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 […]
The Watershed Discipleship Course was held June 16-20 at in Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. This conference was sponsored by the Food, Faith, and Religious Leadership Initiative at Wake Divinity with […]
I am already mourning the loss of the abundance of fresh produce that has been available this summer. It is a sort of anticipatory grief, particularly for those warm summer […]
I am roughly halfway through my internship with Partners in Health and Wholeness, and the pressure is on. There are a lot of behind-the-scenes activities that make PHW successful. For instance, it can […]
Please join the North Carolina Council of Churches at the 2014 Faith and Health Summit, which will be held on Friday, October 10, 2014 at Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem (501 […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness continues to amaze me. I had a chance to visit Laurinburg Presbyterian Church where PHW is incorporating their program for healthier lifestyles. Of course this […]
Do you have people in your congregation with type 2 diabetes? Have you considered creating an emergency kit especially for them? PHW liaison, Dr. Renee Lea-Currie of Philadelphia Seventh Day Adventist […]
On Saturday I had the chance to attend the 5th Annual Great Tomato Festival, which is a collaboration between the Cooperative Extension of Guilford County and NC A&T University. Extension master […]
The Lord raised up Laquanda Bowden of Empowering Word Ministries and her church crew to organize an incredible 2014 Youth Conference. Yes, Partners in Health and Wholeness co-hosted this event, […]
“How is this equal?!” I often articulate this simple phrase whenever I take a look at the world these days. Sometimes I mutter the sentence under my breath in disbelief, […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness co-hosted a youth conference on Saturday, July 12, with Empowering Word Ministries in Wadesboro. I was honored to be able to participate as a PHW intern. […]
Courtney Ward is a summer intern with the Alliance of Baptists, working with Pullen Memorial Baptist Church and lending her aid to the Partners in Health and Wholeness Initiative. Born […]
From this internship with Partners in Health and Wholeness, my main expectations were to strengthen my employment applications after graduation by adding additional experiences. However, after my first day in […]
Blueberries, blackberries, persimmons and plums! What is your local fruit IQ? Do you know when local fruit is in season and where to get it? The blog below, written by […]
Date: Proper 13 – Aug. 3, 2014
Topic: Ending Hunger
Focus Text: Matthew 14:13-21
Jesus’ feeding the multitudes is found in all four gospels. Both Matthew and Mark include two feeding stories. While Luke includes only the feeding of the five thousand, his gospel is filled with significant events surrounding meals. John’s extended account of the feeding of the multitude is interwoven with his account of the Eucharist. All of the evangelists saw in this story something crucial to the identity of Jesus and the life of the church.
There’s lots to celebrate this month. Besides my birthday (smile), the month of June is when we observe Men’s Health Week and National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month. These two issues, each important enough on their own, also overlap as men are encouraged to eat nutritious, well-balanced meals in order to remain healthy and strong. Our nation’s dietary guidelines are updated every five years, with the most recent set of guidelines released in 2010. In this report, the US Department of Agriculture advises both men and women to…
The Partners in Health and Wholeness Breastfeeding Collaborative kicks off with a performance by Anita Woodley of her one-woman show, “Mama Juggs.” Woodley is a nationally renowned local performer and […]
District 38 representative Yvonne Holley recently visited the offices of the North Carolina Council of Churches. She came to express her support for one of the Council’s newest initiatives, The […]
In conjunction with the Critical Issues Seminar on Public Education in June, the NC Council of Churches will be collecting non-perishable items to support Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Backpack Buddies program. […]
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Wait, isn’t that a line from a Christmas song? Well, yes. But, when it comes to living a healthy life, what time […]
Meet one of our community leaders: Helen Livingston of Scotland County. I was able to get her to tell us a bit about herself and her community involvement. Joy: Ms. […]
I’ve learned over the last year as I’ve worked to complete my Masters of Social Work degree that health and the availability of nutritious food are justice issues with global proportions. […]
Healthy North Carolina 2020 is a health improvement plan for our state. It addresses a wide range of issues that impact our health, such as tobacco use, physical activity and […]
The brain, one of the only organs not fully developed at birth, experiences 90% of its development before age eight. The 2000 days between birth and the start of kindergarten […]
Last year, I did not see many church leaders and pastors at the food and faith events I attended. I wondered if they knew about these events. As I reflected, I […]
If you have not already done so, please mark your calendar for Saturday, April 5. You will not want to miss the Bread for the World NC Conference in Greensboro entitled, […]
In recognition of our faithful call and of this time in history, the Council’s annual Lenten guide focuses on poverty and the ways we can respond to our sisters and […]
The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina is sponsoring a “Day of Diocesan Story-Telling and Celebration,” focusing on Lex Mathews’ time as Director of Christian Social Ministries from 1975 until 1985. […]
Recent, widely disseminated news reports claim that the benefits of breastfeeding have been drastically overstated. This is a startling assertion. It contradicts prolific and long-standing research that has formed the […]
I’ll never forget how it felt to serve dinner to this group. About 30 hungry, tired farmworkers arrived back at their camp just as it was getting dark, and they were kind enough to welcome us into their humble space for a shared meal. This group of mostly young men had been busy harvesting sweet potatoes down East. Most were indigenous Mexicans who learned Spanish as a second language, who didn’t know any English.
