Open Enrollment for health insurance ends in 4 days. Click here to learn more.
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative
      • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Christian Unity
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Farmworkers
    • Interfaith Collaboration
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • NC No Torture
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Peace
    • Public Education
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Donate
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Subscribe to Updates from the NC Council of Churches

 
 
 
 
 
Cancel
Hide Search

A New Heaven

Joy Williams, Former PHW Regional Coordinator · July 10, 2015 · Leave a Comment

“Joy, can you still dance. Now that I just heard about the Charleston shooting, can you dance a prayer as well as dancing to demonstrate that we offer our whole bodies to God?”

This was Nurya, the minister-in-residence during this week long food and faith intensive sponsored by the Wake Forest University Divinity School in Asheville. She had just sat down at the table where two teenagers, a Partners in Health and Wholeness volunteer, and I were having breakfast. I hadn’t heard about the shooting before she mentioned it. She walked away, looking at her phone, saying that she would need to pray before leading our morning lauds in just a few minutes.

Earlier in the week, during a group sharing,  I was spontaneously moved to dance while we sang songs of unity and praise. Because of this moment, she wanted to introduce dance as a formal part of our lauds.

I was saddened, as I am with all deaths, but not shocked. As awful as that may sound, I was very aware of the two young men who were sitting with me, for whom people being shot and killed is a reality. They were attending this conference to expand their ideas for their 33-acre church garden. We were all preparing for the full day ahead. I looked at the young men, who were steadily eating their breakfasts, and attempted to discuss this news. They both shared stories of people dying. One was wearing a shirt commemorating a loved one who had passed less than three months prior.

The intense week was interrupted by this news, but it didn’t change the energy of why we gathered. We were there to talk about food justice, ecology, faith, and reconciliation with each other and with the land. It should be no surprise that the concluding part of this story was everyone, about thirty-five plus participants, singing, standing, clapping, and being mindful of those touched directly by the tragedy.

We moved on from that morning news to enter meditatively into the week’s program which consisted of a study of Revelation, where we explored, studied, and learned insights of what this new heaven and new earth meant, according to the book’s writer, John.

The afternoon was spent either learning about permaculture or learning the ABC’s of organizing around food justice. Every moment was filled with networking, discussing, reflecting, hugging, taking pictures, or praying. We were an eclectic group of youth, elders, students, lay leaders, pastors, educators, non-profit organizers, and more – but we were similar in our love for God, the land, reconciliation with each other, and moving toward a better earth, until the new heaven and new earth come.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Children & Youth, Community Gardens, Environment, Farmworkers, Food, Hunger, Race/Ethnicity, Rural Life

Joy Williams, Former PHW Regional Coordinator

About Joy Williams, Former PHW Regional Coordinator

I am passionate about health and faith. Children, families, and elders have my deepest love and concern, and I've cultivated a heart for dance, plants, cooking, water, chilling with great friends, and talking about the matters of the heart. I love the Lord and seek to bring myself and others closer to The King Most High.
Learn more about PHW and our efforts to improve the health of God’s people: healthandwholeness.org

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Because of Jesus
The Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day
PHW Faith and Health Summit: Thank You

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Featured Resource

A New Heaven

Latest Tweets

Check out our Cultivating Care for Creation Advent Guide this Advent Season! As people of faith, we are charged by our Creator with caring for creation, and are called to be faithful stewards of that which is entrusted to us. bit.ly/2t0nw8c #AdventGuide #CreationCare

About 6 hours ago

#HumanRightsDay #StandUp4HumanRights twitter.com/WHO/stat…

Yesterday

This #GivingTuesday hear from our Executive Director, the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, about how you can support our work. Donate today at ncchurches.org/donat…! bit.ly/2szKanD #GivingTuesday2019

Last week

The #ClimateStrike showed us that our youth are the future & there is no stopping their momentum: bit.ly/356qvur @NCIPL @NCIPLYL pic.twitter.com/jFio…

About 2 months ago

"A faith group hopes to get people talking about the importance of public schools, as some counties continue to see a rise in charter-school openings and drop in public-school enrollment." bit.ly/2ne40m7 #PublicEducation #PublicSchools

About 2 months ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

RT @FFThriving Rev. Jessica Stokes with @healthandfaith writes about the important role faith communities can play in understanding trauma and building resilience: bit.ly/34gfRA2. She will co-facilitate our breakout session on ACES at the 2020 Faithful Families Summit. Join us! pic.twitter.com/LMc3…

About a month ago

RT @UN Suicide is a global public health issue that affects all ages, sexes & regions of the world. On Thursday's World #MentalHealth Day, find out what you can do to help save a life: bit.ly/2MnEq6E via @WHO pic.twitter.com/UYOa…

About 2 months ago

This is just a friendly reminder to sign-up for a breakfast in response to the #OpioidCrisis. This is a great opportunity to learn about the work going on in our state and local resources you can connect with. Sign-up on our event page! bitly.is/31OH1Nt #harmreduction #NC pic.twitter.com/veEp…

About 2 months ago

How does faith connect to our relationship with God? How does our faith guide us in addressing the health issues of our communities? Join us on Oct. 25 in Eastern NC as e discuss the theological connections to our health wholeness. bit.ly/eastNC #faith #health #NC pic.twitter.com/F3Wk…

About 2 months ago

#BreastCancerAwarnessMonth twitter.com/HealthCa…

About 2 months ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @SenThomTillis Defending #HumanRights is one of my top priorities as co-chair of the Senate Human Rights Caucus. Our mission is to defend and advocate internationally recognized human rights norms around the world and contribute to global leadership in promoting and protecting human rights. pic.twitter.com/vsu0…

Yesterday

RT @nclcv Will @SenThomTillis join @marcorubio and #ProtectOurCoast from @realDonaldTrump's offshore drilling drive? North Carolinians overwhelmingly recognize the economic and climate dangers it would bring to our state. #ActOnClimate #CleanEnergyForAll miamiherald.com/news…

Yesterday

RT @interfaithpower 5 more days to apply for #CoolCongregationsChallenge for a chance for your congregation to win $1000 for cutting carbon emissions! bit.ly/CoolChallenge… @GeorgiaIPL @faithinplace @USGBC@energystar @ToSaveEnergy pic.twitter.com/gX9l…

Yesterday

RT @GretaThunberg On human rights day, we call for climate action. The climate crisis is the biggest threat to human rights and human rights need to be at the center of the climate crisis. @UNHumanRights @mbachelet #HumanRightsDay #StandUp4HumanRights pic.twitter.com/FklE…

Yesterday

RT @GretaThunberg Tomorrow 09:00-10:00 I will address #COP25 at the High-Level Event on Climate Emergency in Plenary Baker.

Yesterday

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2019 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine