“We’ve Seen So Much”: Why Faith Communities Need Group Peer Support Now

At Deliverance Center Ministries in Springfield, Massachusetts, Pastor Mark and Co-Pastor Johnetta Baymon have spent decades ministering their community through loss, postpartum depression, substance use, and the everyday trials that stretch families thin. With 20 grandchildren and a spiritual family that extends across dozens of churches, they’ve built a life of service rooted in faith, compassion, and connection.

A Community in Crisis

“We have seen so much,” Pastor Mark shared. “So much postpartum. So much adjustment. People are hurting.”

The Baymons describe a community under enormous strain. Since the pandemic, they’ve witnessed an “explosion” of emotional pain: depression, substance use, and financial stress, as well as families in crisis.

“We thought it would ease up,” Co-Pastor Johnetta told GPS CEO Liz Friedman. “But it’s like the community hasn’t had a chance to exhale.”

Deliverance Center Ministries is part of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), one of the largest Black Pentecostal denominations in the country, with nearly 50 churches statewide and 37 under their direct jurisdiction. These churches are trusted anchors in their neighborhoods, places where people turn when there’s nowhere else to go.

But as Co-Pastor Johnetta reflected, “We see the need, and we feel helpless a lot of times because what we’re doing—you just don’t feel like you’re doing enough.”

The Church Is Carrying the Crisis

Faith leaders are often the first to respond when someone is struggling, but they’re also carrying the heaviest emotional load.

“We can preach, we can pray,” Pastor Mark said. “But what do we do when people feel that prayer isn’t enough? When someone is in the middle of a breakdown? We need something that helps us help them.”

The Baymons’ ministry offers marital and financial counseling, community outreach, and pastoral care. Yet they know another layer is needed, one that prepares leaders to meet mental health challenges head-on.

“Therapy in the African American church is still in a place of being accepted,” Co-Pastor Johnetta said. “But we know that therapy and Jesus make a phenomenal team.”

Bridging Faith and Healing

Determined to meet the moment, Deliverance Center Ministries has been working to bridge the gap between spiritual and mental health care. They want to equip faith leaders and lay counselors with tools to recognize trauma, offer safe spaces for reflection, and connect people with deeper layers of support.

That’s why the Baymons turned to GPS Group Peer Support.

“GPS would be a great asset and a great resource for people to begin to really make an impact on their lives,” Co-Pastor Johnetta said. “People trust the church. If we can bring this inside our doors, we can begin to heal our communities.”

Deliverance Center Ministries is now able to offer their community a number of supportive opportunities, like GPS’s ongoing weekly support groups and GPS facilitator training so they can begin offering their own support groups at church. In addition, on December 10th, GPS will be leading a webinar, The Church as a Healing Space: Partnering Faith and Mental Health Through GPS Group Peer Support where attendees can learn more about how GPS equips pastors, ministers, and lay leaders to hold structured support groups rooted in faith, reflection, and connection.   

A Call to Faith Leaders

To fellow pastors and clergy across Massachusetts: You see it too. The exhaustion. The quiet suffering in your congregations. The feeling that love and prayer alone aren’t enough to meet the depth of today’s struggles. You’re not alone and there is a path forward. 

As Pastor Baymon puts it, “We’ve always been a place for deliverance. Now it’s time to deliver healing, too.”

Because when the church becomes a healing space, the entire community can breathe again.