Nonprofit Recap for 2023: Christian Mental Health Initiative

2023 was an amazing break-out year for the Christian Mental Health Initiative. As the year ends, we realize future growth can only take place with a review of the past. So, before diving headfirst into 2024, let’s hit the rewind button and stroll down memory lane with this nonprofit recap. 

Join us in this reflective journey as we review the milestones, triumphs, and collective efforts that have shaped our organization’s narrative in 2023 and the lives of our volunteers and those in the community.

 

Training Is Not For Just Our Bodies But Also Our Minds

A recap of January shows that our nonprofit was able to start the year on a great note with our first Mental Health First Aid training. The training aligns with CMHI’s desire to provide aid in the intersecting realm of mental health and Christianity. We partnered with a church in Philadelphia to bring awareness and a blueprint on how church leaders can service their congregation by nurturing their spirituality and mental health. As we reviewed the feedback, the leaders were very receptive to the training, and being able to host an in-person event for our community was such a beautiful experience that our nonprofit plans on repeating in this coming year.

A Volunteer’s Reflection

Kevin, CMHI Volunteer: “Helping out with CMHI has been such a blessing! It has been so encouraging to join with other believers in living the reality that mental health matters for our walk with Christ, and God indeed cares about it. I also love that, through our outreach and Mental Health First Aid training with local churches, I can witness the amazing work God is doing in the united body of Christ, and I can join in the mission to promote healing, Gospel-centeredness, and peace.”

Recap of Our Nonprofit’s First Annual Event  

Ten months ago, on May 13th, CMHI celebrated two milestones. One was our 1st anniversary, and the other was our first annual Faith, Meds, And Therapy: Mental Health Symposium. A recap of the symposium shows that we were able to reach all over the world and share presentations on a variety of topics, including addiction in the church. 

The participants and volunteers left the symposium with an overflowing amount of information from the presentations and discussions during the question-and-answer portions. As we review all the things that made our nonprofit grow more this year, the symposium is undoubtedly one of those key highlighted pieces. 

CMHI Intern Reflections

Nneanata, CMHI Intern: “When I started CMHI, it wasn’t long after that we had our first Faith, Meds, and Therapy Symposium. I was surprised that people tuned in from America to West Africa. I helped moderate a Faith leaders panel and truly enjoyed the dialogue on each topic. I loved how people felt safe enough to share their different perspectives. People collectively speaking on how they view God, practice their faith, and navigate their mental health revealed the needs of many, it offered resources to some, and shed light to others.”

A Volunteer’s Reflection

Sarah, CMHI Volunteer: “The CMHI played a significant role in helping me discover how faith in Jesus can bring hope to those managing mental health. I attended the 2023 symposium, and it opened my eyes to the importance of sharing the hope of having faith in Christ and how that hope can help us overcome challenges in our healing process. After seeing the informative symposium, I decided to become a volunteer to continue to spread the word about the intersection of faith and mental health. I also contributed my experiences through blog posts and will continue raising awareness about the intersection of faith and psychology.”

Nonprofit Recap of Our World Mental Health Day Event

On October 10th, aligning with the theme of the day, “World Mental Health Awareness Day,” CMHI had the privilege of putting on a second virtual event titled “How To Find A Christian Psychiatrist Or Psychologist.” Through our nonprofit’s multiple social media platforms, we strive to emphasize the importance of mental health. 

We understand that finding a licensed clinician who can help you achieve new and different ways to care for your mental health is just as important. Due to this understanding, we humbly offer our time to instruct anyone on how to find that proper clinician. As we review the impact this event made on its attendees, we would love to see you benefit from this event even if you didn’t have the chance to attend. 

Two Volunteers’ Reflections

Neami, CMHI Volunteer: “Christian Mental Health Initiative is not just any ordinary nonprofit organization. The organization incorporates both psychiatry and spirituality in their ministry. The organization provides many mental health resources easily accessible to the public. I enjoy reading blogs because it not only opens the conversation to address sensitive topics in our community, but it also provides tools and resources to learn more about the topic and how to seek help. In addition, the organization provides support through online zoom events and social media which gives the viewer the option to be directly involved in the ministry.”

Erika, CMHI Volunteer: “It’s hard to choose only one thing that I like about CMHI! Since joining at its inception, I have been blessed to see the smooth integration of faith and mental health. It has been a safe space for me not only as a volunteer, but also as a curious Christian, looking for biblical answers in our earthly society. From the blogs to our annual Mental Health forum, it’s been a privilege to work with amazing volunteers as we overcome mental health stigmas one day at a time.”

 

The Beloved Community of Our Nonprofit Organization

Just last month, as CMHI began formulating plans for the new year based on the review of all we had accomplished, we realized that funding would greatly assist in accomplishing some of our goals. On Giving Tuesday, we reached out to the community that we had so lovingly poured into and were very grateful for the response we received. Our community donated to help CMHI raise $1000!!! For us here at CMHI, that showed that our work was not in vain, and the work we plan to do in the future is very needed!

This year, our nonprofit had individuals become volunteers after attending events, and individuals reached out to share their stories with our blog site to help other Christians in their journeys. As we review CMHI’s impact, we can only interpret this as CMHI succeeding in its mission to provide a community where people know they can remove their guards and anything else that hinders them from finding help. This tangible success is the sweetest of them all. 

CMHI Intern Reflections

Sariane, CMHI Intern: “Hearing Dr. Atasha Jordan, founder of CMHI speak about the importance of faith being addressed in medicine while having the necessary tact and skill to not portray herself as a “zealot” is what introduced me to CMHI. I wanted to learn from someone who not only understood that faith had a place in medicine, but also that we as physicians had a duty to our patients to offer them that space. To me, this is exactly what CMHI practices. With this platform, we are able to offer all individuals an additional space of healing with our events, blogs, and presence which continues to grow every day. As a volunteer, now intern who was here since very early, CMHI has shown me that any vision can grow beyond your limits, especially when it is aligned with the LORD.”

CMHI Founder’s Reflections

Dr. Atasha Jordan, Founder: “Working with the CMHI volunteers has been such a huge privilege. I do not take for granted the time, effort, and love that the volunteers donate from month to month. As a team, we have reached approximately 10,000 people worldwide through social media, blog posts, mental health resources, and events. I thank God for this community and the vision that He gave me to start CMHI. I pray that we continue to honor Him while teaching Christians about mental health and mental illness!”

 

Summary

The impact our nonprofit CMHI has made this year has been something we couldn’t imagine. We have accomplished a lot from the mental health training, events, community engagement, and growth of our website. The CMHI website has flourished into a grand hive of resources this last year. The resource page is overflowing with links to healthcare providers, podcasts, YouTube pages, bible plans, social media, and more.

Thank you for joining us on this brief review of our year. We hope you benefited from our nonprofit’s efforts as much as we did.

Lastly, let CMHI be the first to wish you a Happy New Year!