Deacon Trust
To see mental health issues better understood and catered for at community, church and fellowship levels.To educate and facilitate the church body in its ability to recognize, minister to, and take a role in the prevention of mental illness in the community.
Today, mid-July, another weather bomb is about to hit the country. This adds to Covid, monkey-pox, overwhelmed health services, Ukraine war, likely economic recession, and more. But strangely, here at Deacon Trust, focusing on sound mental health outcomes still spins our propellers. Welcome to a world of storms, but that doesn’t stop us connecting and sharing ideas.
The Weather
For any further questions about these events please email Sharon at admin@heartspace.org.nz
Upcoming HeartSpace Training Courses
It’s mid-year: where have we got to?
Our last HeadSpace presentation was in April on stress and the autonomic nervous system: “Be Kind to the Brain”. Although not our favourite medium, we presented this by ZOOM in collaboration with MHERC. Neurobiology-focused physio specialist Ruth Troughton, along with Jeremy, were our presenters. (See this presentation is on our website.) We will wait until we can comfortably meet together physically before hosting our next event.
Our collaboration with the Asian Community Transformation Trust (ACTT) headed by Pastor Allen Hou continues. ACTT began in the wake of the attendance of several of the Chinese churches at our HeartSpace courses. It now offers unique mental health support for the Asian Communities in Christchurch. Craig (our HeartSpace course manager) delivers a supervision package to previous students from these churches. He also provides supervision for some of those from the Sumner Anglican church.
Healthy Boundaries
Having a clear sense of boundaries is important in keeping both ourselves and others safe. Pastoral relationships involve a differences in power. Having power and using it for good is not wrong. But getting our needs met through having power over others is unhealthy. Establishing clear boundaries brings order to our lives and we can then be role-models of healthy communication and how to relate to others. When we don’t maintain good boundaries, we may become prone to burnout. Those for whom we minister to may feel betrayed, abandoned or poorly served. Poor boundaries open us to unethical behaviour. Worst of all, people in the church may experience spiritual abuse – affecting their relationship to God. Therefore it is good to maintain healthy boundaries.
Mike Baker
Clinical Manager of Petersgate Counselling Centre
Trauma Recovery Group
Jeremy has begun a Trauma Recovery group with whanau ora provider He Waka Tapu. This is a unique piece of research work looking at colonial, complex and childhood traumas: traumas that are most often endemic and hidden in our communities.
The next step in this research will be to host a shared church and health sector gathering to discuss a Gospel-oriented response to trauma.
If you would like to be included in this please write to: traumarecovery9@gmail.com
Special thanks to our funders
The Wilberforce Foundation
The Rata Foundation
The Methodist Church of NZ
The David Ellison Trust
The Christchurch Chinese Church
Thank you!
How can you support us?
Visit our website here for further information about our vision, and our HeartSpace and HeadSpace courses.
Please consider a gift. Donations can be made online here or at our Give-a-little page, here. Your gift will support student fees and the cost of our workbooks.
Get in touch if you want to be part of what we do, or just to have a chat!
The Gospel and Mental Health…
The Gospel is woven through with issues of mental health. It does not make a case for just spiritualising and praying away important things such as depression or anxiety. God has a deep interest for matters that express our deepest concerns and emotions…
