Saturday, October 17 | 1-3 p.m.Cathedral Nave
The Faces of Mental Illness
Come join to learn about supporting someone you know seeking mental health resilience. Keynote speakers are Pastor Damon & Sister Beverly Brewington, founders of Bipolar Awareness Ministry and Believers of Glory in Jesus Christ Church in Belton, Mo. The afternoon will include presentations from mental health professionals, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) of area police departments, trauma & healing experts and National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) representatives and more.
Come & Find Hope!
Cathedral hosts: Burma Cenovich & Nick Flowers
About the Keynote Speaker
Sister Beverly Brewington was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Central High School in 1970. After graduating from high school, she worked for TWA as an Airline Stewardess, then for Wonder Bread Hostess Cakes for over 25 years, and was the first African American woman to hold a supervisory position in the Sanitation Department. In 1974, Beverly attended the Alanda School of Cosmology College.
Sister Beverly was raised as a member of Gregg Tabernacle AME Church, singing in the choir and holding a position on the Usher Board. She married Damon B. Brewington in 1983 and joined Park Avenue Baptist Church. For over 30 years, Beverly has served in many ministries in addition to serving as President of the Culinary Ministry. She has also chaired many other events for over 20 years.
Sister Beverly is a mother of five children. After 30 years at Park Avenue Baptist Church, her husband, Damon Brewington, Sr., answered God’s call to Pastor and organize Believers of Glory in Jesus Christ Church in Belton, Missouri. She serves as the beautification person and helps to feed the sick and shut-in. Her service extends well beyond the doors of the church. Together with her husband, Pastor Brewington, she also serves in the nursing home ministries, also does a street ministry feeding the homeless living under the bridges once a month, and picks up donated bread from a well-known company on most Sunday evenings.
As the purpose of her founding the Mental Illness Bipolar Ministry, “Putting a Face to This Disease”, conveys, Sister Beverly is also active with any faith-based and community organizations that are aligned with her vision of making sure as many churches as possible have the opportunity to form their own mental illness ministry through the seed money she presents to them during each meeting that is hosted by them. The Sending Project and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) are among the organizations with which she has established partnerships, allowing her to reach across the state lines of Kansas and Missouri. Additionally, her ministry has extended to helping provide co-pays for people needing assistance with doctor visits and medication. She has been blessed to provide this assistance from the sales of her pastries at the Painted Tree in Overland Park, Kansas.