The Northliner
Sept. 25, 2026
Ask the Minister
Ask the Minister - Responses VII
Because of time constraints, many of the excellent questions submitted during service on August 2nd were left unanswered. Over the next several months, I will be responding to those we didn’t get to in our newsletters and regular mailings.
If you have other questions you’d like me to consider, please write me at reverik@ucnorth.org.
Question: What are some important realizations you’ve had that have shaped how you navigate the world or treat others?
Response: Inspired by my mother who spent over 20 years working as a staff psychologist for the homeless shelter systems of Detroit and the surrounding counties, when I found myself laid off a year after graduating from college I began a stint working in group homes that served those struggling with debilitating mental illnesses. I was a primary care provider: making meals, helping residents with daily hygiene, distributing medications and facilitating outings to doctor’s appointments and the like.
During the two years I worked in this capacity I learned many invaluable lessons about the human condition and the tenuous relationship we all have with reality. First, I learned how close any of us are to losing our mental health as the result of disease or accident. Many of the residents had lived fully independent lives prior to crises that forever limited their ability to thrive on their own: one woman who was completely non-verbal by the time I began my job had once been a professor at M.I.T. prior to suffering a devastating stroke; another had been an accomplished attorney and even served in local government until a car accident resulted in deep psychosis.
Learning about the long and often painful histories of the folks I served helped shift my perspective from one of pity to one of true empathy, recognizing exactly how vulnerable any of us are to the challenges these folks were facing and how anyone’s life might change in an instant.
A second insight I gleaned from this experience in my young adult life was the recognition that issues of religion and spirituality arise in individuals regardless of their mental health status. Far too often, I found, our residents struggled with religious imagery or concepts, only to be entirely shut down or ignored by other staff who wanted nothing to do with such a controversial subject.
One resident would have recurring nightmares of participating in the crucifixion, others believed their issues were the result of unatoned sins or that they were in some way being punished by God.
Untrained and underqualified I nonetheless tried my best to be a source of comfort and care for our folks, especially when it came to these religious concerns, hopefully affirming that neither God nor the residents themselves were responsible for their condition. Being raised as a Unitarian Universalist I was perhaps more qualified than most of my colleagues at engaging questions of faith from a comparative religions standpoint, but soon knew I needed more experience if I were to authentically continue this work.
It was then that I began to understand the power of chaplaincy and the importance of ministry within a clinical setting, even and especially with those who had to deal with mental health concerns. It is not a coincidence that I soon enrolled in seminary with a focus on chaplaincy and pastoral care and that I have returned to chaplaincy throughout my career.
Though my primary vocation has been focused on parish ministry and social advocacy, the skills and insights I learned through serving this unique population have helped me when engaging with all types of folks, not just those with mental illness. I like to think that my work in post-Katrina New Orleans and during the protests in Kenosha involving Jacob Blake and Kyle Rittenhouse was directly informed by my time as a primary care provider two decades ago and continues to inspire my ministry today.
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Unitarian Church North
Email: info@ucnorth.org
Website: www.ucnorth.org
Location: 13800 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI, 53097
Phone: 262-375-3890
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