The wife of pastor Jarrid Wilson, who committed suicide earlier this month, has pleaded with the church to work hard at becoming a place that is "a little bit safer for people".
Speaking at his memorial, Juli Wilson said it was important for Christians to be honest about their "mess" and give people the space to share their own.
"It's time for the church to get serious about mental health," she said.
"In honour of Jarrid, I'm going to ask all of you guys to join me in making our church home, our lives, everywhere we go, a little bit safer for people.
"Let them know it's OK for them to tell you what they're going through. Tell them what you're going through first. It's the gift of going second.
"Tell them your mess and let them pour theirs on you after. And I'm telling you, we will see a change not only in our church [but] in the city, in our state, and beyond. And I can't wait to see how God's gonna shake the Earth with this."
The memorial service was held at Harvest Christian Church, where her husband had been serving as an Associate Pastor.
Jarrid had been an outspoken advocate for suicide prevention and had co-founded together with Juli the Anthem of Hope ministry to support people struggling with suicidal thoughts.
His support came from a place of experience as he had struggled with depression and mental health for some time before taking his own life.
At the memorial, Juli shared that Jarrid had been upfront about his mental health struggles on their first date.
In a moving tribute to Jarrid, she spoke of her admiration for him and his ability to reach out to the people "everyone else would pass by".
"Just like everyone else, when you meet Jarrid you know it's someone you want to be around for a long time. I was instantly hooked on his fascination for people and how he loved getting to know people that everyone else would pass by," she said.
"I can't tell you how many times we'd go to a store and I'm just trying clothes on. I'm usually one to avoid the lady who's asking 'what you need?' I've got it. I'll find it. Jarrid would usually be the one with 15 different outfit choices for me.
"He would know her family's name, what she's going through, and she'd be at church sitting with me on Sunday morning right after that.
"And so I knew instantly this guy had something about him that I need more of. I want to be more like that, and we just came together and decided that was gonna be our life's mission for the whole rest of our lives."
She also vowed to continue the work of Anthem of Hope in honour of her "beautiful husband".
"As amazing and outgoing as he was, as loving and friendly, as open as much as he would give you the shirt off his back, he wanted everyone to know, even so much on the first date we ever went on, that he struggled very badly with depression and anxiety and he wanted to kind of remove the stigma around that," she said.
"He wanted people to know that when they go to Google painless ways to commit suicide that the church is gonna be the first thing that pops up. He wanted people to find hope that outlasts this life, and he wanted them to find eternal joy in Christ even when their mind was telling them their lives didn't matter. And he fought until the very last day to do that," she continued.
She revealed that the last conversation they had was about World Suicide Prevention Day, which fell the day after he took his own life.
"He said 'Babe, can you imagine tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day. How many people are gonna see these graphics and maybe think they can keep going?'", referring to the Anthem of Hope graphics they had shared on their social media feeds.
"That was his last heartbeat ... that was what he cared about. That's what he lived for, and we're gonna continue that anthem because it's an anthem that Jarrid did not create. It's what God's called each and every one of us to. He tells us to look out for the orphans and the widows," she said.
"He tells us to help those who are poor and needy, those who are down. Those who are distraught, that are having a real hard time. Those are the people we are called to. Jarrid did not create this Anthem of Hope. This Anthem of Hope was planted in his heart through a relationship with Jesus Christ. And I watched it day after day.
"The battle between his mind and his heart. God won that battle. It might seem like death has won, it has not. This anthem is not defeated. It is not over. We will continue to carry this legacy and continue to share the Good News of Jesus."
