By Laura Keil
The Valemount New Life Centre is hosting a seminar on depression awareness, an event spurred by a young father’s suicide last summer.
“I was just so sick, the last suicide,” said New Life Pastor Bobbi Roe. “It really got me, and I thought we’ve got to do something.”
She said she got acquainted with Wendy Farha a while ago and was inspired by her story.
“She’s been through depression and attempted suicide and the whole bit and she got some wrong advice by well-meaning people who said when you become a Christian you don’t have to take your medication. And so she didn’t. She went off her medication and she said it was just a downward spiral that she couldn’t get out of.”
Roe said Farha wants people to know that if you have depression, it’s ok to go to the doctor, it’s ok to take your medication.
Farha’s seminars are anything but depressing – she uses humour and music to engage her listeners.
“They say comedy is the shortest bridge between two people,” Farha says in a video on her website. “It endears me to you. Some of my stuff that I went through – wanting to die and breast cancer – are kind of heavy. So the music and the comedy just offset that beautifully.”
Roe says this is the first time they have hosted this seminar.
“She’s going to talk about her faith as well but it’s not honed in to the biblical aspect,” Roe said.
The seminar takes place Wed. Feb 5th, 2020 at 7pm at the New Life Centre at 1245 1st Ave in Valemount. All are welcome. Visit www.wendy.ca for more info about Farha.
