Due to COVID-19, we want to highlight the best ways to support immune health. Join PHW and Holley Dagenhardt, MA, RDN, LDN on Friday, December 4, for a conversation on […]
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. How can food relief programs support both the local economy and the families impacted most by COVID-19? Partnering with small farmers in your community to purchase […]
Hosted by the NC Council of Churches, with partners NC Interfaith Power & Light, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA), Partners in Health & Wholeness, and Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), this […]
Join the UCC Southern Conference’s Creation Justice Network on Saturday, February 29, for “Biscuits and Popcorn: A Climate Mobilization Film Festival,” at Elon Community UCC, 9:00 a.m. until noon. Thirteen […]
When the news reporter approached me, I was milling about in the grass, adjusting my pastoral stole, preparing to be present with some of our local teachers at a press […]
The Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW) Summer Mini-Grant Cycle is now open. Mini-grants are a great way to support programs in your health ministry that engage church congregants and […]
Sermon originally delivered at the Jack Crum Conference at Highlands United Methodist Church in Raleigh on Saturday, April 21. The primary text was Isaiah 55:1-9. My parents have an amazing […]
Written by Council intern Yolanda Santiago-Correa. Yolanda is a Duke Divinity School student and was born and raised in Puerto Rico. September 20, 2017: a date that every Puerto Rican […]
On Thursday, October 19th Partners in Health and Wholeness will host our 2017 Faith and Health Summit. Thursday’s events include a community gardens and permaculture tour throughout the city of […]
The General Assembly leaders meeting to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget are working with two deeply flawed proposals. As our friend Chris Fitzsimon at […]
We were already living in a time of profound consequence. President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement means that while the needs of our endangered climate are increasing, […]
Plenty of analysis is already happening around the 2018 budget proposal out of the White House. The Washington Post provides two helpful graphics here and here. More is being written […]
Last week was a mixed bag for children and youth in terms of activity at the General Assembly. Among accomplishments was further progress on raising the age at which juveniles […]
So, the question as always comes down to one of vision. The elected chieftains who decide how much money North Carolina’s state government will spend, what it will be spent […]
The next Partners in Health and Wholeness Mini-grant Cycle will begin June 5. Interested congregations must apply to join the PHW Collaborative (previously PHW Certification) by May 31 to be […]
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director [For more information on bills, including committee referrals and re-referrals, texts of bills, procedural histories, and recorded votes, go to the General Assembly website […]
In the final hours of the first day of the Triduum, these intense three days when Christians rehearse the events between Maundy Thursday and the Easter Vigil, the juxtaposition of […]
Sermon preached by the Rev. Jennifer Copeland on April 1, 2017 at First United Methodist Church, Mocksville for the Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women’s Legislative Day. For God’s […]
The budget blueprint for 2018 released by President Trump on Thursday cuts a wide swath through programs that serve women, people of color, those of low income (for poor women […]
Remarks delivered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at a press conference on fair wages on March 8, 2017. Today is a day without women. Across the world women have been […]
We are pleased to introduce the PHW Collaborative. Mostly, it is a change in the name, so if your congregation has been a part of the Partners in Health and […]
An ethical debate is a bit of a juxtaposition. As we know, ethics are a set of moral principles. It is how we understand right from wrong. So how can […]
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director Newly Introduced Bills BUDGET AND TAXES S 75, Constitutional Amendment – Maximum Income Tax Rate of 5.5%. The Constitution currently sets a maximum rate […]
Our friend Rob Schofield over at Policy Watch wrote a column on Tuesday that was as vitally important in its truth-telling as it was hard to read for the future […]
At another time in my life, I would not have spent most of Saturday occupying my tiny square of personal space in the heart of Washington DC, literally shoulder to […]
Pizazz. Laughter. Friends. Singing. These words describe the Healthy Churches 2020 National Conference. But, did you know that a faith and health national conference even exists? Healthy Churches 2020 held […]
In the past Partners in Health and Wholeness had a program dedicated to helping worshipping communities promote breastfeeding and support breastfeeding mothers. This week, the most prominent religious leader in the world, the […]
We are excited to announce that we are now accepting mini-grant applications. Congregations who were certified in 2016 (and have not already received a grant from the last cycle) are […]
PHW-certified congregations across North Carolina are eligible to apply for a mini-grant to assist in furthering their commitment to health and wholeness. Mini-grant application periods are open twice a year; […]
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham and the NC Council of Churches invite you to join us for a brief service to pray for justice and reconciliation in our nation […]
The amount of grassroots, efficient, and sustainable Kingdom work happening in North Carolina is astounding. People across our state are working together in various communities to promote health and wholeness. […]
Looking ahead to 2017, there is much more work for the Council to do than we ever imagined. Please join us. Your financial support helps us continue what began in […]
