‘Not Alone’ mental health conference Feb. 22-23 will feature Kay Warren, Steve Marshall

‘Not Alone’ mental health conference Feb. 22-23 will feature Kay Warren, Steve Marshall

One in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in the coming year. That makes it important for the church to know how to minister well both to those who suffer and to their families.

To this end, churches and community members are invited to attend the Not Alone Conference, which will be held Feb. 22-23 simultaneously at two locations — Albertville Fine Arts Center and Willowbrook Baptist Church, Huntsville.

According to its website, the conference aims to break down the stigma of mental health within the church and community, to equip the church and community to better identify and minister to those who may feel alone and to connect people to resources within their community.

Speakers will include:

-Kay Warren, who along with her husband, Rick Warren, co-founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and lost a son, Matthew, to suicide in 2013.
-Steve Marshall, Alabama attorney general, who lost his wife to suicide in 2018.
-Jeremiah Johnston, president of the Christian Thinkers Society.
-Chip Judd, a counselor with 30 years of experience in pastoral and marriage and family counseling.

Breakouts will address topics like supporting special-needs families, helping people with post-traumatic stress disorder, supporting people suffering from chronic pain and reaching out to people facing unexpected pregnancy or a past abortion.

For more information, visit notaloneconference.com. (TAB)