Events

Past Events

2017 Mental Health Day at Tyndale

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A full-day educational fair for students, faculty members, faith leaders,
people with lived experience and anyone interested in
learning more about this important topic.

Presented by the Working Group for the Promotion of Mental Health in Faith Communities
Sponsored by Tyndale University College & Seminary

Keynote speaker:

Dr. Warren Kinghorn, Associate Research Professor of Psychiatry and Pastoral and Moral Theology, Duke University Medical Center and Duke Divinity School; Co-Director, Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative, Duke Divinity School

Seminars:

Our hosts, Dr Alan Fung and Sheila Stevens

Seminar topics

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 7, 2017 – 11:00am to 7:00pm
Location: Tyndale University College & Seminary
Registration: Register online through Eventbrite
Cost: Free – love donations are appreciated

For more information:

gro.h1679973422tiafd1679973422nahtl1679973422aehtl1679973422atnem1679973422@ofni1679973422
416-226-6620 ext. 5004

connections2016-2

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This event is for anyone who identifies as being a person of faith and is living
with mental illness. The purpose of the event is to be able to meet and
connect with others, and engage in dialogue about how the Church can
actively support those living with mental illness. A light dinner will be included
along with small and big group discussions.

Date: Tuesday June 14, 2016 from 6:30-8:30PM
Location: Founder Hall, The Peoples Church, 374 Sheppard Ave. East, Toronto
There is free parking at the church.
Cost: There is no cost to attend, but donations are welcome.
RSVP: Please send us an email to confirm your attendance –
gro.h1679973422tiafd1679973422nahtl1679973422aehtl1679973422atnem1679973422@ofni1679973422. Deadline to RSVP is June 9, 2016.

Hosted by The Peoples Church and the Working Group for the Promotion
of Mental Health in Faith Communities

Hot Topics in Mental Health and Faith

Flyer (PDF)

A full-day educational conference for faith leaders, congregation members and caregivers.

Presented by the Working Group for the Promotion of Mental Health in Faith Communities

Date: April 30, 2016 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Tyndale University College & Seminary Chapel
Registration: Online through Eventbrite

Cost: (parking and lunch included)
Before April 1: $100 / Students $50
April 1-29: $125
At the door: $150
Live Webinar: $80

Keynote speakers:

  • Stephen Smith, Senior Vice President of Moore McLean Insurance Group Ltd.: “Liability Issues in Mental Healthcare”
  • Dr. Jon Thompson, MTS, DMiss, Preaching & Vision Pastor of Carruthers Creek Community Church, Ajax, ON: “Mental Illness vs. Demonization”

Workshops:

  • The Respective Roles of Faith and Psychiatric Treatments in Addressing Mental Illness
  • Mental Illness and Sin
  • Crisis Intervention in the Church
  • Setting Healthy Boundaries for Leaders and Caregivers

Training for Parish Nurse

When: Summer 2016

It is a special training to address the common challenges Parish Nurses are facing in the church setting. If you are interested in the training, please email us at gro.h1679973422tiafd1679973422nahtl1679973422aehtl1679973422atnem1679973422@ofni1679973422

Connection 2015

When: Tuesday, November 24, 2015, 6:30 to 8:30 pm

The Working Group is hosting a dinner to connect with Christians living with depression, anxiety and other mental illness. It is a night to share your need and connect with others. If you are interested, please email gro.h1679973422tiafd1679973422nahtl1679973422aehtl1679973422atnem1679973422@ofni1679973422

Equipping Faith Leaders to Respond to Mental Health Challenges

Flyer (pdf)

Videos

Date: May 19, 2015 (Tuesday)
Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Tyndale University College & Seminary-Bayview Campus Auditorium

The Inaugural American Psychiatric Association (APA) Conference on Mental Health for Faith Leaders

Sponsored by the APA Caucus on Spirituality, Religion and Psychiatry
Locally organized by the Working Group for the Promotion of Mental Health in Faith Communities

This one day symposium aims to raise awareness of mental health needs among faith communities, address the stigma and myths about depression, discuss the theology of suffering in the context of mental illness and provide training on starting a mental health ministry.

In a recent research report conducted by Lifeway Research Study of acute mental illness and Christian Faith, results indicate:

  • Questions of suffering are common among family suffering from the impact of acute mental illnesses including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
  • 23% of pastors indicate they have personally struggled with mental illness of some kind
  • 65% of family members in a household of someone with acute mental illness believe local churches should do more in talking about mental illness openly as that the topic should not be a taboo
  • 49% of pastors rarely or never speak to their church in sermons or large group messages about acute mental illness
  • The response of people in church to individuals’ mental illness caused 18% to break ties with a church and 5% to fail to find a church to attend
  • Individuals, families, churches and pastors all need clarity on (i) the basics of mental illness, (ii) signs of what to look for, (iii) knowing how to respond if they suspect someone has a mental illness and (iv) ways to be supportive without being overwhelmed

Keynote speaker, Craig Rennebohm, DMin, from Mental Health Chaplaincy of Seattle, a senior advisor for over thirty years at Pathways to Promise based in Missouri, will provide practical training on how to start a mental health ministry in a faith community.

Other speakers include:

  • Dr. John Peteet, Associate Professor at the Harvard Medical School and the Chair of the Spirituality, Religion and Psychiatry Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association, will address the relationship between faith and depression.
  • Dr. Mary Lynn Dell, the Director of Psychosomatic Medicine at the Nationwide Children’s Medical Center in Ohio and an ordained minister will discuss mental health care for clergy.
  • Rev. Victor Shepherd, ThD, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Tyndale University College and Seminary and Adjunct Professor of Theology at University of Toronto, will discuss the theology of suffering in the context of mental illness.
  • Sister Nancy Kehoe, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology of Harvard Medical School, will discus the relationship between spirituality and mental health.
  • Mark Biddle, DMin, PhD, founder of  Founder of Dalton Corner Coaching, will discuss pathways to transformation and change.

A panel discussion will follow the presentations.