North American Churches Use VOP Mental Health Event to Connect With Communities

I wrote this article in my role as editorial assistant at the Voice of Prophecy, a Christian media ministry. It was published by Adventist Journey, the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists' monthly magazine. In addition, I wrote smaller articles on this subject for all the Seventh-day Adventist union magazines.

(VOP Graphic)

Seeking to reach people outside their walls, over 200 Seventh-day Adventist churches across North America hosted the short mental health series MindFit this past spring. The Voice of Prophecy (VOP) produced the event to empower churches to be practical and spiritual resources for their communities in battling an arguably continent-wide mental health crisis. 

“On a global scale, one in eight people struggle daily with mental illness—one in five in North America. The implication is clear: it is nearly impossible to live on this Earth and not be affected by mental illness,” said Alex Rodriguez, associate speaker for VOP. 

Each session of MindFit, a four-part event, commences with audiences watching a 30-minute episode of a docuseries hosted by Rodriguez, who traveled across North America to speak with mental health professionals and patients. The series sheds light on the history and prevalence of mental health challenges. It emphasizes that effective treatments are available and amplified by biblical principles. After each episode, a local church leader guides the audience through a provided study and discussion.

In the Local Context

More than half of the 60 individuals who came to MindFit at Templeton Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Templeton, California, were non-members. Pastor Zac Page led the local study and was impressed by its impact on his community.

Before the event had even begun, one man called Page to ask what MindFit was about. Intrigued by the series’ content, he chose to attend and, after Page helped him access an online depression test, discovered he was clinically depressed. But MindFit helped transform his mental health.

“He told me MindFit healed him, that it helped him come out of a hole,” Page said. “He’s been coming to church some and got engaged with our homeless ministry and Bible studies. As he came in to one study, he said, ‘I need a little more Adventism.’ ”

One audience member told Page that she had received flyers for church events but never before attended one. When she saw an invitation to MindFit, she thought, It is amazing that Christians are talking about mental health.

“Just last week, that woman was at church,” Page added. “At potluck, people were giving her hugs. It was obvious that she had found a community.”

Glen McAfee, head elder for Ryley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ryley, Alberta, was stunned by how comfortable people felt at MindFit.

“Every night, people seemed reluctant to leave,” shared McAfee, who led the local study. “Multiple attendees said, ‘We really feel safe here.’ ”

After McAfee’s church presented MindFit, Ryley’s local newspaper published a story about the event. What’s more, 18 church members and five non-members attended, and every single one joined the VOP-created follow-up Bible study “Peace Is an Inside Job.” One non-member attendee, a chef whom McAfee’s brother-in-law befriended, is now regularly coming to church and blessing everyone at potluck with his tasty dishes.

“I really think MindFit made our church more visible in our community,” McAfee said. 

Andres Canizalez, pastor of the Clovis Seventh-day Adventist Church in Clovis, New Mexico, also witnessed interest in his church increase after hosting MindFit.

“Our community has a huge need for mental health awareness; some use drugs and alcohol as antidepressants,” Canizalez emphasized. “The MindFit videos helped us understand mental health struggles. Attendees also testified how they had personally faced these struggles and sought help to overcome drugs and alcohol.” 

Local mental health providers and government officials lent resources to the church to hand out at each MindFit session. Following the event, Canizalez kept in touch with several community attendees to encourage them and connect them with professionals. He plans to host the series again.

“Our church struggled getting information to our city,” he said. “Thanks to MindFit, we were able to let people know that the Adventist Church cares about them.”

Before presenting MindFit at Fredericksburg Seventh-day Adventist Church in Fredericksburg, Texas, Head Deacon Don Krimmer was concerned that stigma attached to mental health issues might dampen his church’s engagement with the event.

“As Adventists, we don’t often admit that we have problems. We like to think that we have it all together,” explained Krimmer, a retired substance abuse counselor.

As Krimmer watched his audience open up during the discussion portion of each MindFit session, his worries dissipated. Many individuals shared how their lives had been touched by mental illness. The church’s excitement grew so much that it is planning to host MindFit again in October. 

“MindFit offers present truth,” Krimmer said. “In the fall, we’re going to put in more effort getting our community to attend. Of course, we encourage people to invite friends to all our meetings, but this is a mental health event. That invitation is very nonthreatening.”

White House Seventh-day Adventist Church in White House, Tennessee, is also preparing to host MindFit for a second time. During the first, Pastor Jeremy Leggett watched God mold the hearts of the audience members.

“We talked about the stigma around mental health, how some of our biases play into the way we view those who are suffering,” Leggett said. “Church members who battled mental illnesses were willing to open up and confirm what we were hearing and seeing. We realized we needed to recognize that mental health truly is a far-reaching subject that touches each of our lives in different ways.”

Two young women, both non-members who attended MindFit at White House, elected to begin Bible studies. The church hopes to reach a larger portion of its community by holding its second MindFit event outside its church walls.

Like Leggett, Rhoda Klein Miller, lead pastor of Oakridge Adventist Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, watched participants at MindFit display stirring vulnerability. Her church saw 180 attendees. Forty were non-members. 

“People were so open and vulnerable,” Miller noted. “Attendees talked about how, by hosting MindFit, our church presented itself as a safe place where we can talk about mental health; we can be a hub, a resource. 

“I appreciate that the video content was done in collaboration with mental health professionals,” she continued. “I think that builds a lot of credibility. I was skeptical, thinking MindFit would default to promoting just spiritual treatment, but it took a balanced approach by showing the importance of medical and spiritual support.”

Adults were not the only ones impressed by MindFit at Miller’s church. A Deer Lake Academy student planned to run childcare during the event. However, when no attendees brought small children, the young woman sat in to observe the sessions. The content piqued her interest, eventually leading her school to host the series on its campus.

A Fit for the Division

For churches interested in hosting MindFit and receiving an advertising boost to draw in more community members, VOP will conduct a continent-wide MindFit campaign on September 19-21 and again on January 2-4. In the weeks leading up to these dates, host churches will benefit from a mass social media campaign promoting the series.

“With approximately 6,500 Adventist churches dotting the landscape of North America, our denomination is uniquely positioned to be a center of healing for those who are struggling,” Rodriguez said. “We filmed MindFit to place churches at the forefront of the mental health conversation. May the love of Jesus be reflected through us as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in bringing physical and spiritual healing to a world perishing in hopelessness.”

Visit MindFitEvent.com/Host to join the myriad churches serving their communities through this unique evangelistic event.