Check out our recap of the Faith and Health Summit!

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

Health

Calling all Community Sparkplugs!
Calling all Community Sparkplugs!
Mar 18, 2011
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Calling all Community Sparkplugs!

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation – in partnership with the North Carolina Council of Churches, Center for Environmental Farming Systems, North Carolina PTA, and North Carolina Recreation and Park Association – is looking for “Community Sparkplugs” to help build a healthier North Carolina. So, what exactly is a Community Sparkplug?
Grants to Create Healthier Communities
Grants to Create Healthier Communities
Mar 18, 2011
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Grants to Create Healthier Communities

ENCToday.com

Lenoir County is the first county in the state to receive grant awards through the “Spark Plug” program, an initiative of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to promote healthy activity and nutrition.

Ten organizations and government entities in Pink Hill, Grifton and Kinston each received a $3,000 award for projects that inspired physical activity or greater nutrition in the community.

“If every county has spark plugs in it like Lenoir County does, this is going to be a huge success,” Danielle Breslin, vice president of operations for the BCBSNC Foundation, said of the program.
Raleigh Report – March 7, 2011
Raleigh Report – March 7, 2011
Mar 17, 2011
Rose Gurkin, Former Program Associate for Administration

Raleigh Report – March 7, 2011

Governor Bev Perdue on Saturday vetoed H 2, the misnamed “Protect Health Care Freedom” bill. (It should be called the “Freedom to be Uninsured and Unable to Get Health Care” bill.) The bill was an attack on federal health care reform and purported to remove North Carolinians from the mandated purchase of health insurance, which is the basis of federal reform which will move millions of uninsured Americans into the ranks of the insured.
Prospect Presbyterian’s Health Efforts Noted
Prospect Presbyterian’s Health Efforts Noted
Mar 15, 2011
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Prospect Presbyterian’s Health Efforts Noted

Salisbury Post

Prospect Presbyterian Church, 9425 W. NC Hwy 152 in Mooresville, has achieved the North Carolina Council of Churches’ first Gold Certification for the congregation’s commitment to better health.

The Rev. Joanne Hull serves as Prospect’s pastor with Sybil Perrell, RN, as the parish nurse for this rural church in the edge of Western Rowan County.
PHW Certification Program: Apply Today!
PHW Certification Program: Apply Today!
Feb 7, 2011
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

PHW Certification Program: Apply Today!

Partners in Health and Wholeness is offering a yearly certification process to congregations across the state. As of January 1, 2011, congregations can now achieve all three levels of certification – Bronze, Silver and Gold – and receive recognition from the Council and their respective judicatories upon completion of the program.
Health-Related Bulletin Inserts for the Faith Community
Health-Related Bulletin Inserts for the Faith Community
Jan 6, 2011
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Health-Related Bulletin Inserts for the Faith Community

Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina – the same group that brought to us the Maintain, Don’t Gain Holiday Challenge – has developed health-related bulletin inserts for the faith community. These inserts provide short, easy-to-read messages on a variety of health topics such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease and stroke.
Partners in Health and Wholeness Training
Partners in Health and Wholeness Training
Jan 3, 2011
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Partners in Health and Wholeness Training

Are you a pastor or parishioner who is concerned about the health of God’s people? Are you troubled when you read the names of congregants who are home-bound or have been hospitalized due to an illness in the weekly church bulletin? Do you believe that our bodies are God’s temple and that we can improve our health and, in the case of secondhand smoke, the health of others by being physically active, eating healthily and not using tobacco products?
Statement on Physical Activity and Nutrition
Statement on Physical Activity and Nutrition
Dec 6, 2010
North Carolina Council of Churches

Statement on Physical Activity and Nutrition

The issue of overweight and obesity has been well-publicized in recent months. In the United States, more than 23 million kids (nearly one-third) are overweight or obese. In North Carolina, 65%[2] of adults and 36% of children and youth age 6-17 fall into one of these alarming categories – alarming because of the adverse effects on one’s health resulting from carrying excess weight as well as the financial impact on the individual, his/her family, employer and the overall health care system.
Clergy and Real Life
Clergy and Real Life
Nov 29, 2010
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Clergy and Real Life

