Seeking to reach people both within and outside their walls, over 200 Seventh-day Adventist churches across North America, including 33 in the Mid-America Union Conference, hosted the short mental health series MindFit this past spring. The Voice of Prophecy produced the event to empower churches to be practical and spiritual resources for their communities in battling a continent-wide mental health crisis.
“On a global scale, one in eight people struggle daily with mental illness—one in five in North America. The implication is clear: it is nearly impossible to live on this Earth and not be affected by mental illness,”
said Alex Rodriguez, associate speaker for VOP.
Each session of MindFit, a four-part event, commences with audiences watching a 30-minute episode of a docuseries hosted by Rodriguez, who traveled across North America to speak with mental health professionals and patients. The series sheds light on the history and prevalence of mental health challenges. It emphasizes that effective treatments are available and amplified by biblical principles. After each episode, a local church leader guides the audience through a provided study and discussion.
Pastor Leandro Bizama, who presented MindFit at Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado, was delighted by his audience’s engagement with the series.
“MindFit was a great bridge event because it had subject matter people are hungering to know more about,”
Bizama said. “People are almost desperate to know more about mental health. They have a sense of their great need.”
Bizama was pleased with MindFit’s gentle approach to tackling a topic surrounded by confusion and stigma. He witnessed audience members, both churchgoers and newcomers, open up about their personal struggles and engage with the mental health experts who helped lead the series at Campion.
For some guests, the event provided more than education and resources—it piqued their interest in the Adventist Church, and, more importantly, Jesus.
A billboard advertisement for Campion caught the attention of one woman. She called the church to learn more and was immediately intrigued by MindFit. She proceeded to come to every session, befriending church members and committing to Bible studies. Now she is regularly attending Campion worship services and even looking for other Adventist churches to attend when traveling out of town.
She was not the only attendee who wished to learn more. After MindFit concluded, multiple individuals attended the VOP-created follow-up Bible study Peace Is an Inside Job.
“MindFit helps to answer the questions people are asking,”
Bizama said.
For churches interested in hosting the event and receiving an advertising boost to draw in more community members, VOP will conduct a continent-wide MindFit campaign on September 19-21 and again on January 2-4. In the weeks leading up to these dates, host churches will benefit from a mass social media campaign promoting the series.
“With approximately 6,500 Adventist churches dotting the landscape of North America, our denomination is uniquely positioned to be a center of healing for those who are struggling,”
Rodriguez observed. “We filmed MindFit to place churches at the forefront of the mental health conversation. May the love of Jesus be reflected through us as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in bringing physical and spiritual healing to a world perishing in hopelessness.”
Visit MindFitEvent.com/Host to join the myriad churches serving their communities through this unique evangelistic event.
Amanda Blake is a writer for the Voice of Prophecy.
Photo Captions:
- Attendees watch the MindFit docuseries at Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado.
- Attendees watch the MindFit docuseries at Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado.
- Attendees watch the MindFit docuseries at Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado.
- An attendee reads their MindFit study guide.
- Pastor Leandro Bizama interacts with his audience during the discussion portion of a MindFit session.
