This weekend is Valentine’s Day, a feel-good day if you have a significant other and like chocolate. The focus on romantic relationships can be fun. (Many men, however, will admit that they feel pressure to choose the right gift or do enough for their loves.) However, the focus on romance rather than on all loving relationships, like family and friends, can leave many feeling left out or less than normal. If someone is in a difficult relationship, the ad campaigns showing happy couples may add to the pain. There are more calls to Mental Health Crisis lines around Valentine’s Day than most other holidays, including Christmas and New Year’s when
expectations/pressures for feeling peaceful and hopeful are quite high.

FPCY is currently developing a Mental Health & Wellness Ministry with the help of an organization called Pathways to Promise. We even received a grant to assist in this initiative. This week a Mental Health Survey will be coming to our homes via e-mail or via special arrangement for those without computers. Survey submissions will be anonymous. They are sent to Pathways who will create a data report and work with us in crafting our ministry. Your input will help us determine the areas of specific need in our church, so that we can design a targeted ministry and spend our grant money wisely for training and any needed resources.

Thanks in advance for your role in setting up this timely ministry!