Raleigh News & Observer

Thank you for bringing awareness to the issue of clergy mental health in your Nov. 11 article, “Depression is an Occupational Hazard for Clergy.”  Too often, we expect ministers of the gospel to have all of the answers and to be available 24/7 to listen to and meet the needs of God’s people.  We fail to realize, however, that they are only human – like many of us, they have families, mortgages to pay and concerns about the future, and some clergy even take on additional jobs to help make ends meet. 
The Child Obesity Crisis
The Child Obesity Crisis
Nov 16, 2010
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

The Child Obesity Crisis

Raleigh News & Observer

The issue of overweight and obesity is not new – earlier this year, it was reported that NC is the 10th most obese state in the nation for adults and the 11th most overweight and obese state for children… Through Partners in Health and Wholeness, an initiative of the NC Council of Churches, congregations in NC are taking steps to improve the health of children by offering healthier snacks at youth events and encouraging physical activity.  As people of faith, we acknowledge that our bodies are God’s temple and that we must love ourselves as we love and care for others.
Health Stewardship
Health Stewardship
Sep 7, 2010
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Health Stewardship

Raleigh News & Observer

I appreciated the Aug. 22 article about Ben Roberts, owner of Foundation Fitness in Greensboro, who traveled between Raleigh and Greensboro challenging employees to be physically active.

When working with different groups, Roberts stresses the simplicity of living a healthy, active lifestyle. Small changes during the work day such as taking the stairs, using a pedometer to track the number of steps taken and keeping hydrated can help boost energy levels and overall confidence.
North Carolina Farmworker Health Facts
North Carolina Farmworker Health Facts
Aug 1, 2010
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

North Carolina Farmworker Health Facts

Farm labor ranks as one of the top three most dangerous occupations in the United States. In addition to hazards in the fields, farmworkers and their families face unique burdens on their physical and mental health. North Carolina’s leading industry is agriculture, yet farmworkers are among the most underserved residents in the state. This colorful and easy-to-read fact sheet was designed for congregations and community groups. Download a copy today.
Promoting good health can be a spiritual calling
Promoting good health can be a spiritual calling
Jul 20, 2010
Willona Stallings, Former Program Coordinator – Partners in Health & Wholeness

Promoting good health can be a spiritual calling

Greensboro News & Record

According to Trust for America’s Health, as reported in the News & Record on June 29, North Carolina is now the 10th-heaviest state, after ranking No. 12 just one year ago. This signifies a reduced quality of life for more North Carolinians, as research shows that persons who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. It also means additional financial costs for our state.
Recipes for the Heart & Soul
Recipes for the Heart & Soul
Jul 11, 2010
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Recipes for the Heart & Soul

At the North Carolina Council of Churches’ Partners in Health and Wholeness Program, we want to help people of faith and congregations become healthier. What better way to help people become healthier than by helping them prepare healthy foods? Not only do we want to show you how to cook healthy foods at home, we want to offer you recipes to use at church events, too. Our objective with this cookbook is to highlight healthy recipes for large groups. Our hope is that you will use these recipes to help feed your parishes, that they might receive spiritual and bodily nourishment at church.
Raleigh Report: General Assembly Addressing Childhood Obesity
Raleigh Report: General Assembly Addressing Childhood Obesity
Jun 28, 2010
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Raleigh Report: General Assembly Addressing Childhood Obesity

Unfortunately, the childhood obesity epidemic is drastically affecting North Carolina. In 2009, North Carolina ranked 14th worst in the nation in childhood overweight and obesity for children ages 10-17, with more than one-third (33.5%) of our children being overweight or obese.

Also in this Raleigh Report: Domestic Violence, Environment, Gambling, Health, Housing, People with Disabilities, Public Education, and more.
The role of the church in modern politics and social change
The role of the church in modern politics and social change
May 27, 2010
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

The role of the church in modern politics and social change

NC Policy Watch

In the 21st Century, we must no longer view Church as a semiweekly activity that occurs within the confines of a physical structure with four walls and a pulpit. Instead, we must take our message of hope, justice, unity and peace to the wider community, and, yes, even Capitol Hill! I believe that real change happens when various groups – public and private, secular and religious, progressive and conservative, privileged and disadvantaged, old and young, black and white – work together to achieve a common goal.
Short Session Convenes, Senate Adopts Budget in Record Speed
Short Session Convenes, Senate Adopts Budget in Record Speed
May 27, 2010
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Short Session Convenes, Senate Adopts Budget in Record Speed

