
We're working to become a WISE congregation
Welcoming
Inclusive
Supportive
Engaged
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for mental health

In 2015, General Synod 30 of the United Church of Christ overwhelmingly passed a resolution encouraging congregations to adopt a covenant to be WISE (welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and engaged) for mental health.
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Our Mission and Social Action Team would like for St. James UCC to explore becoming a WISE congregation of the United Church of Christ. WISE congregations are churches that have joined the mission of being welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and engaged in the mental health of the church, the community, and the world. The WISE Program of the UCC is managed by the UCC Mental Health Network.
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The aim is to create a welcoming environment for those with mental and emotional challenges, brain disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, addictions, trauma, and other mental health concerns. Our church family has members with these experiences, so our Church Council voted enthusiastically and unanimously to endorse this endeavor.
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In the fall of 2025, we will begin a study of two books that relate to mental illness and neurodiversity in the church setting. We will have the opportunity to learn together and to share experiences, plus we will know what we are doing right, what we can do better, and what we can do in an ongoing way in the future.
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A WISE Liaison from the UCC Mental Health Network will assist us as we work toward becoming a WISE-certified church. In May 2026, we will have a special worship service to acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Month and to celebrate God's beautiful neurodiversity. Eventually the congregation will have the opportunity to vote to declare ourselves a WISE congregation of the United Church of Christ. If adopted by the congregation, this would add to our current UCC Just World Covenants that are part of our core values: Open and Affirming, Just Peace, and Creation Justice.
Nurture the Soul
UCC & The Mental Health Journey:
It's the WISE Thing to Do
