Join us as we explore the challenges of being human, of struggling with relationships, of dealing with past trauma, in the well-regarded book, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. A subcommittee of FCC’s Social Justice & Witness Committee has selected Eleanor Oliphant from a curated list of books from UCC’s Mental Health Network.
Who: All are invited
What: Book Group Selection Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
When: Mondays, March 20 and April 3, 3 to 5 p.m.
Where: Barber Room (downstairs)
Why: To learn more about mental health justice
Attendees will read approximately half the book (about 150 pages) by the first session on March 20 and will finish the book before the second session on April 3. Books will be available for purchase in the church lobby on Sunday morning or visit your local bookstore.
In 2015, the United Church of Christ General Synod overwhelmingly adopted a resolution to develop a network of churches that are intentionally welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and engaged, that is, WISE churches that want to help create a more just world for all by acknowledging the presence of mental health challenges.
So far, more than 45 UCC churches across the country have studied mental health justice. Their aim is to learn what their church can do to become more welcoming and supportive, within church and in the larger community (https://www.mhn-ucc.org/) to the many people who struggle with depression, anxiety, and emotional distress—health conditions that increased appreciably during the COVID outbreak.
Across the 45 UCC churches, a WISE designation can also mean that the congregation is taking an active interest in becoming more open, inclusive, supportive, and engaged to those who are grieving or who have eating disorders, or PTSD, or dementia, and those who struggle with alcohol and substance abuse.
A subcommittee of the Social Justice and Witness Committee at FCC is studying what it would look like for First Congregational United Church of Christ in Eugene to become a WISE church. But right now, we are simply considering how we can become more aware of mental health needs in our community and in our congregation.
Contacts: Betsy Hoell (541-342-5900) or Chris Cunningham (541-674-8451) for more information.