The summer’s “short session” of the North Carolina General Assembly convened on May 12, a continuation of the 2009 session. Its primary task will be to adjust the 2010-11 budget adopted last year, though it can also take up bills that made it through one house last year, bills coming from study commissions, and bills amending the state Constitution.
Russell: Faith groups back universal care
Russell: Faith groups back universal care
Mar 9, 2010
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Russell: Faith groups back universal care

Durham Herald-Sun

Opinion: Many of the noisy detractors who rail against universal access to affordable health care are the same folks who loudly proclaim a pious faith and claim ethical superiority on other issues. Maybe they should listen to other religious voices on faith and ethics, voices of those who spend their lives studying the scriptures and serving people seriously impacted by our current health-care system.

No Joy For You
No Joy For You
Oct 16, 2009
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

No Joy For You

Rev. Deborah Patterson

Babylonian captivity. I believe we are there again, both literally and figuratively. We are literally in Babylon as American troops serve in an unending war in Iraq, the new name for that land. And, working with parish nurses, daily I hear stories which attest that we are figuratively being held captive by a health system that excludes millions, bankrupts millions, and keeps millions in jobs they despise but need for health insurance. Doctors are held captive by reimbursement plans that penalize them for spending more than 7 or 8 minutes with patients. Nurses are held captive by staffing patterns that keep them working longer shifts, with more and sicker and patients to care for. Churches are being held captive by health insurance costs that prevent them from being able to call full-time pastors.
Don’t You Care?
Don’t You Care?
Jun 21, 2009
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Don’t You Care?

Rev. Cliff Frasier, First Congregational Church, UCC (Washington, D.C.)

In the policy-making reform-world, we may talk about health care as a “right.” In the economic world we may talk about health care as a cost or even as a profit. [“p-r-o-f-i-t]. In the health-care-delivery world, the social-work-world, we may talk about health care as a need. But in our faith world, let us also talk about health care as a responsibility. As a moral responsibility. To care for God’s creation — for ourselves, for each other. Let us talk about not-providing-health-care as a failure in the realm of moral-responsibility. In other words, to the degree we allow within moral reasoning the category of . . . . “sin” . . . let us allow the failure to provide healthcare to be understood in just that way.
Health and Secondhand Smoke
Health and Secondhand Smoke
Sep 5, 2006
North Carolina Council of Churches

Health and Secondhand Smoke

Even in 1984, the Council’s report suggested that there were “harmful effects . . . to those non-smokers exposed to the side-smoke of smokers.” Today, an increasingly strong body of research points to the fact that secondhand smoke (that which is inhaled by non-smokers in a smoking environment) does indeed pose serious health hazards. This risk is associated not only with long-term consumption but also with secondhand smoke breathed in for as little as thirty minutes.
Medical Malpractice Insurance Issues
Medical Malpractice Insurance Issues
Dec 2, 2003
North Carolina Council of Churches

Medical Malpractice Insurance Issues

The faith community, when true to its founding principles, has historically advocated for the common good over those of special interests. The faith community has also sought to be a voice for and a defender of “the poor, the orphaned and the widow”… A cap on medical malpractice damages would harm the common good because it would bring greater suffering upon those who have been the victims of medical malpractice. It would have its deepest impact upon the poor, who can least afford to have artificial limits placed on the compensation that might be paid to them, and it would do so to the benefit of individuals and companies of much greater financial power.
Increasing the Cigarette Tax
Increasing the Cigarette Tax
Dec 2, 2003
North Carolina Council of Churches

Increasing the Cigarette Tax

The question of raising the tax on cigarettes appears to pose a conflict between positions taken by the North Carolina Council of Churches in previous years. On the one hand, the Council has warned of the health risks associated with cigarette smoking, supported measures leading to better health and providing more accessible health care, and called for steps to limit youth access to cigarettes. On the other hand, the Council has long supported a more progressive tax structure and opposed regressive taxes.
Underage Drinking
Underage Drinking
Nov 12, 2002
North Carolina Council of Churches

