During the second full week of January, lecturers and graduate students from seven European institutions providing theological education gathered to reflect together on issues of mental health. Present were partners of the Estonian Baptist Theological Seminary from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Romania. Six of the seven partners visited as part of the Erasmus+ exchange programme. The organisation of the training was funded by Erasmus+ and the European Baptist Federation.
The guests contributed through morning prayers, panel discussions, and lectures. Estonia was represented by counsellor and board member of the Association of School Psychologists, Karmen Maikalu, as well as several experienced training leaders such as Katri Aaslav-Tepandi and Kristiina Krabi-Klanberg. Online lectures were delivered by trainers from Ukraine and Australia.
The academic coordinator of the training, Meego Remmel, said:
“The training showed that mental health is a pan-European issue. Congregations have the resources to create caring communities where people can rediscover themselves and receive support, even when they are struggling mentally. It was a joy to see and listen to colleagues and to form new friendships.”
Participants appreciated the interactive format of the training, the wide range of topics, and the opportunity to get to know one another. Positive experiences also included a city tour, a film evening, and, of course, good food. For future trainings, participants expressed a desire to work together on more real-life cases, to do so in as international a setting as possible, to engage with even more challenging topics, and to have deeper discussions.
“A pastor is like someone administering an injection,” described one of the speakers, Latvian pastor and lecturer Edgars Mazis. “He listens, prays, and then sends the person on their way. But a person in distress needs someone who is willing, when necessary, to walk a long road together with them.”
Adrian Sarbu, head of the doctoral school of theology at the University of Bucharest and a long-time suicide researcher, stated that suicide is not always a symptom of a long-term mental health problem, but can also express a person’s inability, at a particular moment, to cope with life.
The five-day international training concluded in local congregations in and around Tallinn. In total, participants visited seven congregations: Oleviste, Mähe, Kohila, Laagri, Allika, Kalju, and Nõmme. Preachers, witnesses, and others serving God experienced that after several days of discussing mental illness, it was good to be in the midst of a healing community.
