COVID-19 Response & Resources
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Partners in Health & Wholeness

An initiative of the NC Council of Churches

  • Voices
  • About
    • Staff
    • Values Statement
  • Programs
    • Collaborative
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • Clergy Commitment
    • Mini-Grants
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Resources for the Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds Sunday School Guide
      • Frequently Asked Questions About the Opioid Crisis the Faith Community Responds
  • Resources
    • Re-imagining Health Ministries During COVID: How to Stay Engaged
    • Sacred Series Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community
    • Healthy Aging Resource Guide
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds Sunday School Guide
    • COVID-19 Response & Resources
    • Newsletter Archive
  • FAQs
  • Events
    • Upcoming PHW Events
    • Submit Community Event
  • nccc-logo-favicon
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Re-imagining Health Ministries During COVID: How to Stay Engaged

At our houses of worship, things have looked different for a while. Many faith communities and their health ministries have mobilized in unprecedented ways to keep their communities healthy and safe. In that spirit, we would like to offer ideas of how to stay connected while we continue loving our neighbors by keeping our distance. We want to encourage all congregations to keep planning and executing events and programs to keep motivation up. We also hope that the below list can offer ideas for how to stay engaged with the PHW Collaborative and use PHW Mini-Grant funds.

  • Virtual gatherings (via Zoom or other virtual platforms)
    • Online cooking presentations/challenges 
    • Weekly church dinners 
    • Workshops focused on specific health topics
    • Movie nights
    • Book club – meet weekly or monthly to discuss a book, podcast, and/or any other designated reading
    • Exercise classes (yoga, aerobics, stretching)
    • Online trainings/educational sessions
      • Host a series on how Covid has shifted the idea of “church” and how this has created new ideas as how to “DO church” post-pandemic
      • Mental health check-in conversations with youth as they navigate this fall and its challenges like online classes, returning to school, missing friends.
  • PHW’s Sacred Series Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community
    • Please use the Sacred Conversations Toolkit: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community alongside our Part I and Part II recordings, which offer an overview of helpful strategies in becoming a trauma-informed faith community. (By the Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness, Statewide Mental Health Advocacy)
  • Partners in Health and Wholeness YouTube Channel – Videos can be used for meetings, discussion groups, education seminars, etc
  • Drive-in and drive-thru healthy eating cook-offs
  • Stone memorial – Write or paint on a stone, place it on the church grounds, any time of the day
  • Organize a card-writing campaign for the elderly and isolated members of the church, in which they are told how much they are appreciated and missed.
  • Walk-through meal service with proper social distancing and CDC health guidelines in place of a sit-down meal service
  • Deliver food and/or essential products to community members (examples: essential commodities, non-perishable food items, clothing, produce, medicine, cleaning products, baby products, COVID-19 handouts) 
  • Distribution of garden kits: seeds, soil, supplies, etc
  • Community garden: socially-distanced working in shifts
  • Socially-distanced plant potting parties
  • Sending care packages (to kids, elderly, faith leaders, new parents)
  • Socially-distanced movie nights: set up a projector and screen in your neighborhood or at your house of worship and invite folks to attend in their cars
Tree of ribbons
  • Ribbon hanging –  bring your prayer, lament, celebrations, and decorate the breezeway
  • Walking contest– everyone track steps for a set period of time and have a friendly competition 
  • Outside social distanced workout class (yoga, stretching, walking in non-crowded areas)
  • Drive-in audiobook session – everyone drive-in and listen to a podcast, audiobook, and/or another recording over a loudspeaker while staying socially distant in their cars
  • Meal train – cooking for one another
  • Social distanced clean up day around the church or socially distanced trash pick-up in the community 
  • Supply drive for the local food bank 
  • Partner with a mental health support person and/or organization to offer counseling space for the community
  • Offer counseling services to families dealing with COVID-19 infection in the community. 
  • Becoming a COVID testing site
  • Making or acquiring masks for distribution

If you have any questions related to any of these ideas, please reach out to our team at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org. 


→ RETURN TO PHW COLLABORATIVE PAGE

→ RETURN TO PHW MINI-GRANT PAGE 

Footer

Contact

Partners in Health and Wholeness
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
PHWinfo@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Latest Tweets

Moving away from fossil fuels is vital to loving our neighbor! Say so during the public hearing on the @DukeEnergy IRP on March 16th. Register today: dukesenergyplan.org/… pic.twitter.com/FD9u…

About 3 days ago

The #ForThePeopleAct (#HR1) just passed in the #House! We are one step closer to: ✅ Protect the freedom to vote ✅ Ensure the integrity of our elections ✅ Hold elected officials accountable ✅ End the era of big money in our politics pic.twitter.com/Mkhb…

About 3 days ago

"One day when the glory comes It will be ours, it will be ours" - John Legend, "Glory" Read our resolution at the link >> ncchurches.org/2021/… pic.twitter.com/y9Vs…

About 4 days ago

"Our knowing that divine reality exists gives us permission to be humble, gentle, and kind." Read more from Susannah Tuttle and her reflection for the third Sunday in Lent. >> ncchurches.org/2021/… pic.twitter.com/cEzo…

About 4 days ago

Read or listen to this article from @PNS_News about a new data dashboard in North Carolina that would help local county officials better allocate vaccines to where they're needed most. Follow the link to find out more >> publicnewsservice.or…

About 5 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Glad to be on this journey with you! Another workweek in the books and another reason to be proud 💪 twitter.com/StampSti…

About 3 days ago

#harmreduction is love. twitter.com/HarmRedu…

About 4 days ago

RT @WakeMed Today marks one year since our state’s first #COVID19 case. #WakeMed staff, visitors and patients observed a #momentofsilence to honor the legacy of those we've lost and reflect on the strength and compassion of every essential worker, patient and family as we begin to heal. pic.twitter.com/E92V…

About 5 days ago

Dr. Satcher questioned the structures that have upheld health disparities in our communities. By laying the foundation for this work, we can continue taking meaningful action towards promoting a society where we can all thrive. #BlackHistoryMonth @HHSGov @Surgeon_General pic.twitter.com/zrw2…

About a week ago

Amen! #MindfulTogether twitter.com/cornerpr…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @CUREriver The bankruptcy filing by Brazos could destabilize the entire REC systems. The U.S. need to take action to avoid this in other places. We need to make investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, and grid modernization right now. #RuralPower ow.ly/6Erz50DMYPJ

About 3 days ago

RT @greenthechurch Be sure to read Green The Church's COO Kim Noble's op ed, "#EnvironmentalJustice in Focus this #BlackHistoryMonth", in the Texas Metro News! @Kimrenay22 #Austin #DFW #Houston #Texas #SanAntonio #EJ ow.ly/mOtw50DGQnN pic.twitter.com/IPOO…

About a week ago

RT @ActionAidUSA To build a truly just, equitable & sustainable world, we need to fight for a new #socialcontract. That means: ✔️ Defending democracy ✔️ Fighting for climate justice ✔️ Building equitable food systems ✔️ Supporting women’s leadership. Learn more: bit.ly/2M8xT40 pic.twitter.com/fEWv…

About a week ago

RT @interfaithpower IPL is proud to be a signer on this letter. The U.S. must provide bold and socially just leadership to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change, including the threats to our economy- @sbhendershot twitter.com/RealBank…

About a week ago

RT @interfaithpower "This is all of our country, this is our mother. It's difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land" - @DebHaalandNM with a powerful reminder of what she believes in. Her passion is exactly what we need right now; the Senate must #ConfirmHaaland! #ConfirmClimate

About a week ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

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