As we spooned out rice and beans and poured soda from two-liter bottles, I was struck at how rare it is for any of us to meet the people who actually produce and harvest the food we eat. From our history of slavery to our modern industrial context, our society has not really reckoned with the grim reality of those at the bottom of our food chain.
Shannon Axtell Martin, Regional Consultant, Partners in Health & Wholeness
There is nothing like the aroma of bread baking, and the incredibly comforting and satisfying taste of warm, fresh bread. From “give us this day our daily bread” to “I am the bread of heaven” to the feeding of the 5,000 to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, this seemingly simple food is so theologically rich. It is used to represent Christ’s body, God’s provision of manna in the wilderness, and livelihood in general.
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Love Fellowship Believers – a PHW Silver-Certified Congregation located in Greensboro and under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Kevin Webb – was awarded a Statewide Pioneering Healthier Communities Youth Advocacy […]
Recently, I received a notice from a local community garden organizer about a grant opportunity sponsored by a fertilizer company. I shared it with my e-mail group and found one […]
How did faith play a role in shaping my food and faith experience? Food was very much a part of my growing up and interactions with both of my parents’ […]
New activities and requirements for the 2014 Partners in Health and Wholeness Certification Program are now posted on our website! We hope that you will join this statewide movement to […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
I know that we are past the holidays, but are we past the pounds that we might have packed on? Many times, we are so bombarded by the holiday hype […]
Have you ever thought about what your pet may think of your diet? I had some fun exploring this idea with a friend’s pet. Heidi is a dachshund with a […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
The Raleigh News & Observer reported recently that work may be getting harder for North Carolina’s poultry workers. If the Obama administration gives the go-ahead, new policies already backed by […]
Breastfeeding mothers everywhere have another reason to smile. On two separate occasions, one at the General Audience in December and another during a Baptism last week at the Cistene Chapel, Pope […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
PHW received an Outstanding Community Service Award from Peletah Ministries in New Bern, under the leadership of Pastors Anthony and Dawn Baldwin Gibson, on Saturday, January 11. Peletah Ministries, a […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness cannot do its work without your involvement. We are dedicated to equipping individuals and churches with the proper resources to be successful at implementing healthier […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Tabernacle of Deliverance is a non-denominational church located in a low socioeconomic community that strives to promote health and wellness along with spiritual guidance to those residing in the community. […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
The holiday season, unfortunately, has become one of the more appropriate times of the year to talk about advertising. From Black Friday through day after Christmas shopping, there are ads all around […]
This is a special time of year. For Christians, it’s a time of Advent or expectant waiting for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This period of anticipation culminates on […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
PHW was recently awarded a two-year implementation grant from the John Rex Endowment to promote breastfeeding in low-resource congregations in Wake County. Marnie Cooper Priest, a native of Maine and […]
For any of us trying to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight, the weeks from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day are the hardest of the year. All that […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness is teaming up with the NC Alliance of YMCAs to identify organizations, like churches, with active youth groups who seek to improve the health of […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Many churches highlight feeding ministries and fighting hunger as one of their most important and holy missions, taking very seriously the call of Jesus to feed his sheep, as he commands […]
Climate Change Is Real… In Many Ways… In Different Places… At The Same Time… As We All Exist. Today I picked these peppers due to early freezing temperatures in North […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Does hunger cause people to work harder, or to make better decisions as to how to spend what little money they may have? OK, let’s say the pangs of an […]
