ASBURY FIRST MONDAY READER | SEPTEMBER 15, 2025

CONTENTS:

MEET THE STAFF – DR. CARL JOHENGEN, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC MINISTRY

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH BY MIKE MULLIN

Carl's journey with music began in childhood, listening to his father play the organ at their small Catholic parish in Collins Center, NY. By age 10, Carl was singing solos, and by 13, he was occasionally taking over for his dad. While he started his college career as an accomplished oboist at Ithaca College, it was a year in the school's select 40-voice choir that shifted his path. That experience ignited a passion for singing and choral music, leading him to earn a master's in voice and conducting and land his first music ministry jobs. The seeds planted in his youth had blossomed into a real passion for congregational singing and even composing new music for worship.

While his own singing voice took time to develop, Carl eventually became an active and successful tenor soloist in recital, concert, and stage. It was on stage, in a Syracuse production of "H.M.S. Pinafore," that he met his future husband, Brad Benson. A detour into private voice teaching eventually led Carl to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music. Around the same time, Brad began his own new journey, starting seminary at Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School. During those seminary years, Brad served in various roles at Asbury First until he was ordained an Episcopal priest in 2003. Looking back, they both agree that their move to Rochester was one of the best decisions they ever made.

That Asbury First connection proved to be a pivotal one. When Director of Music William Weinert stepped down in 2018, Carl and Brad's longtime friend Duane Prill reached out to Carl. Following a meeting with the search committee, Carl came on board as the Interim Director of the Sanctuary Choir and was appointed Director of Music Ministry the following year. The years since have been filled with countless great moments for Carl, both professional and personal.

Beyond his work, Carl has a wide range of interests. He’s an avid traveler, with a special love for Scotland. After connecting with his biological family for the first time in 2011, he's gone "all in" on his MacKinnon heritage. Carl and Brad are excited to share their love of the country with a group of Asbury First pilgrims on a trip there in May 2026 - this will be Carl and Brad's SIXTH visit to Scotland. You can also find Carl pursuing another passion as an amateur collage and mixed-media artist, occasionally participating in the monthly Collaborative Makers’ Gatherings here at church. Seen here, Carl is casually at work mounting a collage he's composed comprised of some of the many things he loves: music, language, color, an illustration of a bird, and a map of some ancient city, all harmonized with an iridescent glow.

September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with World Suicide Prevention Day honored on September 10. These observances come at a crucial time, as NAMI reports that 1 in 5 people experience mental illness each year, and 1 in 6 youth face mental health disorders. Perhaps most striking: 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% begins by age 24.

In addition to organizations like NAMI, another resource I really appreciate conversations about mental health is Seize the Awkward. This is a website that is especially geared towards youth to help equip them with the tools to engage their peers when they think something seems different. The point of the name is to recognize that while we have come a long way to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, these conversations are still awkward for many of us. The more we can "seize the awkward" and the more we can help initiate and normalize checking in, then the more we will do for our peers and our community.

As we consider World Suicide Prevention Day, NAMI also reports the statistics from 2023 showcasing suicide as the 2nd leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10 and 34 (the leading cause is unintentional injury—which includes gun violence). 

These are sobering statistics and realities. And they should also be encouragements for us to check in regularly regarding our mental health. Having a therapist should be as normal as having a primary care physician. Having annual mental health check-ups should be as common as having annual physicals. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988 for support. If the crisis is an emergency, you should first call 911. For specialized resources and support for LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project is an excellent place to start. 

All of this is important, and we need to have this information available and accessible so that we can lean on it when the need arises. This is very similar to some of our prayer and faith practices. Some of us may have memorized various Bible verses like Psalm 23 or the Lord's Prayer. At times, it may seem odd to recite these things on a regular basis—it may feel meaningless at times. And yet, you may also have a memory of when that prayer or Bible passage was particularly meaningful to help get you through a tough moment. We say prayers, and we practice our faith in the good and easy moments of our lives—in part—so that these practices remain in place in the challenging times. The support structures are in place now so that we can lean on them when we are in need. 

Talk to your doctor; talk to your family; talk to your friends. And if someone is talking to you—and you're not sure how best to support them—expand the conversation; invite another trusted adult (school counselor, parent, pastor, etc.) into the conversation. Remember that you are not alone. You are not alone in what you are going through, and you are not alone in needing to bear someone else's burdens. 

This week, I encourage you to think about one of those faith statements that you have committed to memory. Maybe it is a creed, or the Lord's prayer, or a Bible verse, and take some time thinking about what that text means to you. Why did you memorize it? What meaning does it have? How would it help comfort and direct you in a time of need? And parents, I imagine you may have more to draw on here; if you have something memorized that is connected to your childhood or to a particular relative, I encourage you to share that with your youth. Asbury First doesn't have much to draw on beyond the Lord's Prayer and the Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26; also known as our youth group benediction...), so your personal stories may go a long way to help express this tradition of rote recitation.