In just the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression increased by more than 25% across the globe, identified the World Health Organization (WHO) in one of its reports. The entity estimates that approximately 1 billion people already lived with some type of mental disorder.
Historically, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has promoted comprehensive health care, which includes the physical, mental and spiritual faculties. That is why, faced with the need to prevent the increase in these rates and bring hope to people affected by the most diverse types of disorders, the denomination announced its missionary book for 2025.
Read too:
The Turning Key, title written by doctor Marcello Niek and theologian Bruno Raso, will be delivered free of charge in eight countries in South America, following the proposal of the Impacto Esperança project. Since it began in 2007, the initiative to encourage reading has delivered more than 364 million books on health, family, well-being and spiritual life. To find out more about them, visit livre.esperanca.com.br.
Specialist in Preventive Medicine, Niek also has a postgraduate degree in Psychiatry and has been treating patients from different age groups and social classes for decades, dealing closely with challenges related to emotional health. Raso, a doctor in Theology with almost 50 years of pastoral ministry, has extensive experience in spiritual guidance and counseling people. He is currently the director of the Health department at the South American headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Active awareness
The book, which will be distributed in Portuguese and Spanish, seeks to promote awareness of issues related to emotional health, as well as offering practical guidance and advice. It is also a means to inspire hope and resilience, as detailed by Pastor Rafael Rossi, the denomination’s evangelist for Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
“We want to share experiences and stories of people who managed to overcome specific situations and promote awareness about issues involving emotional health, with practical guidance and advice for readers”, explains Rossi. “At the same time, we need to help them have hope and develop the resilience to face the challenges of this life. This will help protect them from some of these emotional problems that can affect us.”
Divided into seven chapters, The Key to the Turn It has QR Codes that direct the reader to other titles related to the subject and to a channel to ask questions and chat about the topic via WhatsApp.
Around the world, millions live with depression, considered the evil of the 21st century. According to the WHO, “people with serious mental health conditions die on average 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population, mainly due to preventable physical illnesses”, informs one of its statements.
“It is clear and evident for the Church the need to bring a book that talks about emotional health”, highlights Rossi when remembering that the members’ actions must go beyond the distribution of the work, opening the doors to holding health fairs, for example. This model of care and awareness about healthy habits is frequently carried out by Seventh-day Adventists for the benefit of the community, including highlighting the eight natural remedies. Find out what they are at Querovidaesaude.com.
You can also receive this and other content directly on your device. Subscribe to our channel on Telegram or in Whatsapp.
He wants to know more about the Bible or study it with someone? Click here and start right now.
