St. James’ has discerned a calling to address mental health and wellness. As we progress on this journey, we’ll share resources and information here. Scroll down to find our “Prayers on Demand” video series, where you can access a companion prayer video for various difficult or joyous times in life.
Crisis Help
988 – The National Crisis Hotline
Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7 for yourself or a loved one in need of support for:
- Thoughts of suicide
- Mental health or substance use crisis
- Any other kind of emotional distress
More Crisis Help and Resources
Montgomery County Crisis Center provides crisis services 24 hours a day/ 365 days a year. These services are provided over the telephone (240-777-4000) or in person at 1301 Piccard Drive in Rockville (no appointment needed).
Mobile Crisis Outreach will respond anywhere within Montgomery County to provide emergency psychiatric evaluations. Full crisis assessments and treatment referrals are provided for all crises, both psychiatric and situational. In addition, the program has six crisis beds as an alternative to hospitalization for those who are uninsured or are insured within the public mental health system.
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI Montgomery County
More About Mental Health Ministries at St. James'
St. James’ Mental Health Ministries
Since 2018, St. James’ has discerned a call from God to a ministry with people living with mental illness and the people who love them. This ministry has included many initiatives, but underlying them all is an overarching understanding of how we are being called to the Mental Health Ministries that has developed.
We value and respect the contributions that mental health professionals and medications are able to offer people living with mental illness. Our ministries are not a substitute for them, yet we seek to find how we, as a church, might provide a positive addition to what they offer in ways that we are best suited to do so as a congregation.
This is what we have developed so far:
- We create a supportive community where people are able to be open, to the degree that they feel comfortable doing so, about their experiences with mental illness, knowing that they are fully loved by God and the community.
- We help reduce the silence and stigma that surround mental illness, and increase compassionate awareness and accurate understanding of it.
- We advocate for society meeting the needs of people living with mental illness and the people who love them.
The Leaders Group of the Mental Health Ministries meets monthly to help plan the year’s MHM Initiatives. If you have more questions about the ministries, contact The Rev. James Isaacs, james@stjamespotomac.org, or the parish office, office@stjamespotomac.org.
Support at St. James’
Find support and fellowship with “Stronger Together” on Thursday evenings
This St. James’ group meets Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. by Zoom to discuss a new mental health topic each week (see our blog below for the latest topics).
The conversations are easy-going, positive, supportive, and often a lot of fun. Sometimes the topics are heavy, but more commonly they are about everyday issues affecting our mental well-being, or the experiences of living with or caring for someone living with mental illness. There’s never any pressure to share; some choose to spend the time together listening. We pray for one another and do our best to grow our empathy and listening skills.
Access to the meeting is shared here and in our weekly parish emails. To receive these emails, contact us.
Mental Health Ministry News and Prayer on Demand Videos
Mental Health Ministry News appears in the blog posts below.
The St. James’ Mental Health Leaders Group has created some “on demand” prayer videos to accompany those who would like a companion or some guidance in their prayer time. We are happy to pray with you wherever you are.
Find the prayer videos at the end of this page.
Stronger Together: A Different Five-Second Rule
Hello friends, You know the "5-second rule," right? Well this week we're going to talk about a new 5-second rule that has nothing to do with floor cleanliness. This one is all about how we establish first impressions of people so that we less likely unconsciously...
Stronger Together: Screen Time
Improve mental strength by better managing screen time.
Stronger Together: Boosting Self-Confidence
It's easy to spot someone who is full of confidence, but what does that actually mean? Why does confidence seem to come easier to some people than others? And what happens to our mental well-being when we persistently struggle to feel confident? In this week's...
Stronger Together: The Empathy Gap
Hi friends, This week we're going to talk about one reason why we tend to do things that are perplexing even to us. You know the frustration: you think about a behavior you engaged in or a decision you made a few days ago and ask yourself, "why did I do that?" The...
Another Walk for Mental Health!
On January 14, St. James' parishioners again gathered their supportive furry companions and kids and anyone else who wanted to come along for a walk on the C & O Canal towpath. We explored Carderock South this time. It was a cold windy day, but the ducks were...
Stronger Together – Mental Health Basics
We’re going to dive back into the “basics” of mental health: what it is, how we define it, and what that means for better understanding mental illness. Our warm-up question for this week: What’s one fact about you that most people are surprised to learn?
Stronger Together – Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2023! Our theme for this week is “living a good life in 2023,” which, while related to mental health, is mostly about our broader well-being… Our warm-up question for this week: What’s the worst–or funniest–New Year’s resolution you or someone you know ever made?
Prayers on Demand: Walking, Drawing, Recovering, Rejoicing
Once again the Mental Health Leaders Group has a new batch of videos for you. The content is a little lighter than last time. This month we invite you to pray while walking, with children, after an argument, and with a simple art project when words are out...
Prayers on Demand: Praying Together at All Times
The Mental Health Leaders Group is thankful to everyone who expressed appreciation of the "on demand" prayer videos we released last month. We have a new batch of videos for you this month, and we hope you'll find them helpful. Today we are offering three prayer...
Prayers on Demand: A Way to Pray Together
January 6, 2022 Recently the St. James' Mental Health Leaders Group thought it would be helpful to release some "on demand" prayer videos. These prayers can accompany those who would like a companion or some guidance in their prayer time. We are happy to pray with...