A Melbourne, FL-based church recently invited everyone to a mental health awareness seminar. 

What Is This Event? 

Led by Rev. John Baggett of Suntree United Methodist Church, the ‘Interfaith Wisdom on Mental Health Wellness’ event will happen on Sunday, Nov. 14. 

As reported via Florida Today, Reverend Baggett will be one of the main speakers at the event. He said in his interview that he believed the Bible plays a significant role in treating a person with mental illness. 

Aside from him, one of the invited speakers at the event is Lakeland Rev. Gary Spencer. He is a retired district superintendent of the Atlantic Central District of the Florida United Methodist Conference. 

From 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., all the speakers will reportedly tackle “mental health, faith, and spirituality.” The event is also quoted as “Mental Health Sunday.” 

Other than Reverends Baggett and Spencer, Dr. David Rosmarin, director of Spirituality and Mental Health at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, will also take part in the event. 

According to the report, they invited various speakers such as church leaders and professionals to better understand patients with such illnesses. 

Other religious leaders like Rabbi Cantor Patricia Hickman of Temple Israel of Brevard and Sensei Genjo Gallagher, founder of the Brevard Zen Center, will also join the event.

They will be speaking with Kalpana Gadodia, a leader in the Brevard County Hindu religious community, and Mohammad Samarah, a member of the Islamic Society of Brevard.

Rev. John Baggett’s Son

As mentioned, Reverend Baggett is one of the speakers at the actual event. But, unknown to many people, the church leader also faced similar issues with mental health before. 

Based on the same report, the retired pastor had a son diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

Psychiatry. org explains that schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder. Individuals who have that illness usually have symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, etc. 

In Reverend Baggett’s explanation, it was like raising a different son. He said that there was even a time when the reverend himself faced mental health issues too. 

Despite all those, the retired pastor reportedly leaned to Jesus for support. He explained that even the Son of God interacted with disabled people. 

The pastor shared that Jesus did not show discrimination amongst those people. Instead, He showed them compassion. 

According to Reverend Baggett, compared before, people can now cope with the illness— not just by themselves. 

“I believe, if a patient is a person of faith, he or she will understand God wants her or him to have a happy, fulfilling life,” he added. 

How to Attend Event? 

Those who are interested in joining the mental health seminar of Suntree church are advised to go to their website. Head to the ‘Events’ page and look for the ‘Mental Health Fair: Interfaith Wisdom on Mental Health Wellness.’ 

As per the announcement, the event will be an online seminar happening via the Zoom platform. It is also open to the public as long as participants are registered on their website. 

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