Some Good News 4/27/23

Many of us have heard about - or experienced firsthand - the mental health crisis affecting teenagers and young adults. About 44 percent of teens in our country experience “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness”; 16 percent of teens had a major depressive episode last year; suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.

by Rev. Mary Kay Collins, Rev. Josh Andrzejewski on April 27, 2023

To read this week's First News Weekly, click here. 

“Dear children, don’t just talk about love. Put your love into action. Then it will truly be love.” 
~ 1 John 3:18

Many of us have heard about - or experienced firsthand - the mental health crisis affecting teenagers and young adults. About 44 percent of teens in our country experience “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness”; 16 percent of teens had a major depressive episode last year; suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34. In the face of these overwhelming statistics, our church chose to move beyond thoughts and prayers, putting our love into action.

This week, we hosted a community conversation about suicide prevention titled “We Can Talk About It.” Leading the discussion were Ray M. Paul, Jr., national board chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and Erica Mann, Director of Learning and Special Projects at United Methodist Family Services (UMFS). They shared their professional — and personal — experiences with suicide, along with practical guidance for how to support those suffering from major depression. If you were not able to attend, a broadcast of the event will premiere tonight at 7pm on YouTube and Facebook. 

The broadcast runs about 80 minutes, and we recommend families make time in the coming week to view it together. We hope it will be an entryway into conversation about a serious topic, because we know that talking helps. As Mr. Rogers so wisely said, “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”

This was a group effort. We are thankful to Foster Jennings for introducing us to Ray M. Paul Jr.; for the planning team: Sally Brown, Erin Heston, Kim Lewis, Ashley Raggi, Cortland Putbrese, and Charlotte Woodfin; and for the hosts at the event: Connie Gottwald, Rose Lane and Ian Nimmo, Brock and Molly Heston, Alison Herring, and Melissa Mintz. Finally, gratitude to Cindy Jennings for helping to make the space warm and welcoming with her harp. We plan to host more community events focusing on difficult topics in the future. The good news is that, no matter the topic, we can talk about it.

Rev. Mary Kay Collins & Rev. Josh Andrzejewski

About the Author

Rev. Mary Kay Collins

Questions about pastoral care, the deacons, Neighbors at First, baptism, weddings, memorial services, membership, and fellowship events can be directed to Mary Kay.

Favorite... 

  • Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:12
  • Movies: Life is Beautiful, The Piano, Babett’s Feast, Inside Out
  • Books: Life of the Beloved, Traveling Mercies, Telling Secrets, Uncovering Happiness, The Magic of Tidying Up
  • Podcasts: Unlocking Us with Brene Brown, Good Life Project, and other podcasts my colleagues recommend
  • TV Shows: The Daily Show, This is Us, Nashville, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, and whatever new interesting series are available
  • Music: U2, Indigo Girls, eclectic, folk, jazz, classical
  • For fun, I like to: Go for walks, watch movies, and eat good meals.

About Mary Kay

I grew up in Central Florida, the youngest of four children. My parents worked for Young Life and I spent every summer from ages two to 18 at Windy Gap, a Young Life camp in North Carolina.  I graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine,  Florida in 1990. After working as a youth minister, and then a barista at an espresso bar, I went to the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

My first call in ministry was in Nashville, Tennessee. My second call was to my home church in Maitland, Florida. In 2007 I was called to First Presbyterian Church and it has been a wonderful place to raise my three amazing young adult kiddos Maya, Alex, and Charlie. Each year that I have been serving in the church has brought with it new adventures, wonderful relationships, and great opportunities to learn more about how we are called to be Jesus's followers. I feel called to help make connections, strengthen relationships, and grow God’s church, all things that I get to participate in at FPC.

About the Author

Rev. Josh Andrzejewski

Pronouns: he/him

Questions about Youth Faith Formation and Confirmation can be directed to Josh. 

Favorite...

  • Bible Verses: Exodus 14:14, Ruth 1:16-17, Esther 4:14, Luke 15, Galatians 5:6
  • Movies: Everything Everywhere All at Once, It’s a Wonderful Life
  • Books: Life is in the Transitions, Life of Pi, Leaving Church, The Lord of the Rings, The Sparrow
  • TV Shows: anything with “Star Trek” in the title, The Good Place, Midnight Mass, The Office, Stranger Things, What We Do in the Shadows, The West Wing
  • Podcasts: Good Christian Fun, The Greatest Generation, Judge John Hodgman, Mega, Radiolab, Working Preacher
  • Music: Alanis Morissette, Coldplay, Dashboard Confessional, Halsey, Taylor Swift, U2
  • For fun I like to: keep and breed tropical fish, build legos, work crossword puzzles, do Wordle  

About Josh

As a child attending Langhorne Presbyterian Church near Philadelphia, Pa., I remember looking up at my pastors and thinking, “Who would ever want THAT to be their job?” A few years after I was confirmed, I learned about God’s sense of humor when I sensed a call to ministry during a high school mission trip. After graduating from Elizabethtown College in central Pennsylvania with a major in Communications and Religious Studies, I enrolled at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va.

During seminary, I discovered a passion for chaplaincy. My first ordained position was as the chaplain for at-risk youth at UMFS, a residential treatment center. From there, I moved on to VCU Health, where I served as the pediatric chaplain for ten years, providing crisis support to children and families from all walks of life. During those years, I was the interim pastor for several smaller congregations in the Presbytery of the James, as well as assistant professor of clinical ethics at the VCU College of Health Professions.

My ministry has been centered on meeting young people where they are and helping them grow in their sense of belonging, identity, and purpose. I love wrestling with difficult questions and finding concrete ways to apply faith to everyday life.

My wife, Jillian, is a baptist pastor and an avid knitter. Our daughter, Norah, loves writing stories and building legos. In my spare time, I enjoy keeping and breeding tropical fish.

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