Location: Sycamore United Methodist Church, 160 Johnson Ave, Sycamore, IL 60178

Empowering Mental Wellness in Your Congregation
a presentation from the NIC Committee on Accessibility Ministries

Date: Saturday, April 27, 2019    
Time: 8:30 -12:30
Cost: $10

Online Registration
  
Who should attend? All Clergy and all laity, especially SPRC members and those involved in pastoral care ministry in their church and/or their community.

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Keynote speaker: Robert Skrocki will introduce us to the concept of empowering ourselves to focus on mental wellness for ourselves and others.

Robert Skrocki has a special interest in how faith communities can help build mental health resiliency and support the recovery of persons with mental illnesses. He is a certified trainer in Mental Health First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and Soul Shop. He has a Master’s In Social Work and clinical pastoral education training. In addition, Robert is communications coordinator for the Interfaith Mental Health Coalition, a local organization working to connect faith leaders to mental health resources and chairs the board for Pathways to Promise a national organization that is helping promote mental health training coalitions for faith communities all over the country.

Session A:  NIC’s own Rev. Dr. Cheri Magrini will present “Circle of Care,” sharing first on how the individual with a mental health condition experiences daily struggles and lives a fulfilling life; and secondly on creating a peer led support group where a Christ-like community becomes the foundation for encouragement, education, sharing on clinical obstacles and realizing that the individual is not alone. 

Rev. Dr. Cheri Magrini is Director and Retreat Leader at Woodland Spiritual Retreats in Woodstock, specializing in retreats for women in ministry. The Magrini family founded the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Chicago Loop Chapter where she has facilitated over 500 support group meetings; is the former President of national DBSA; and presented at the 2015 International Society for Bipolar Disorders on spirituality and bipolar disorder. Dr. Magrini is a board member of Erasing the Distance, a non-profit arts organization based in Chicago that uses documentary theater to shed light on mental health issues. The Magrini family lost their twenty-three-year-old son to bipolar disorder in 2011. Their mission is to educate young adults and mental health conditions and provide support to families. Rev. Magrini serves on the NIC Committee on Accessibility Ministries.

Session B: United Methodist Pastor Rev. Violet Johnicker will focus upon what more can we do. Whether you know it or not, there are people in your congregation who are impacted directly or indirectly by mental illness.  While churches are making great strides in improving our awareness of mental health, there is always more we can do to improve our ministries of hospitality.  In this session, we'll share best practices of faith communities who provide structured support for our family in Christ, such as small groups, inclusive ministries, and tips for praying and preaching on the topic of mental illness.  We'll also spend some time talking about how you can learn what resources are available in your community, and how you can advocate for improved access to mental healthcare services for everyone.  

Rev. Violet Johnicker is the pastor of Brooke Road United Methodist Church in Rockford, where she volunteers with NAMI of Northern Illinois' Faithnet group.  She holds a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary and a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in urban mental health from Adler University.  She serves the Northern Illinois Conference on the Accessibility Committee, the Board of Trustees, and the Foundation Board.