The Community United Methodist Church will continue its “Direction: Following the Way” sermon series this Sunday, Aug. 16, with a message titled “When the Trail Disappears,” drawn from the story of Elijah in the wilderness in 1 Kings 19.
Services are at 8:15 and 11 a.m. at 434 Lewis St.
The sermon addresses mental health, isolation and the particular pressures facing mountain communities — including the documented pattern of mental health struggle in valleys like ours.
Pastor Ken Daniell will draw on the biblical story of Elijah — a man of deep faith who reached a point of complete exhaustion and despair — and on the community response efforts described in reporting on mountain town mental health challenges.
“The church has too often stayed silent on mental health,” said Daniell. “But this is not a distant problem. It is our community. And scripture is not silent on it — Elijah’s story is right there in the text, honest and unvarnished.”
The sermon will also share mental health resources available locally and nationally, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Archuleta County Public Health Department and information about upcoming Mental Health First Aid training that the Community United Methodist Church is working to bring to the community this fall.
“We are not counselors,” Daniell noted. “But, we can notice. We can ask. We can stay. We can know the resources and be ready to share them. That is what community means.”
The Community United Methodist Church is a progressive, inclusive and affirming congregation committed to serving the full Pagosa Springs community. All are welcome regardless of background, belief or history with church.
For more information, visit cumcps.org or call (970) 264-5508.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text 988 — the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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