An initiative of the North Carolina Council of Churches

July 2011

The Faith & Health Perspective
A Newsletter by the North Carolina Council of Churches

Key Topic in this Issue:
Mental Health

In this Issue
Mental Health
Program Update
PHW Certification Program
Health and Wellness Trust Fund
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Announcements

Mental health is an important issue that too often gets overshadowed by conditions like overweight and obesity, cancer, heart disease and stroke.  It rarely gets the attention warranted from public health professionals, policymakers, and even places of worship across North Carolina and the United States.  As a result of this widespread lack of awareness, the stigma associated with having a mental illness, along with problems of misdiagnosis, many of our brothers and sisters suffer in silence and shame with clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other forms of psychiatric distress. 

If you or someone you love is suffering from a mental illness, please seek professional help and visit the following websites for additional resources and support:

  • CareNet Counseling, Inc.
    Formerly known as Pastoral Counseling Services, CareNet is the only faith-integrated, nationally accredited counseling service in the Triad, with regional centers and affiliates located in other parts of the state.
  • Faith Connections on Mental Illness
    Formed by congregations in North Carolina, Faith Connections provides education and advocacy around mental illness in order to reduce its stigma and to support mentally ill individuals and those who care for them.
  • Mental Health Ministries   
    A ministry of the California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church which provides clergy and laity with faith-inspired materials to help them cope with, and ultimately reduce the stigma associated with, mental illness.

Finally, as people of faith, we must be careful not to demonize and disregard individuals who seem different from us, for we are all made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27).

Be well,
Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator

PROGRAM UPDATE

New Staff

Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW) hired a regional consultant, Joy Williams, in June to oversee program implementation in Anson, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Montgomery, Richmond, Robeson and Scotland counties.

Joy has a Master’s of Public Health degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, is a Fulbright Scholar, and has a passion for health and faith.  To learn more about Joy and her new role with the Council, please read her bio online at: http://www.nccouncilofchurches.org/about/staff/.

PHW CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Congregations from across North Carolina are taking charge of their health by eating more fruits and vegetables, being more physically active and not using tobacco products.  Seventy congregations are now PHW Certified, with six of them achieving our highest honor -- PHW Gold Certification.  Our newest PHW Certified Congregations are as follows:

PHW Bronze Certified

Have each named a health contact person, maintained tobacco-free buildings and served healthier church meals in the past year.

  • Eastern Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Goldsboro
  • First Baptist Church, Asheboro
  • First United Methodist Church, Asheboro
  • St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Lincolnton
  • St. Mary’s United Methodist Church, Trinity
  • St. Stephen African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wilmington  

PHW Silver Certified

Have each completed the Bronze level of certification and carried out three one-time events and two ongoing activities related to health and wellness in the past year.

  • Oak City Baptist Church, Raleigh
  • Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Erwin
  • Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Winston-Salem
  • United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem

PHW Gold Certified

Have each completed Bronze and Silver levels of certification, addressed health from the pulpit, advocated for public policy change in a health-related area of their choice, provided children and youth with healthy snacks at youth events and meetings, and carried out five additional one-time events and three ongoing activities related to health and wellness in the past year.

  • Cameron Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Broadway
  • Green Street United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem
  • Mt. Nebo Pentecostal Holiness Church, Ramseur
  • Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Eastover
  • Prospect Presbyterian Church, Mooresville
  • Woodleaf United Methodist Church, Woodleaf

If your congregation would like to participate in, or simply learn more about, the PHW Certification Program, please visit us online at: www.healthandwholeness.org. 

Governor’s Task Force for Healthy Carolinians and Other Special Appointments

The North Carolina Council of Churches has been invited to serve on the Governor’s Task Force for Healthy Carolinians which is charged with: setting key health objectives for the state, serving as an advisory committee to state leaders, and offering guidance to North Carolina’s seventy-two Healthy Carolinians Partnerships in seventy-seven counties.  In addition, beginning late summer/early fall, North Carolina’s faith community will have strong representation on the North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s Child Obesity Prevention Task Force and the Institute of Emerging Issues’ Health Council.

Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator, will represent the Council and our member bodies on these various committees, bringing a faith-inspired voice to the table and ensuring that places of worship remain an important part of the state’s vision for a healthier North Carolina. 

Partnership with Youth Empowered Solutions

PHW, in partnership with Youth Empowered Solutions, will provide FREE TRAININGS to clergy and other adults who work with youth to create positive community change through strong health advocacy, particularly as it relates to increased access to healthy foods, physical activity and tobacco use prevention.  These trainings will be held in the PHW Regional Consultant’s eight-county catchment area beginning in August.  The dates, times and general locations are as follows:

Saturday, August 6 / 10am-2pm – Anson, Montgomery, Richmond and Scotland
Saturday, September 17 / 10am-2pm – Cumberland and Robeson
Saturday, October 22 / 10am-2pm – Bladen and Columbus

To register, please click here.  You can also view our program calendar in the coming days and weeks for exact locations. 

PHW Website

An updated list of health promotion activities and resources for congregations has been added to the PHW website.  Please check it out today!   

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS TRUST FUND

Thank you to the staff of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund and to organizations it once funded for all of your hard work and dedication towards improving the health of youth through your tobacco prevention programs.  During the most recent legislative long session, as members of the General Assembly debated whether to preserve or abolish the HWTF, the evidence remained on your side....  In particular, research indicates that because of your strong public health leadership, there are 53,000 fewer youth smokers, the middle school smoking rate has been cut in half, and the high school smoking rate has been cut by one-third -- all resulting in North Carolina's lowest youth smoking rate in our state's history.

In spite of state lawmakers' final vote to abolish the HWTF, overriding the Governor's veto which would have reinstated it, your strong track record will never be forgotten by those of us in North Carolina who value health and wholeness for all.  PHW will work alongside other long-time HWTF supporters -- such as the North Carolina Alliance for Health, a statewide health advocacy coalition -- to make certain the state of North Carolina enacts a long-term investment plan, comparable to the HWTF, to preserve the health of our citizens.  Please stay tuned for more information about how individual congregations can get involved.

SAMPLE RECIPE
Chicken and Broccoli Quiche
12 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 (9-inch) ready-made piecrusts 
  • 4 eggs 
  • 1 cup low-fat or skim milk 
  • 3⁄4 cup low-fat Cheddar cheese 
  • 3⁄4 cup cooked, chopped chicken 
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli 
  • 1⁄4 cup carrots, shredded 
  • 1⁄4 cup finely chopped onion 
  •  3⁄4 tsp. garlic salt 
  • Pepper to taste 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake piecrust according to package directions. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cook broccoli until tender. Pour off liquid. Let broccoli cool; squeeze broccoli to remove some more water. Make sure broccoli is well drained. Layer the meat, vegetables and cheese into baked piecrust. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes or until top is browned. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Courtesy of Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina’s Cook Smart, Eat Smart

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

“The Lord Turns on the Light”
An elderly couple goes to their doctor for a checkup. The man goes in first. “How’re you doing?” asks the doctor. “Pretty good,” answers the old man. “I’m eating well, and I’m still in control of my bowels and bladder. In fact, when I get up at night to pee, the good Lord turns the light on for me.”

The doctor decides not to comment on that last statement, and goes into the next room to check on the man’s wife. “How’re you feeling?” he asks. “I’m doing well,” answers the old woman. “I still have lots of energy and I’m not feeling any pain.” The doctor says, “That’s nice. It sounds like you and your husband are both doing well.  One thing though – your husband said that when he gets up to pee at night, the good Lord turns the light on for him. Do you have any idea what he means?”

“Oh no,” says the woman, “He’s peeing in the refrigerator again.”

Courtesy of Only Funny Jokes

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
  • Brief description (2 or 3 sentences)
  • Website, phone number and/or email address for more information

THANK YOU!!
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