An initiative of the North Carolina Council of Churches

January 2011

 THE FAITH AND HEALTH PERSPECTIVE
A Newsletter by the North Carolina Council of Churches

Vol. 3, No. 1

Key Topic in this Issue:
Statewide Implementation of Partners in Health and Wholeness

In this Issue
Program Update
Silver and Gold PHW Certificates
One-Year Anniversary of Smokefree Restaurants and Bars
Sample Recipe
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Announcements

PARTNERS IN HEALTH AND WHOLENESS: COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU! 


Thanks to generous funding from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the North Carolina Council of Churches will continue our efforts to improve the health of clergy and congregants through Partners in Health and Wholeness. In the New Year, we will hold regional events and trainings to show the connection between our faith and health and to motivate individuals, congregations and judicatories to take action - not only to improve our own health but the health of our neighbors.

A Look Back
In April of 2009, Partners in Health and Wholeness embarked upon a fruitful period of program planning and coalition building which has included:

  • Meeting with the heads of our member bodies to share the mission of PHW and to learn what churches are already doing around health.
  • Forming an Advisory Council made up of faith and public health leaders.
  • Meeting with representatives from a variety of health organizations and developing partnerships with many of them.
  • Holding the first-ever Faith and Health Summit in downtown Raleigh which brought together faith, health and political leaders from across the state.
  • Developing a worship aid to illustrate the spiritual relevance of healthy living and a cookbook with nutritious, large quantity recipes for churches.
  • Engaging people of faith in health and wellness activities and rewarding them for their efforts through the PHW Certification Program. To date, fifty-three congregations have achieved Bronze Certification.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Council's mission by taking seriously the health of clergy and congregants in North Carolina. We look forward to strengthening many of our existing partnerships as well as forming new ones in 2011!
Upcoming PHW Event
The first PHW event for 2011 will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Goldsboro on Saturday, January 29 from 10am-noon. The purpose of this event is to bring together clergy and congregational health promoters (or "PHW Liaisons") to:

  • Discuss health as a practice of our faith.
  • Introduce people of faith to health-related resources in their local community and surrounding areas.
  • Encourage congregations to incorporate health into weekly worship services and to participate in activities which help to build a sense of community and improve the health and well-being of all individuals.

If you live, work or worship in Wayne, Johnston, Sampson, Duplin, Lenoir, Greene, Wilson or Pitt counties and wish to attend, please contact Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator, at willona@nccouncilofchurches.org or 919-828-6501.

New Website
PHW has developed a new website with up-to-date information for clergy, congregants and health professionals. Please visit us online at www.healthandwholeness.org and start taking advantage of all the resources and tools today!

PHW Certification Program
As of January 2010, fifty-three congregations from different denominations and geographic areas have taken part in the Partners in Health and Wholeness Certification Program. They each acknowledge that our bodies are the temple of God and have taken steps to improve the health of their members by naming a health contact person or PHW Liaison, maintaining tobacco-free buildings, and serving healthier church meals. The following churches are the latest to achieve Bronze PHW Certification, setting a wonderful example for others in the faith community to follow:

  • Woodleaf United Methodist Church, Woodleaf
  • Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Southern Pines
  • Trinity Presbyterian Church, Winston-Salem
  • St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church, Raleigh

SILVER AND GOLD CERTIFICATES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!

Please visit us online at www.healthandwholeness.org to read about the requirements for Silver and Gold PHW Certification. You can then either: 1) fill out the online form to verify that your congregation has completed the required activities, or 2) begin taking steps to achieve Silver or Gold PHW Certification by the end of the year.

Upon completion of the PHW Certification Program, your congregation will receive a congratulatory letter, certificate and a decal to display on your front doors, as a way to tell the community that you promote good health as a practice of your faith.


CELEBRATING ONE YEAR OF SMOKE-FREE RESTAURANTS AND BARS

On January 2, 2010, restaurants and bars in North Carolina became smoke-free and, since that time, we have all reaped the benefits. The new law reduces our risk of death as exposure to secondhand smoke claims the lives of more than 1,600 nonsmokers in North Carolina each year and can trigger a heart attack in someone with heart disease in as little as 30 minutes. It's also of benefit to wait staff, for whom the restaurant or bar becomes a smoke-free work environment.

The enactment of Smoke-Free Restaurants and Bars was a huge step in the right direction for North Carolina, the largest tobacco-producing state in the nation. However, there is more that can and should be done to discourage North Carolinians, particularly our youth, from using tobacco products and to further reduce our risk of exposure to secondhand smoke. The North Carolina Alliance for Health, a strong ally of the North Carolina of Churches, is proposing that we increase the state's cigarette tax by $1 per pack. This would not only reduce tobacco use in our state but also raise an estimated $334 million in new revenue. To learn more, please visit the Alliance online at www.ncallianceforhealth.org. To sign a resolution in support of the excise tax, please click here.


SAMPLE RECIPE

Mock-Southern Sweet Potato Pie
16 servings – 1 slice per serving
Ingredients
Crust:
1 ¼ cups flour
¼ tsp sugar
1/3 cup skim milk
2 Tbsps vegetable oil

Filling:
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
3 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup evaporated skim milk, canned
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
  2. Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl.
  3. Add milk and oil to the flour mixture.
  4. Stir with fork until well mixed and then form pastry into a smooth ball with your hands.
  5. Roll the ball between two 12-inch squares of waxed paper using short, brisk strokes until pastry reaches edge of paper.
  6. Peel off top paper and invert crust into pie plate.

Filling:

  1. Combine sugars, salt, spices and eggs.
  2. Add milk and vanilla. Stir.
  3. Add sweet potatoes and mix well.
  4. Pour mixture into pie shell.
  5. Bake for 60 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool and cut into 16 slices.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)
Calories: 147
Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: Less than 1 g
Cholesterol: 40 mg
Sodium: 98 mg

Courtesy of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/syah/swpotpie.htm


LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

A young woman went to her doctor complaining of pain. "Where are you hurting?" asked the doctor.
"You have to help me, I hurt all over", said the woman.
"What do you mean, all over?" asked the doctor. "Be a little more specific."
The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, "Ow, that hurts." Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, "Ouch! That hurts, too." Then she touched her right earlobe, "Ow, even THAT hurts", she cried.
The doctor checked her thoughtfully for a moment and told her his diagnosis; "You have a broken finger."

Courtesy of Jokes 'N Jokes.Net
http://www.jokesnjokes.net/funny.jokes.amusing.humor.laughs/Profession/doctor001.htm


ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you would like to announce an upcoming health event that is taking place at your church or within your community, please email the following information to Willona Stallings at willona@nccouncilofchurches.org:

  • Date, time and location of the event
  • Purpose
  • Intended audience
  • Other information that might be of benefit to persons who wish to attend

THANK YOU!!
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