ELCA NEWS SERVICE
September 21, 2004
Lutherans Burn Candles In October To Shed Light On Mental Illness
04-175-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 9th Annual All-Lutheran Candlelighting for
Mental Illness is sponsored in October by the Lutheran Network on Mental
Illness/Brain Disorders. The network is a program of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The network developed a "litany" -- a series of prayers to be read by
a worship leader with responses to be read by the congregation -- and asks
Lutheran congregations to reprint and use it during their regular worship
services on any Sunday in October.
"We are asking congregations to decide on a Sunday in October when
they want to use the litany," said the Rev. Lisa Cleaver, director for
disability ministries, ELCA Division for Church in Society. "We've
suggested they light a candle either in honor or in memory of someone with
mental illness."
"The purpose is to raise awareness of people who are living with
mental illness," including the individuals and their families, so the rest
of the congregation "can be as supportive as possible," Cleaver said.
"It's really important for congregations to understand mental
illness, especially if they have someone who is experiencing that in their
congregation. It's an illness that is vastly misunderstood, and the best
way to fight misunderstanding is education," Cleaver said.
"I would suggest and hope that congregations would not just do this
one time a year and that they try to find other ways to educate themselves
and their parishioners about mental illness," she said.
-- -- --
The litany and other resources for the All-Lutheran Candlelighting
for Mental Illness are available at
http://www.elca.org/dcs/epr/disability/candlelighting.html on the ELCA Web
site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
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