Leery of Churches

By most people’s standards, I am a mess of a person. See, I have depression--a mental illness, one that has been severe many times in my adult life. One of the most difficult aspects of having a mental illness is misinformation and lack of support. I was told by "Christians" that my depression was a result of lack of faith. I was told that I didn’t need a counselor because "Jesus is the only counselor a Christian needs." I was even told that I couldn’t be a good Christian example to others in my depressed state.

I became leery of churches and church people. In every church my husband and I attended, I waited before I volunteered to serve anywhere until I felt comfortable telling the leadership that I had depression. Then I would serve until I had a major depressive episode, at which point we would leave the church. That became my pattern. Join the church, serve at the church, get sick again, and become hurt by the reaction of others to my illness, then leave, afraid of the church in general.

That hasn’t happened at Indian Creek. I have joined. I have served. And I am currently experiencing a major depressive episode. I have been hospitalized at times, and nobody at Indian Creek has hated me. Nobody has told me that I am some freak that is going to steer people away from Christ. And I continue to serve.

At Indian Creek, people seem to understand what it means to be human and they fully believe what God said through Paul when Paul said that "His strength is made perfect in my weakness." [2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV] I can be who I am at Indian Creek. And that is empowering.
- Jennifer Arbuckle