Faith and Fellowship

Dear Peacebuilders,

Welcome to Faith and Fellowship!  We are very much looking forward to having you with us next month, and we hope to see many of you at Faith and Fellowship.

Faith and Fellowship is a 23-year-old ministry of spiritual and social outreach with people with mental illness.  These individuals have been marginalized by their illness, and by the misunderstanding, fear, and ignorance that society has about them.  Many have had that experience even in the Church, which has often led them to wonder whether even God cares.  Yet religion is, for many, an anchor that helps them find stability and well-being.  Faith and Fellowship helps supply that anchor.

We in Faith and Fellowship are not social workers, therapists, or psychologists.  Our purpose is simply to form relationships of caring and mutual support as sons and daughters of a loving God.  We do this through prayer and social interaction whose underlying assumption is that we work with and not for our Partners. 

Sometimes people are afraid of working with the mentally ill; I was when I first got involved.  But most people - once they've decided to take that first step - have found it to be one of the most rewarding and life-giving experiences of their lives.  I know that you will, too.

I can promise you three things:  That you will be challenged; that you will have fun; and that you will learn a lot - about ministry, about peacebuilding, and about yourself.

How is this peacebuilding?  I was going to give you the short answer, but instead I'll leave that to you.  Think about it, pray about it…and we'll see you next month!

Blessings

Connie Rakitan