How can you help support people's mental health and wellbeing?

With a significant majority of the nation currently separated from regular physical contact with their wider family, friends and loved ones, many people are struggling with their emotional and mental health.

Following research conducted in June by the Church Urban Fund, they reported that the top significant needs in the community served by churches as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic are:

• Loneliness and isolation 
• Adult mental health and wellbeing 

These are significant issues facing the people in our communities, yet church leaders often struggle to find a suitable resource to meet this need.

Over the summer, Stuart Blount and Chris Cartwright interviewed Patrick and Diane Regan about Kintsugi Hope. They talked about how they are supporting churches and leaders in combating the adverse effects of social isolation in both churches and the local community. You can watch the interview in the following video.

Resourcing the local church

Patrick and Diane, are part of Life Church, an Elim church in Chelmsford. Out of their journey and struggles, they set up Kintsugi Hope as a charity with a simple message that social isolation does not mean social disconnection.

One of the resources that Kintsugi Hope provides is wellbeing groups, which are now also accessible online. These groups enable local churches to reach their congregations and communities with much-needed resources to support people’s mental and emotional wellbeing. They allow churches to take advantage of their unique position to tackle issues of social isolation and poor mental health.

These wellbeing groups consist of a structured yet flexible series of 12 weeks of content which churches can easily use. They include group and individual activities designed to help participants to accept themselves, to understand their value and worth, and grow towards a more resilient and hopeful future.

By hosting a group alongside your existing courses such as Alpha, you can provide community, love and support, which often continues beyond the life of the group. The success of these groups has also led to the creation of a much-needed youth version, which is also now available.

In the week following the YouTube premiere of this video, Patrick and Diane will also hold an exclusive Q&A session for Elim ministers and leaders. Access details have been supplied to Elim ministers.