Kenneth James

Reverend Larry Johnson

Elder Kennedy G. Lockhart

Reverend Dr. Raymond Walker Jr.

Preface

When I was a young attendee of my grandparents’ church, I often puzzled over the term the doors of the church are now open. To my way of thinking, the doors were already open when we first came in. So, I asked my grandmother (rather loudly), Who locked the doors? followed with the statement I don’t want to be in here forever. Needless to say, the question earned me passage to the basement of the church where it was explained (quite painfully) that one does not make loud outbursts during service. As I got older, I realized that the term was an invitation to anyone wanting to become a member of our church family. Even now, I find myself wondering if the doors of our churches are truly open in the biblical, spiritual sense of the word.

I began this manual in 2003 as a NVL (New Ventures in Leadership) project. It was born out of a desire to aid those with mental disorders to find a meaningful relationship with Christ. The original manual was completed in 2005. I have procrastinated on its publication until now. I have taken the original manual and updated it. I looked at new trends in treatment, searched for updated referral sources, and added my special flavor by way of poetry.

I wrote this manual not as a minister nor a chaplain, but as one who has family members and friends who are diagnosed with what is called a mental disorder. I wrote this manual as a person who knows the helpless and hopeless feeling one gets in wanting to help someone with a mental health issue. I wanted to help my love ones. I wanted to provide them some comfort but didn’t know how to go about it. I knew that whenever Jesus confronted someone who was mentally challenged in the Bible, He helped them. He did not turn His back on them. I have seen family and friends come to Christ, and are greatly used by Him, even though they have mental health issues.

As I have stated earlier, this manual began as a project. Through my friend and mentor B.J. Brown, I had an opportunity to converse with various group home residents. These residents were individuals who had been diagnosed as having some type of mental disorder. I made inquiries into their spirituality by means of a short questionnaire about their faith and church attendance. More than eighty percent of those surveyed confessed some religious affiliation, but also stated they did not attend regular church services. Many residents said the congregation’s reaction to them was less than friendly—the number one reason why most did not attend church. One group of residents stated that when they got to the church, they were asked to sit down in the basement during service where the message was delivered over the speaker system. This might have been okay if it were not for the fact that they were the only ones in the basement.

I then prepared a survey of local churches. The questions on this questionnaire asked simply if the church would welcome someone with a mental disorder into its congregation. Of the 400 plus churches that the survey went out to, only twenty churches replied and said they would accept someone with a mental disorder into their congregation. Even then, some churches had attached certain stipulations. For example, one church replied Yes, we would consider having one or two such persons, but we don’t want too many of their kind.

What I discovered was people truly are afraid of what they don’t know or understand. I want this manual to help them understand. I believe once we have a clear understanding of mental disorders we can overcome our fears that prevent us from extending godly love to the individual who has a mental disorder and their family members.

I tried not to example the causes of mental illness. The manual does not define scientific method nor scientific research. Those who desire to have scientific enquiry would do better researching it on their own. The manual is not designed to teach counseling, nor do I suggest attempts at counseling without a formal education in counseling. What I have written in this booklet, I have written to enable Christians everywhere to assist those who have a mental disorder to find Christ, and to extend to the family members of those who suffer a mental illness, love and understanding, a shoulder to lean on, and a place in our small circumference of the world where they do not have to be embarrassed, ashamed, cast out, or left out because of their loved one’s mental disabilities.

Introduction

People are afraid of mental illness. The mere suggestion of mental disorder is like a death warrant to those who we term normal people. Worse than the fear of cancer or AIDS is the fear of one losing his or her mind.

Why? Maybe it had to do with the myth that people with a mental illness are dangerous. And need to be locked up. Maybe the fear is a throwback from the Hollywood days of the mentally ill languishing in torment behind institutional walls where horrible screams are heard in the dead of night. Others may fear they can’t hold a responsible job, and would therefore be a burden on society. Another misconception is that mental illness is caused by a personality weakness, or mentally ill people are sexually disturbed. Most people who are mentally ill are no more violent than other people, and most do hold responsible jobs. In addition, most sexual offenders are not mentally ill. Mental illness like diabetes is no one’s fault, but the prevalence of the stigma surrounding mental ill is overwhelming.

Unfortunately, the faith communities are