Underage Drinking

Because early use of alcohol is such a causal factor in teen death and injury, there is reason for the faith community’s involvement in this issue. All faiths recognize the importance of one generation training and seeing to the needs of the next.  Whether it is through the family or the “village,” the care of children and youth is a universal responsibility. The Hebrew Scriptures (for example, Deuteronomy 4:9; Psalm 78:1-8; Proverbs 22:6) reflect the importance of the older generation teaching the younger. Jesus’ words also reflect the importance of parents caring for their children. When he was looking for a stark example of God’s care for God’s children, Jesus asked, “If your child asks for bread, will you give a stone? If your child asks for a fish, will you give a snake?” (Matthew 7:9-10). Reducing underage drinking is consistent with the faith community’s long-standing concern for the well-being and full development of children and youth.
Hog Lagoons
Hog Lagoons
Nov 9, 2000
North Carolina Council of Churches

Hog Lagoons

In less than ten years, North Carolina’s national rank in hog production has catapulted from sixth to second.  This rapid growth has been stimulated by the opening, in 1991, of the world’s largest hog slaughterhouse, located in Bladen County.  Much of the growth in hog production is concentrated in the five surrounding counties. In the raising, butchering, processing, transporting and marketing of hogs, a livelihood has been provided for thousands of persons, and additional nutritious meat products have become available for the people of our nation and abroad. However, when the slaughterhouse began operating, the state was unprepared for this exponential growth and lacked a regulatory program for factory farms. Counties could not direct the growth since a 1991 amendment to state zoning law prohibited counties from exercising their zoning authority over factory farms.
Older Adults in Long-Term Care
Older Adults in Long-Term Care
Oct 28, 1998
North Carolina Council of Churches

Older Adults in Long-Term Care

The plaintive cry of the Psalmist, “Cast me not off in the time of old age” (Ps. 71:9), demands renewed attention by the church as the number of older citizens escalates in American life. North Carolina’s 65 and over population is estimated to reach 1.2 million by 2010, more than 14% of the population. In 2011, the first of the “baby boomers” will reach retirement, with the percentage of older people in our population soaring to between fifteen and twenty percent.
A Policy Statement on Health Care
A Policy Statement on Health Care
Jan 11, 1997
North Carolina Council of Churches

A Policy Statement on Health Care

Four years ago, the Council of Churches issued a policy statement on health care that expressed concern about the large number of North Carolinians without adequate health insurance and about the high and increasing cost of health care. Our concern is especially great for those most vulnerable in our society: the poor, children, people of color, and the elderly. At that time, we called for a national health plan that would guarantee universal coverage for health care, coupled with effective cost control, broad-based and equitable financing, and assured quality of services.
Welfare Reform
Welfare Reform
Jan 11, 1997
North Carolina Council of Churches

Welfare Reform

The biblical prophet Amos declared “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.” In the Hebrew Scriptures, conm1unity responsibility for the poor was built into community structure. Landowners were required to leave a portion of their crops in the field, and the poor and needy were entitled to glean fields for food God’s disapproval falls not on those who are poor, but on the kings, the unjust owners, and the oppressors: “God will defend the poorest, God will save the children of those in need and crush the oppressor God will free the poor man who calls on him, and those who need help. God will have pity on the poor and feeble, and save the lives of those in need” (Psalm 72).
The Church and the Rural Crisis in North Carolina
The Church and the Rural Crisis in North Carolina
May 5, 1988
North Carolina Council of Churches

The Church and the Rural Crisis in North Carolina

We must rethink and rework not only the unjust and unwise practices of energy and capital-intensive, centrally-controlled and wealth-concentrating agribusiness production, but also its goals and assumptions, if we are to be true to creation theology and a just, participatory, and sustainable agricultural production system. Specifically, we must use more appropriate regenerative technology and alternative farming methodology in North Carolina if there is to be a future on the farm for many small and medium-income farmers who have survived in the past primarily by growing tobacco. Indeed, without the institution of a regenerative agricultural production system, future generations on all continents will risk the loss of even more of the scarce arable land, forests, species, aquifers, and energy sources at a time when the global population will be doubling every generation.
Moral Dimensions of Tobacco
Moral Dimensions of Tobacco
Jul 12, 1984
Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Moral Dimensions of Tobacco

The Study Committee on Tobacco was formed by the NC Council of Churches in response to a dilemma faced by the citizens of NC. On the one hand, mounting medical evidence links the use of tobacco with numerous health problems. On the other hand, the long established tobacco economy is threatened. The tendency in NC has been to avoid or ignore the dilemma. Farmers, agribusiness people, manufacturers and distributors of tobacco products, as well as state officials, have found it difficult to deal directly with he crisis precipitated by the increasing pressure of negative health data.