CAMI
The Purpose of Study Guide
What it is not
This study guide is not intended to replace the
services of a psychiatrist or a primary physician. We believe that anyone who
suffers from a serious disturbance of mind and mood should be under the
supervision of mental health professionals.
In our experience, there is a dreadful need in the local church for
groups or ministries that target the mentally ill.
One of the chief reasons the church has neglected this
area of ministry is that
those in church leadership have assigned mental
illness and its treatment to mental health professionals. From the onset
of our study, we must proclaim that a mental illness support group in the local
church is not for treating the mentally ill. Nevertheless the Evangelical church has much to offer mentally ill people.
What it is
This starter/study guide is intended to help local
churches start support groups for the mentally ill. This type of group is for
the mutual encouragement of those who suffer from mental illness in the local
church. It would also be useful in other
settings such as small groups (fellowship), Adult Bible Studies, Recovery
Groups and the like.
A Scriptural Foundation
People who
have a mental illness often describe it as a “darkening of the mind.” Some have likened it to being in a pit {Ps 40:2}.
King David said “He (God) brought me up
also out of the pit of
destruction, out of the miry
clay,
and set
my feet
upon a rock,
and established
my goings” (NASB).
One of the helpful
admonitions to people who are mentally ill is found in Isaiah 50:10, “Who
is among you that fears the LORD,
that obeys
the voice
of His servant,
That walks
in darkness
and has
no
light?
Let him trust
in the name
of the LORD
and rely
on his God”
(Is. 50:10
(NASB).
You can be in
“soul darkness” but still fear the LORD.
In this case the prophet tells us that the one “in the dark” needs to
trust in the name of LORD (Jehovah) God, (see Exodus 3:13-16). A person’s name
stands for one’s character, honor and person hood.
Who is Involved?
A CAMI
support group will have a facilitator who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is a born again Christian. Others in the
group who have come out of the darkness of depression/mental illness will be
able to share stories of God’s faithfulness with those who are suffering what
they have suffered.
This
encouraging of tottering, trembling believers is very biblical. It is commanded by the Apostle Paul who
in I Thessalonians 5:14, states, “We urge
you, brethren,
admonish
the unruly,
encourage
the fainthearted,
help
the weak,
be patient
with everyone”
(NASB).
CAMI and CAMI Online are a division of Heartfelt Counseling
Ministries. All rights reserved.
CAMI which stands for Christians Afflicted
with Mental Illness involves talking to others via a lap top computer that has
a camera and microphone. It is no different than any other CAMI group except
you can do it while in your own room at home. We have five to six people who go
on their computer on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m.
. We also have persons from Florida and people from other states who are
interested. I am a member of this group. We use CAMI support group material
that I have written. I can send you a copy of the material. It sells for six
dollars. Please let me know if and when
you want to start. The group is anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to an
hour and a half. I am refreshed by
hearing from others in the group and by the biblical discussion. We also talk
about mental health issues. Do you know anyone who might want to do this?
Plagiarism is not only the reproduction of CAMI Online
Materials but also the idea and expression of CAMI
support groups.
Why Have a
Mental Illness Support Group?
The word “encourage” (para-mutheomai) in
the above text of Scripture, in the original language (Greek) is a compound
word which means, “to get close to a person in a very friendly manner and offer
them consolation, using narratives of Scripture to provide healing of the soul.“ The word fainthearted in the New
American Translation is the Greek word, oligos-psuchos, which literally means
“small souled.” The minds of mentally ill people are subject to great
weakness. They possess a fractured mind
and the result is very little inner resource.
This is reflected in Proverbs 18:14, “The spirit
of a man
can endure
his sickness, but a broken spirit
who
can bear”
(NASB)?
The
encouragement of the fainthearted, in this text, as is in almost all the New
Testament texts with para-mutheomai indicates that comfort for the fainthearted
is God’s comfort through the Christian community (Kittel, Gerhard. TDNT
C.1967). Grand Rapids
Would you like to join us? For more about our support group, please go to:
http://heartfeltmin.org/resources.html
Would you like to join us? For more about our support group, please go to:
http://heartfeltmin.org/resources.html
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