Andres Sandoval went to a doctor in Benson, North Carolina four years ago complaining of stomach aches and difficulty sleeping. He was diagnosed with leukemia, and as a pesticide applicator, […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Our congregation has used PHW’s gold status requirements as a framework for implementing activities throughout the year. Our priest, Jonah Kendall, led our health directive through his healthy and active […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
With Halloween upon us and holiday baking not far behind, think in terms of fair-trade chocolate and other ingredients for sharing and for cooking. According to Vince Isner in the October […]
We are honored to be the recipient of the Bronze mini-grant award in the amount of $500. Under the leadership and guidance of Elder Jerry Jones, the membership of Zion […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
Once the budget snarl in Washington finally is untangled and the federal government is back up and running – hopefully in time to avoid a perilous default on the country’s […]
I have a conflicted relationship with cooking. For the big food holidays, moments of inspired recipe testing, and the occasional soup or marinara prep and freeze binge, I’m your gal. […]
This event is sponsored by the Food, Faith, and Religious Leadership Initiative and co-sponsored by Partners in Health and Wholeness (NC Council of Churches), in partnership with the following churches and faith communities: Morning Star Missionary Baptist, Temple Emanuel, Parkway United Church of Christ, Centenary UMC, The Greater Tabernacle Worship Center, and Macedonia Worship Center.
Following on the success of our February 2013 food justice conference, this follow-up gathering will focus more on skills that you can take back to your community. Using local presenters, each of our three sessions will feature lecture-style learning with small group discussion centered around our three themes.
I had the pleasure of attending the Tri-Regional Faith and Community Health Summit in Atlanta, GA on October 3-5. The event was chock-full of dynamic speakers and informative sessions. Some […]
The political stakes and motives are plain to see. President Obama and his Democratic allies on Capitol Hill are locked in a desperate struggle with the Republicans who control the […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why our […]
As you’ll see in the news clip and discussion above, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is about to implement major changes to how chickens are processed. These changes will harm workers and consumers alike.
The USDA plans to implement a new rule to increase production speed and eliminate 75% of USDA inspectors in poultry processing factories. Companies will police themselves. During the comment period last year, the proposed rule was savaged by food safety experts, animal rights activists, and worker advocates. There was no credible rebuttal to their concerns. With faster production and less oversight, it’s no surprise that the pilot program found higher rates of salmonella.
Fall is in the air. There has been a crispness in the air that, until recently, has been a distant memory. But where did I first catch a glimpse of fall? Not […]
The recent workshop on healthy food pantries that Partners in Health and Wholeness presented with the Partnership for Community Care was a huge success. The food was delicious, and the presentation […]
Governor Pat McCrory recently issued a proclamation declaring September 15-21 to be “Farm Safety and Health Week.” Here at the NC Council of Churches, we’ve been working with rural communities and farmworkers for decades, and we are well aware of the need for safety on our state’s farms. Our friends at NC FIELD have issued a powerful press release calling attention to the need for not only words from the Governor’s mansion but for real actions by all NC agencies and growers to make farmwork safer and to close the child labor loophole that puts kids in danger.
The Jefferson Post
Have you ever gone to bed hungry? Have you ever skipped a meal so that your children could eat? Have you ever waited in a long line to take home a bag of leftover groceries that was no longer fit for store shelves?Did you know that 1 in 6 North Carolina households reported serious problems affording adequate nutritious food at some point last year, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture today. Of the North Carolinians experiencing this food insecurity, some 5.5 percent experienced very low food security – meaning that one or more household members had to reduce their food intake at least some time during the year.
Ever heard of the Food Safety & Modernization Act? It’s a 2011law that’s meant to help make our food safer and prevent contamination. While we all want safer food, the […]
Somewhat lost this summer amidst all the conversation about comprehensive immigration reform is a little-known bill called the “Agricultural Guestworker Act” (or “Ag Act,” HB 1773) that has already passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. This harmful bill is a thinly veiled attempt to strip farmworkers of the few rights they have on the job while propping up agribusinesses’ bottom line.
