Invisible Illness Week Coming in September

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is September 14-20, 2009.

Invisible Illness Week - A Little Help Gives a Lot of Hope

If you have an invisible chronic illness, check out this web site for the virtual conference coming up September 8-12, 2009.

There will be 4 seminars per day (M-F, Sept 8-12) Times are 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m. and 5:30 pm. pacific time, USA.

Virtual Conference Overview

If you know someone with an invisible chronic illness, check out:

20 Things NOT To Say To A Chronically Ill Person

If Your Friend Is Ill

From the National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week web site.  A letter you can send to your pastor:

Dear Pastor:

I know you are very busy, but I realize you must see many people
in the congregation who struggle with how chronic illness impacts
their lives and relationships. I wanted to bring to your attention
that National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is September 14-20, 2009

http://www.invisibleillness.com

This week is an annual outreach of Rest Ministries http://www.restministries.org
a national ministry that resides in San Diego and an affiliate
of Joni Eareckson Tada’s ministry for the disabled.

You may be surprised to know that nearly 1 in 2 people live with chronic illness. Here are a few other staggering statistics:

* 96% of illness is invisible and sixty percent of the people are between the ages of 18 and 64

* 90% of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77% have
two or more chronic diseases

* The divorce rate among the chronically ill is over 75 percent

* Depression is 15-20% higher for the chronically ill than for
the average person;

* 70% of suicides have uncontrollable physical pain as a factor

* 66% of people with illness say if their church started a Bible
study for those with chronic illness they would definitely attend.

The sources for these statistics and even more information is listed here:  http://www.mychronicillness.com/invisibleillness/factsheet.htm

I’m wondering if our church may make just a small effort to acknowledge those whom live with illness and suffer silently.

Some easy ways to do this could be:

+ Have a bulletin insert about invisible illness.

+ Have a special moment of prayer for the families impacted by illness (nearly everyone!)

+ Set up a table of resources our church provides for those who are hurting.

+ Have someone give their testimony about how God has worked through his or her illness.

+ Consider asking is there is an interest in starting a Bible study like HopeKeepers

+ Run an article in our church newsletter about illness. Rest Ministries can provide this or someone in our church could write one.)

+ Offer a resource for the chronically ill, like a frangrance-free seating area, or online webcasts or podcasts.

+ Start a library of resources for the chronically ill (I’d be willing to help gather some materials to present to you.)

I’m involved in this because _________________________________.

Rest Ministries provides a wealth of support to over 75,000 people each month via their web site and they have a couple hundred HopeKeepers support groups in the U.S. and beyond. The web site has daily email devotionals, online chats, online Bible studies, and many other services, including HopeKeepers Magazine, and a social network.  There is a video on their web site that shares about how it was began 10 years ago by Lisa Copen at http://www.restministries.org
.

It is wonderful for the homebound who have little or no contact with the world outside their homes, as well as those who simply want to connect with others who are living with a chronic illness and need spiritual support.

The ministry is completely ran by volunteers based on the scripture, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed,
it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it  is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1: 3-8)

Please let me know if I can be of any further help. I’d love for our church to be able to reach out to all of those who are living with  chronic illness–and since it’s invisible– they feel like no  one understands.

Blessings,

_______YOUR NAME_______
______YOUR PHONE_______

• 6 Ways to Let Those with Chronic Illness in Your Church Know You Care
• 7 Secrets The Chronically Ill Want Chaplains to Know
• Hospital Visits: What Do You Talk About?
• Minister to the Chronically Ill: 20 Ways in 20 Minutes
• What’s the Big Deal About Church?
• When a Friend Has a Chronic Illness: What to Say, How to Help
• What I’dLike to Tell My Pastor About Living with an Illness

Get involved.  Whether you have a chronic invisible illness or know someone who does, please pass along this information.

And if you do have a chronic invisible illness, you might consider blogging about it.  It does help.  It helps you release some of the thoughts and feelings about it.  And it helps others know and understand a little bit better.