Tri-Cities church becomes first in Washington to earn mental health ministry certification

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Tri-Cities church becomes first in Washington to earn mental health ministry certification

Shalom UCC in Richland became Washington’s first WISE-certified faith community, promoting mental health inclusion, reducing stigma and expanding supportive programs. 

By Cory Johnson | For FāVS News

RICHLAND, Wash.— Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland, Washington, now has a national designation for its work to center mental health in the community.

The Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged (WISE) for Mental Health designation is led by the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network. The program’s goal is to reduce stigma and promote the inclusion of people and families with self-reported emotional or neurodiverse symptoms, experiences and diagnoses in their faith space.

Shalom UCC completed the certification process after a yearslong period of education and developing their own covenant for how they intend to create a safe, supportive environment for individuals and families navigating mental health.

“At Shalom, we believe that mental health is a vital component of holistic spiritual care,” said Pastor Melanie Childers. “Receiving this WISE designation is not just a badge; it is a public promise to our neighbors in the Tri-Cities that they are seen, loved and welcomed exactly as they are — without judgment or exclusion.”

Making room for movement in worship

Part of the church’s covenant is to incorporate mental health inclusion into its worship services, educational programming and congregational care. One practice includes a space where attendees may sit adjacent to the sanctuary to watch a livestream of the worship service with space to speak and move around. 

Shalom celebrated Mental Health Sunday last month with a presentation from a congregation member who is disabled due to mental health conditions.

“When asking children what they want to be when they grow up, I’ve never heard anyone say queer, mentally ill, addicted or neurodivergent. I know I never aspired to such things, because I was taught they were shameful moral failings — tragedies to be hidden at best. Yet here I am,” Cath Hopkins shared with the congregation.

From fidget toys to mental health first aid

The church provides fidget toys to children and adults who find it easier to be present during worship while keeping their hands busy and allows service animals in part of the sanctuary. Future planned initiatives include offering seminars like mental health first aid training and support groups.

“Instead of aspiring for comfortable, secure, conventionally successful lives, more of us could aspire to help one another develop capacity for navigating distress, building deeper relationships, being in reciprocity with the Earth and other beings and living our best lives — regardless of whether they look normal,” Hopkins said.

A church that leads with brokenness

Childers noted that Christian institutions have often misunderstood or been unkind toward people with mental health issues, causing harm to many individuals, even when there may have been good intentions.

“The hope and healing that we offer as people of faith is born from our shared brokenness, not our imagined wholeness,” Childers said. “We are the broken body of Christ. All of us carry far more confusion, grief, failure and struggle than wholeness, but we rarely acknowledge our broken places publicly. Every time someone shares their story of brokenness and vulnerability, the world has a chance to heal.”

Shalom is the first entity in Washington to earn the WISE designation. Since its establishment in 2015, 107 faith-based organizations — churches from seven different denominations, synagogues and nonprofits — have completed the program.

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