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness is co-sponsoring a Healthy Communities, Healthy Churches Summit on Saturday, September 7 from 10am-3pm in New Bern (Christ Episcopal Ministry Center, 311 Middle Street). The […]
Many churches highlight feeding ministries and fighting hunger as one of their most important and holy missions, taking very seriously the call of Jesus to feed his sheep, as he commands […]
American spirituality is discovering itself anew as people of faith reconnect with the land. As I’ve traveled the country I’ve met fellow Christians who are falling in love with their faith all over again, and in every instance this love affair is tied to a place. Not a lofty cathedral directing the worshipper’s thoughts heavenward; these places draw the eyes—and the hands—down to earth, back to the soil from which Genesis tells us we were formed, and which we’re called to “tend and keep.” Our first and most basic human task, I’ve come to learn, is to care for the garden.
So begins Fred Bahnson’s recent op-ed article in the Washington Post. If you don’t know Fred already, you should. He’s a gifted speaker and writer, a thinker and theologian, but most importantly, he’s a gardener. After working for years with Anathoth Community Garden in Cedar Grove, NC, he now directs the new Food, Faith, and Religious Leadership Initiative at Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
Many churches highlight feeding ministries and fighting hunger as one of their most important and holy missions, taking very seriously the call of Jesus to feed his sheep, as he commands […]
Since the end of slavery in America, no workers have been more exploited than the men and women who bend to the earth in backbreaking labor, picking fruits, vegetables, and tobacco. Despite miracles of agricultural progress and innovation over the decades, the harsh lives and working conditions of migrant laborers have changed very little. Their cause has been championed in the past by Edward Murrow, Cesar Chavez, and the United Farmworkers. But that list is incomplete without Baldemar Velásquez . Velásquez was among hundreds of thousands of children who joined their migrant parents working long hours in the fields. Inspired by that early experience, Velásquez founded the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) in 1967.
Date: Proper 16 – Aug. 25, 2013
Topic: Hunger
Focus Text: Isaiah 58:9b-14
God does not say here, “The poor you have with you always, so relax, take your time, pay your bills, balance your budget, play the lottery, fill up the SUV, take a vacation, and, if there are any crumbs left on the table, offer pennies to the hungry.” Rather, God clearly gives feeding the hungry top priority on the daily agenda of God’s people rather than fighting terrorism and protecting one’s job security, life insurance, college savings program, or retirement investment.
Thank you for joining the Partners in Health and Wholeness Book Club. You can officially sign-up here. Through it, we hope to engage people of faith in discussions over why […]
The News & Observer
These are difficult times. We pray that our lawmakers and governor will demonstrate compassion for our fellow North Carolinians who need food, clothing, health care and shelter and for the many charitable nonprofit organizations that provide this support.
Many of you listen to Marketplace, a business-news program produced by American Public Media and carried in North Carolina by WUNC radio. Monday night, Marketplace carried a very good, though […]
The Fayetteville Observer
Sam Thompson was looking for a sunny spot to plant tomatoes. He ended up leading an award-winning community revolution. Thompson, an elder at Laurinburg Presbyterian Church, pitched the idea of a community garden to the church six years ago. What began as a creative use for otherwise empty church property was recently awarded an equipment grant by the North Carolina Council of Churches and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. “We’re using the grant funds to dig a well,” Thompson said. “Wouldn’t you know this would be the wettest June in years.”
Winston-Salem Chronicle
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation has partnered with the North Carolina Council of Churches to provide grants to faith-based organizations to help them supply healthy eating alternatives to their members and underserved communities.United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church (UMMBC) is one of 20 faith-based organizations that have received a $5,000 Healthy Eating Equipment Grant. The church will use the grant to purchase much needed equipment and supplies to support the 10 gardens that now comprise the S.G. Atkins Community Gardens at Winston-Salem State University.
Mt. Airy News
Piney Grove Baptist Church’s food ministries recently got a boost from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (BCBSNC) in the form of a $5,000 healthy eating equipment grant. The effort is a partnership between BCBSNC and the North Carolina Council of Churches to provide equipment for 20 faith-based organizations to bring healthier food to their members and communities. More than $90,000 in equipment grants are being used to provide canning and cooking supplies, expand church community gardens and increase storage for fresh produce.The Community Transformation Grant Project is a state-funded initiative designed to promote tobacco-free living, active living, and healthy eating among residents of Anson, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, […]