We are living in unsettling times. Progress we once thought inviolable now feels threatened. One constant is the NC Council of Churches and our commitment to a more just, united, […]
Almost 400 years ago, in what is now Massachusetts, a group of newly arrived immigrants from Europe received lifesaving hospitality from a group of indigenous Americans. Tomorrow, we celebrate and […]
The NC Council of Churches has never taken peace for granted. Indeed, along with our work in opposition to violence, there has long been the recognition that peace manifests itself […]
We work toward a church that is all-loving. That’s what we’ve always done and that’s what we’re going to keep doing. Stay connected with the Council to learn about opportunities […]
By Nina Voli, Duke Divinity School Intern Historically, the celebration of Halloween has its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, a pagan commemoration of the end of the harvest […]
Residents in 18 counties impacted by Hurricane Matthew are eligible for emergency food benefits through a program called D-SNAP. The application period is very short, ending on Wednesday, October 26. […]
A Sustainable Race: Opening New Streams of Justice in our Environmental and Food Systems will be held September 16-17 2016 at the Franklinton Center at Bricks in Whitakers, NC. Hanging […]
Upon learning that my Greenville office for Partners in Health and Wholeness would be located at the food bank, I knew it would be a harmonious fit. I walk into […]
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 […]
What does it mean to eat faithfully? This is a deeply personal, yet essentially communal question that we often don’t take the time to consider. Delving into this question, however, […]
Certification in the Council’s Partners in Health and Wholeness program is up and running. Faith communities must certify by May 31 to be eligible for mini-grant opportunities in June. In 2016, mini-grant […]
Every congregation I have worked with has collected and donated food as a part of their mission and outreach. Feeding the hungry is an essential part of both the history […]
I was intrigued by this ten-minute video passed on to me by community organizer and Council super-volunteer John Parker. I first came to learn of watershed discipleship through Fred Bahnson, director of the […]
I have the pleasure of continuing to work with Fred Bahnson, director of the Food, Faith, and Religious Leadership Initiative at the Wake Forest University Divinity School. Partners in Health […]
Sister Linda Tyndall has been a beautiful champion for health and faith outreach in Lumberton. Without her, I would not have known how to reach so many people in such a […]
I just found out that I was pre-diabetic. This has never shown up in my blood draws before and I was stunned. “Really?” I say laughing, not sure how exactly […]
Waking up at 4:30 in the morning, oven alerting the baker to the first batch of fresh bread coming out of the oven — that is what I most remember […]
Every year, I have the wonderful task of arranging a series of clergy breakfasts across the state with the goal of educating faith leaders about immigrants in their communities and […]
Earlier this month, more than 170 friends and allies gathered at Durham’s St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in support of our refugee sisters and brothers. We prayed and sang and then broke […]
By Brian Hollingsworth, PHW Intern, Wake Forest University School of Divinity A few years ago, my faith needed a breath of new life. Despite having grown up in church, being […]
The garden at Conetoe Family Life Center in Conetoe, NC is more than just about growing food; it’s about changing mindsets, bodies, and redefining food equity power structures. In response […]
Grieving is a healthy response to life’s brokenness. When we grieve we allow our emotions to catch up with our minds. It allows us to think more clearly, make better […]
The Council is hiring a full-time position for our Partners in Health and Wholeness program. Responsibilities for the Project Manager role include:| Administrative oversight for the Certification Programs and Mini-Grant Program. Specifically: disseminate […]
Jesus does not care about your latte. Your frappuccino, cappuccino, or mocha, either. At least, he doesn’t care about the cup it is served in and whether it’s branded to […]
Wednesday-Friday, November 4-6 Hilton Charlotte University Place 8629 Jim Keynes Drive, Charlotte Experience a world-class faculty convened to provide tools for sustainable health interventions. If you are a pastor or […]
The Breastfeeding Collaborative (BFC) mini-grant, certification, and training program will not continue at this time. The Partners in Health and Wholeness program is still fully committed to promoting and supporting breastfeeding […]
I was talking with colleagues, friends, and co-laborers who strive for better health on a population level and discovered that many of us had the same problem within our faith […]
I love being in the North Carolina country. There is nothing better than riding with your windows down, smelling the fresh air (sometimes loaded with smells of farm animals), the […]
A recent article in Raleigh’s News and Observer focused on the F-35 jet. The American Friends Service Committee calls this weapon system the “plane that ate the budget” and puts […]
“Joy, can you still dance. Now that I just heard about the Charleston shooting, can you dance a prayer as well as dancing to demonstrate that we offer our whole […]
By Wayde Marsh, Duke Divinity School Intern This past Tuesday, more than 200 people celebrated the career of NC Council of Churches Executive Director George Reed before his retirement at […]
“It’s like a mini-family reunion” said one participant about the Come to the Table Conference that happened at Elon Community Church on Thursday, May 28. There were many encounters that […]
For a boatload of lofty, noble and wise sentiments, look no farther than the opening fanfares of Chapter 113A, Article 1, N.C. General Statutes. The reference is to a law […]
