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 […]
I love the dark mornings, the tints of grey in the sky foreshadowing the brightness to come. I especially love it when I wake at the fourth or fifth hour […]
Health Care for All NC and the NC Council of Churches have received a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. The $25,000 grant from the Trust will allow […]
The open enrollment period for the Healthcare Marketplace will open on November 1, and the Council’s Affordable Care Act resource page has been updated to provide helpful information. It is important 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 […]
This week is Race to Quit, a campaign to inspire, encourage, and bring awareness to the importance of being tobacco free. As I was considering what to write, I thought […]
Smoking is the most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death. One out of every five North Carolinians is a smoker and may be unaware of the support that exists […]
These closing weeks, or days, of the General Assembly’s session are sometimes known as the silly season, when weirdness is the watchword at the maze-like Legislative Building on Raleigh’s Jones […]
The proverbial elephant labored and, against all hopeful expectations, brought forth a mouse. The “elephants” who run the Republican-controlled General Assembly labored and now have brought forth, if not a […]
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 […]
Earlier this summer, Partners in Health and Wholeness was featured in an Atlanta-based magazine article on faith and health. The June feature appeared in “Upscale” magazine and shared information about PHW’s work […]
Have you ever met a faith community nurse? My guess is that if you have, you know it. They are go-getters. They know how to take an idea and make it happen. […]
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 […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches celebrates today’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. For decades, the Council has supported universal health care, and while the current version […]
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 of Churches’ Legislative Seminar – its top-profile public event of the year – is meant to inform, and it’s meant to inspire. We’re not too bashful to say […]
Call it an exercise in futility? Well, no. There may not be a chance in the world that the General Assembly’s Republican chiefs will let the latest proposal to expand […]
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 […]
Any of you who have already done your tax return for 2014 have discovered new questions about your health insurance status. For many of us, it’s just a matter of […]
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 […]
The mission of the NC Council of Churches extends into many areas that highlight the links between faith and public policies. And of the various events and activities sponsored by […]
Join us on April 14 at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary for the Council’s 2015 Legislative Seminar. Held every two years, the Seminar equips people of faith with the […]
Growing up in a household where one of my parents is a community activist and the other is a teacher, my brother and I were strongly encouraged to use our […]
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. […]
This week has been full of weather disruptions. From school cancellations, missed Ash Wednesday services, to business closings, this has been a week of changed plans. So, here are a […]
Our faiths call us to work for justice and show compassion for the “least of these.” Justice issues can also make such good economic sense that we cannot afford not […]
How will you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? I am getting away with a group of college friends for our annual girls weekend, while my husband will spend time with […]
I am delighted to announce that we have hired Monica Motley as program director for Partners in Health and Wholeness. She started with us in January. Monica holds master’s degrees […]
Apparently I scare Civitas. Maybe it’s my upbringing. I was raised by a single mom (my parents divorced when I was a toddler) who was fortunate to have a solid […]
The open enrollment period for those seeking coverage through the Affordable Care Act ends on February 15. As NC Policy Watch’s Chris Fitzsimon pointed out shortly after this latest round of […]
This is the time of resolutions, health goals, hope for transformation and new beginnings. As you set your goals and make your plans for 2015, we at PHW hope we […]
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing….” It is the final week of Advent, […]
During the holiday season, we celebrate the love of friends and family, and this week of Advent we anticipate the love of the coming Christ. As we seek to live […]
This second week of Advent is often set aside to reflect on peace. Reflection is a starting place; it does not take much reflection time to recognize that peace is […]
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 […]
The decision last year by the conservatives who control North Carolina’s state government not to expand the state’s Medicaid program has left an estimated half-million residents out in the cold […]
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 […]
North Carolina Council of Churches Program Director for Partners in Health and Wholeness Position Description Hours: Full-time, program-level position, based in Raleigh and requiring some in-state travel Reports to: […]
“[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 […]
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 […]
Health Care for All NC is continuing the important work for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina. The group is hoping concerned residents will add their names to a petition calling on […]
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. […]
I was not granted the gift of creativity, so I am always in awe when I come across ideas like that of Healing Ceilings. This month at West Raleigh Presbyterian […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
Meet one of our community leaders, Helen Livingston, of Scotland County. I first met Helen through the phone when I started with PHW, and almost instantly we were kindred spirits. She […]
We have all been touched by news of the growing Ebola crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria, a crisis that so far has resisted efforts at containment. Those […]
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 […]
The human body naturally seeks homeostasis or balance. This course does not need any thought or action from the individual; it is a natural process. Recently, I took the Partners […]
Wednesday, August 12, 1-2 p.m. Partnership for Children Building 404 North Main Street, #A, Troy One of our stellar volunteers for Montgomery County is hosting a curriculum demonstration two weeks […]
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 […]
UPDATE: After this blog was posted, the final budget was unveiled and passed by the House and Senate. The large reductions in Medicaid reimbursement rates mentioned in the blog below […]
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, […]
Local North Carolina organizations are joining the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7. According to the WHO website, […]
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 […]
It is my pleasure to introduce you to PHW Intern Johnny Rogers. He is a UNC-Pembroke student, and you can read more about him in the staff section of the Council’s […]
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 […]
Mount Nebo Pentecostal Holiness Church in Ramseur, NC received a grant earlier this year from the Randolph Hospital Community Health Foundation to build a walking track, which has since been […]
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 […]
I hope that you have saved the date for the 2014 Youth Conference in Wadesboro. Partners in Health and Wholeness is joining Empowering Word Ministries to create a spectacular day […]
Anita will be performing her show, “Mama Juggs,” at 3 p.m.on Sunday, June 22, at Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 E Martin St, Raleigh. This funny and informative show will be a kickoff event for the Breastfeeding Collaborative, an initiative of the NC Council of Churches that helps congregations to be breastfeeding friendly. Interviewed by Marnie Cooper Priest, project director for the Breastfeeding Collaborative. How long have you been performing the “Mama Juggs” show? On June 20 it will be the fifth anniversary of the “Mama Juggs” show. Did you have another show before…
Workers in tobacco fields suffer the same injustices that other farmworkers face, including the low wages, weak workplace protections, and harsh conditions. However, their work is even more unhealthy and […]
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…
For most North Carolinians, the myriad choices that comprise the state budget may affect the quality of their children’s education, or whether their favorite state park is kept in good […]
Say this much for the leaders of the North Carolina Senate and House: When they make up their minds on a course of action, they don’t mess around. The General […]
A few weeks ago, Human Rights Watch published a report on child labor in tobacco farming. Below, former NCCC intern John Zambenini comments on the large amount of media attention […]
United Progressive Baptist Church has had many successes improving the health of the members of our congregation. During our Vacation Bible School, we were able to engage the youth of […]
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 […]
Did you know it is Screen-Free Week? During this annual, international celebration, schools, families, and community groups pledge to spend seven days without entertainment screen media. Instead of watching TV, surfing […]
