This Week from Mitch
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
For the last few E-Messengers, I have focused on mental health with my messages. COVID Fatigue is a real thing, and it has resulted in anxiety, fear, and depression -- all on scales that I have never known. My purpose in focusing on these things is to remind everyone who reads these messages on a weekly basis that you are not alone. COVID time is hard.
Today, I want to begin to shift my focus from mental health to physical health, and as a part of that shift, I want to talk about healthy coping. During COVID, alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, and opioid addiction have all increased. I invite you to take an honest look at your own habits. Have you been drinking more in the last six months then you did pre-COVID? Would you like to talk about it? Please know that in addition to the clergy, we have friends here in the parish who, with good and holy hearts, would be willing to listen.
In addition to listening, I want to begin to offer some hope and fun. In Advent, St. Martin's will be rolling out a very exciting new ministry. Caitlyn and Susan have created, from scratch, an app for iPhone and Android that will allow St. Martin's members to participate virtually in an online pilgrimage. Over the course of 100 miles of walking between Advent and the Feast of the Epiphany, spiritual, musical, and historical content about the Holy Land will be unlocked for participants to enjoy. Accountability and social groups will be formed -- both physically distanced and virtual meetups will happen. It's a way we can learn and be active together. We are hoping to create something that helps to encourage growth in both spiritual and physical health.
We are a church that roots itself in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are bound by this Trinity to each other. To engage it, we need to look at trinities in our own life. I want to invite all of St. Martin's to think about their personal trinity of "healthy mind, body, and spirit." When this trinity is healthy and sound, it allows us to journey deeper into our faith life and be healthier members of our family and communities.
In Christ,
Mitch+
