Acts of Faith
Resources for Prophetic Worship
by the North Carolina Council of Churches
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Next Unit: Mental Health Care, Proper 20, September 19, 2010
Focus Text: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead?
Pastoral Reflection by Dr. Warren Kinghorn, Psychiatrist, Graduate Student, Duke Divinity School; member, Presbyterian Church (USA)
The biblical writers were, indeed, no strangers to the most painful kinds of suffering: they experienced it, they gave voice to it and often denounced oppressive systems which caused it, and they witnessed to a God who could hear their most heartfelt cries and still remain their God.
Personal Vignette by Rev. Sally Harbold, Associate Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Cary
I feel blessed to be someone with whom people like to sit and talk. It is especially fitting since I am a priest, and sometimes I find that people really want to talk with a ‘spiritual leader’. About four years ago I found it interesting that there were three women church members coming to talk with me who each had a family member being treated for bipolar disorder. As I listened to their stories I began to sense that it might be a good thing for them to meet one another. I had a dream that they might be of help to one another.
Key Fact
An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
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Upcoming Units:
Fair Wages, Proper 21, September 26, 2010
Native Americans, Proper 25, October 24, 2010
Gun Violence, Proper 26, October 31, 2010
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NC Council of Churches
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