Looking for a cool and refreshing way to make use of those cranberries you have in the freezer from the holidays? I chose to make a spring digestive aid and […]
The Council’s Farmworker Ministry Committee has long been supportive of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and its efforts on behalf of those who work in the fields. The Committee has […]
Today is Diabetes Alert Day. Seven million Americans don’t know they have diabetes. African Americans, Hispanics/Latino/as, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and people who have a family history of the […]
By Nicole Johnson, PHW Intern March is already here, with the official start of spring only days away. Is your New Year’s resolution a distant memory? Resolutions are so inspiring; it […]
In 2008, the first “Come to the Table Guidebook” was released. Claire Hermann, Laura Beach, and Chris Liu-Beers of the North Carolina Council of Churches were the contributors. The original […]
In these opening years of the twenty-first century, the need for a more sustainable food system has increasingly become a focus of our national conversation. As a Christian, sometime in […]
The NC Alliance for Health recently released poll results that show 70% of North Carolina voters are in support of funding a Healthy Corner Store Initiative to improve access to healthy food. […]
RAFI has posted information on its website about pending weather decisions for the Come to the Table Ecumenical Service on Wednesday evening and all-day conference on Thursday, both in Elon. […]
Valentine’s Day marks one of the biggest shopping days of the year, especially when it comes to chocolate and flowers. But did you know that often your tokens of affection […]
When you think of hunger in our state — where one in four children lives in a food insecure family — we wonder what Jesus would have us do to “give […]
Many of us kick off the new year committed to healthier eating. In his words below, NCIPL Steering Committee Chair Carl Sigel suggests ways we can be better not just to ourselves […]
The Council’s 2014 Advent Devotional Guide is now available as a free download. Each year, Council staff take a social justice theme as a focus for these guides to be used during […]
What do Tuesday’s elections mean for North Carolina? How can people of faith in the state continue to affect positive change? Join the staff of the North Carolina Council of […]
The slight nip in the air during the early morning hours as I make my way to an 8:00 am class tells me that summer is over. Fresh strawberries, abundant […]
“[God] has given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for […]
For the past two weeks, the NC Religious Coalition for Justice for Immigrants has been on the road for its annual clergy breakfast series on immigration. These breakfasts are designed […]
Months of planning and networking for the Partners in Health and Wholeness Faith and Health Summit culminated in a day that birthed a community choir and an anthem that was […]
In the short duration of my food system studies (since 2000-ish), I have come across several controversial topics, one of which deals with olive oil. I was once told that if […]
The deadline to register for the 2014 Faith and Health Summit has been extended until this Friday, October 3. More than 200 people have already reserved their space at this […]
Congratulations to Doorkeeper International Ministries, of Raleigh for being recognized as a breastfeeding-friendly congregation by the Partners in Health and Wholeness Breastfeeding Collaborative. They were also presented with a $5000 mini-grant, the […]
We at Paradise Outreach Ministry are making great strides in involving our congregation in healthy initiatives. It is a pleasure to announce that we just completed our 2nd Annual CPR […]
We can all relate to the desire to drink more water. However, the reality is that it just doesn’t happen for most of us. We forget it. Or some of […]
If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at the Council’s curriculum, “Eating Well: For Ourselves, For Our Neighbors, For Our Planet,” I urge you to do so. You […]
The NC Council of Churches’ 2014 Faith and Health Summit is now less than a month away, and we are delighted to have people of faith, public health professionals, faith […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation partnered together to offer twenty churches Healthy Eating Equipment Grants. These churches received up to $5,000 […]
There are some exciting advances happening in the world of public health, and these are in the form of policies created by major corporations. Although it is right to hold […]
Forget the yoga mats and fitness tapes, and step your way to health in your home, while using less toxic products. I enjoy the work of Partners in Health and […]
A 12-year study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that Americans improved their eating habits slightly over the years, but that was not the case for America’s […]
By taking care of your teeth, you can gain a beautiful smile, fewer cavities, fresh breath, and possibly, according to increasing scientific evidence, better heart functioning…did I surprise you with […]
The Bible states in Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise the day of small things.” I have been constantly reminded of that verse lately. I saw it on Facebook, then I heard […]
Savannah Missionary Baptist Church is committed to developing a holistic ministry. For the past six years our congregation has made a concerted effort to improve the health of our members […]
When most people think of 5K, they think of running. Well, this time, not so much. This 5K challenge has to do with raising awareness of health and faith through driving. […]
As you may remember, I pledged to make some healthy lifestyle changes of my own. I stated that these changes would be incremental so as not to be overwhelming and make me contemplate giving […]
I had the pleasure of serving on the North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s (NCIOM) Task Force on Rural Health, which was charged with creating a roadmap for better health in […]
