• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • 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 Pledge
      • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

PHW Success Story- Soul Harvest Apostolic Church, Spring Lake

Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness · August 12, 2016 · Leave a Comment

By Kaitlyn Brodar, PHW Intern

The Soul Harvest Apostolic Church is a gold-level PHW congregation that has been certified since 2012 and is firmly committed to healthy eating.  They have a vibrant community garden that provides a steady source of healthy, fresh vegetables for their soup kitchen, which feeds many individuals in their community.  Their pastor, Ann Newell, also takes produce to a local senior living community so that seniors are able to purchase inexpensive produce without needing to travel to a grocery store.

In addition to providing food for the community, Pastor Newell uses the produce from the garden to teach others how to cook healthy foods.  At her regular “Cooking with the Pastor” classes, she introduces congregants and community members to new ways to eat different types of vegetables.  Her healthy smoothie class is especially popular:

“Everybody wants my smoothie class.  They sit in on the class, and they watch me.  I say to people, ‘How many people like green beans?’ You get all these hands that they don’t like it.  I ask about spinach, and you get all these hands—they don’t like it, they won’t eat it, nothing.  Then when I put it in the smoothie and they drink it, they’re like, ‘You don’t have spinach in there!’ and I’m like ‘Yes I do, turn around and watch me make it.  It’s the same smoothie you just drank.’  Even on college campuses I have a lot of kids who say, ‘No, we don’t eat that,’ and I show them, you take [the spinach] and you throw it in there.  It’s not the primary taste, but you are getting the vitamins and nutrients.”

 

Pastor Newell prioritizes fresh fruits and vegetables in all of her dishes. “One thing I really like to do is show them is how much fun you can have without meat. A lot of times they’ll say they want chicken breast or fish or something too, but the first thing I do is just show them how much you can do with vegetables.  Like my eggplant parmesan is just off the chain.  And I do apples and sweet potatoes sautéed together with coconut oil and a little bit of cinnamon.  There are really so many things you can do.”

 

Cooking with the Pastor attendees are not only able to come and learn about healthy cooking methods, but they are also able to take home plenty of food for their families.  “When I did pumpkin and sweet potato soup, I gave everybody what they needed to cook that for their family.  If you had a family of four, I gave you enough to cook it for a family of four.  You were able to taste it and then go home and replicate it.”

Pastor Newell has even found creative ways to incorporate healthy eating with teaching math and reading skills to children at the church: “I do a lot of cooking with my summer learning camp, because math and reading can get mundane.  But when you use cooking, and fractions, and recipes, it makes it more exciting.”

Soul Harvest has truly seen miraculous outcomes as a result of their dedication to living a healthy lifestyle.  Many congregation members have significantly lowered their blood pressure, lost weight, and reduced their cholesterol levels.  For Pastor Newell, healthy eating is deeply connected to her faith:  “The Bible tells us, ‘Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.’  A lot of people think that prosperity is financial.  I think that prosperity is being able to have the activity of your limbs and being able to feel good about doing what you do.  So as a woman of faith, I believe it’s partly my responsibility to tell the people how to stay healthy and to be an example to them of moving, eating right, and trying to be a model of good health.”

If your congregation would like to put your faith into action by prioritizing the health of your members, please visit the PHW website at www.healthandwholeness.org.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Come to the Table, Community Gardens, Food, Health

Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness

About Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness

Chris is a native Kentuckian and the daughter of missionary parents who served Eastern Kentucky for more than 40 years. She relocated to North Carolina in 1981 and has come to call NC home. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent several years in corporate America before joining a faith-based, nonprofit medical clinic serving the uninsured and under-served of Franklin County. Chris is excited to be a part of the Council’s PHW program where she can utilize her background in health care and service. She and her husband have two children, a cat, a dog, and a surprisingly friendly bearded dragon. In her free time, Chris enjoys reading, basketball, and traveling, especially to the mountains.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Concord UMC: Planting Seeds and Watching Hearts Grow
Supporting a Sustainable Race Workshop
Dignity Through Food

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

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

PHW Success Story- Soul Harvest Apostolic Church, Spring Lake

Latest Tweets

Amazing news for the leaders in sanctuary! Jose Chicas, who has been living in sanctuary for more than 3 and a half years, is finally being reunited with his family. newsobserver.com/new… pic.twitter.com/iMVX…

About 2 days ago

You still have time to register for a webinar focused on the COVID-19 Vaccine roll out with @healthandfaith and @ncdhhs. We will discuss the process and how faith communities can get involved. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meet…

About 2 days ago

What amazing news to finally see Jose Chicas leave sanctuary! It's been too long, but finally such a humble and gracious man can return home and be reunited with his family. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." -Philippians 4:4 twitter.com/WRALSara…

About 3 days ago

Faith communities in NC are supporting a peaceful transition now that former president Donald Trump has left office. Read the @PNS_NC Public News Service (PNS) quoting our Executive Director, @jec16 : publicnewsservice.or… @PNS_News

About 3 days ago

Calling on the new U.S. Congress to demonstrate immediate leadership in the national care movement by creating a permanent federal #paidleave program. #CareEconomy #CareisEssential Read: bit.ly/2LB3ZEZ

About 3 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

We are experiencing collective trauma in different spaces. It has been very challenging, but please know that you are not alone. Click below to read more about how the pandemic is affecting our #mentalhealth and steps you can take to manage it. #StrongerTogether #MindfulTogether twitter.com/MentalHe…

About 2 days ago

RT @StampStigma 🛑 Stop scrolling! 🛑 Relax your shoulders and try taking 5 deep breaths. Taking frequent breaks from social media is a good practice to start implementing in your daily routine!

About 2 days ago

There's still time to register - make sure to join us! #MindfulTogether @ncchurches @ncdhhs twitter.com/healthan…

About 3 days ago

We will heal together. #StrongerTogether #InaugurationDay twitter.com/ncchurch…

About 4 days ago

RT @CDCgov If you’ve had #COVID19, you should still get vaccinated. Experts aren’t sure how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering, and reinfection is possible. More: bit.ly/3g5amLz. #SleeveUp pic.twitter.com/Yrne…

About 4 days ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @DalaiLama I offer my profound congratulations to Joe Biden on becoming President of the United States of America. I am so pleased that he is giving high priority to the urgent issue of climate change. I pray for his success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead. bit.ly/3p5tAEy

About 3 days ago

RT @RevYearwood This was 2014 when I was a part of the Reject and Protect Interfaith Prayer Gathering. This was one of the many protests against the Keystone XL Pipeline. Almost 7 years We did it! Our work is NEVER in vain. ✊🏿✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/z7wg…

About 3 days ago

RT @billmckibben Head of the European Investment Bank: "Gas is over." I'd say the message is starting to sink in. euractiv.com/section…

About 3 days ago

RT @ClimatePower "We need to build our economy back, better than ever." —Transportation Secretary Nominee @PeteButtigieg on the DOT's central role in implementing President Biden's infrastructure vision, creating millions of good-paying, union jobs, and tackling the climate crisis pic.twitter.com/v4gp…

About 3 days ago

RT @EJinAction We have a new day filled with amazing possibilities for us to move mountains together but it’s gonna take incredible work and authentic collaboration to get it done. #BidenHarris pic.twitter.com/fpEw…

About 3 days ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine