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The church is partnering with the Mental Health Association to hold events this weekend in memory of 53 drug overdose victims since last year.

Although the church has been holding services highlighting mental health and recovery for years before the annual tradition, this year marks the church’s third annual Recovery Sunday.

“Addiction and recovery isn’t just someone else’s problem; it’s our problem.” According to Rev. Luke Fodor, pastor of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. “We want to make sure that it becomes part of the community’s collective memory.”

Jessica Frederick, minister of children, youth and families, will honor those affected by drug abuse by hanging prayer flags from the top of the bell tower to the main street entrance of the church for this weekend’s events.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is preparing to celebrate its third annual Recovery Sunday in honor of those struggling with mental health and addiction. The church invited people to write prayers on cloth to serve as prayer flags in honor of Recovery Month.

Tributes were written in honor of those who died of drug overdoses last year.

“On each of them we have prayers for the dead and prayers for recovery and for the recovery community. We’ve invited people to write their prayers on the fabric.”

Recovery Sunday events

This year, St. Luke’s Recovery Sunday events begin on Saturday.

“We made a whole weekend out of it.” Fodor said. “Saturday we’ll start with the art restoration show.”

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is preparing to celebrate its third annual Recovery Sunday in honor of those struggling with mental health and addiction. The church invited people to write prayers on cloth to serve as prayer flags in honor of Recovery Month. PJ Photos by Timothy Freud

Fodor’s Department of Art and Rehabilitation, in partnership with the Mental Health Association, will be working on art throughout the year, which will be on display Saturday at 7 p.m. in St. Luke’s Undercroft.

Food and lunch will be served at the event, celebrating the second year of the church’s art fair.

Some of the show’s art will also be included in St. Luke’s Sunday morning services.

Fodor said one of the pieces on display in the church will be a piece inspired by Anger Workshop.

“Sometimes we stop being angry.” he said. “We don’t really deal with it and it pops up at inconvenient times.”

This year’s art therapy workshop allowed people to express their anger through art rather than through action. The art will be displayed before the altar on Sunday for recovery at St. Luke’s.

As part of the Sunday service, the church bell is rung to remember each person who died of an overdose in the past year. The service includes a candlelight vigil, reading the names or initials of drug overdose victims, and special music performed by people recovering from addiction.

There will be Narcan training after the service. An art exhibition of the Saturday event will also be available for public viewing before and after the Sunday service. In addition, Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits sells biscuits after Sunday services.

“We have a joint venture with Father Bernard Biscuits Mental Health Association.” Fodor said. “We are a social enterprise selling dog biscuits. People who have fallen out of the workforce due to recovery issues or addiction or mental health can gradually return to work by learning certain skills.

The Church’s Recovery Sunday demonstrates St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s commitment to the idea that mental health is deeply connected to faith.

“This service is essential to the life of faith.” Frederick said.

Follow up recovery

Recovery Sunday is one way Fodor ensures that the community’s victims of drug abuse and drug overdoses are remembered and honored.

One of the points Fodor wanted to emphasize during his weekend event was the importance of communication.

“The opposite of addiction is relationship.” he said. “Often people feel disconnected first from themselves and then from society, so they start using different substances to deal with the pain. I think that’s true of all of us, whether it’s caffeine in the morning or whatever. We all have chemical uses to normalize our lives.

St. Luke’s Recovery Sunday seeks to remove stigma from people struggling with addiction and mental health.

Fodor said society’s fear of people struggling with mental illness or substance abuse can cause people to judge or judge them. “Foreigners”

My hope is that people will see that changing our minds is something we can take concrete steps towards. he said. “Part of the problem is the way we think. My hope is that through these types of collective actions, we will realize that we are all part of the same cause that we cannot do.

Fodor admits that mental health and substance abuse problems will not be solved “at night” He believes that by working together, the community can take steps to address addiction by showing compassion to those struggling with it.

Fodor said. “True Healing” People sympathize with each other and work together to solve problems in the community.

Faith and healing

Fodor believes that mental health organization work represents the concepts of resurrection and rebirth.

“Lives that Seemed Dead Will Live Again” he said.

Frederick said the church’s relationship with people struggling with mental health problems and substance abuse should reflect the biblical example of Jesus.

“Jesus always spent time with people, with those others would like to forget.” She said. It is an important part of our faith to see people as people. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what mistakes you made or how you were hurt. We all carry wounds and we are all in some state of recovery. This is how Jesus met and saw people.

Fodor explains that one of the key ways to successfully navigate the addiction recovery battle is to create meaningful relationships with people.

Although people want to hear “full” He believes that the concept of wholeness cannot be achieved if the community does not work together.

“To find this, they must connect with something greater than themselves.” he said.

Fodor believes that the church should be responsible for the task of creating relationships. He said the church should not expect people to go to the church, but the church should be involved in the community.

“Jesus spoke of the 99 good sheep, but of the lost sheep.” he said. “Sometimes we have to go out and look. We are trying to communicate and say ‘We are looking for the lost’ by collaborating with the Mental Health Association and doing public art exhibitions.