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 […]
The Council is partnering with Raise the Wage NC to encourage faith communities to hold a Labor Sabbath this Labor Day weekend, September 1-3. Faith leaders can adapt their holy […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Groups at the state and national level continue to mobilize around concerns about President-Elect Donald Trump’s stated policy objectives and choices for cabinet posts. The NC NAACP, Interfaith Power & […]
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; […]
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, […]
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 […]
Partners in Health and Wholeness ambitiously endeavors to work for and toward issues of mind, body, and spirit with faith communities. The words ‘health’ and ‘wholeness’ are truly huge words, […]
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 […]
The Partners in Health and Wholeness program originally had an October 31 deadline for our 2016 certification applications. However, due to the severity of Hurricane Matthew, we are extending our […]
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 […]
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 […]
The senators and representatives who make up North Carolina’s General Assembly let their 2015 session run on far longer than it should have. Let’s be glad that the curtain has […]
Last week, the European refugee crisis reached a tragic peak. More than 11 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes due to violence and persecution. Many of these people […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Council helped organize a Service of Repentance and Consecration in front of the General Assembly Building prior to the Moral March and HKonJ People’s Assembly held earlier this month in Raleigh. […]
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 […]
A cross-section of North Carolinians and progressives from other states flooded downtown Raleigh on Saturday as part of HKonJ 2014. Longtime activists from across the state walked with college students, parents […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break […]
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 […]
One in four children in North Carolina is at-risk of hunger. Yet the House of Representatives will soon take up a bill that will cut $40 billion from the Supplemental […]
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.
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 […]
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.
Friday, October 10, 2014; 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Ardmore Baptist Church 501 Miller Street, Winston-Salem Please use the scroll bar to complete entire form and click […]
Young people from Charlotte had the opportunity to pack meals with Stop Hunger Now thanks to Council supporters. A meal-packaging event originally scheduled after the Council’s April Critical Issues Seminar […]
Last week, while senators in Washington indicated their overwhelming support for the Farm Bill through a preliminary floor vote, farmworker families throughout the Southeastern U.S. toiled long hours in the summer heat. After 14-hour days in the fields, many farmworkers return home pesticide-ridden, underpaid and empty-handed — financially unable to provide adequate food for themselves and the hungry mouths that await them.
Join us on April 19 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem as we package meals with Stop Hunger Now, the Raleigh-based non-profit that provides nutritious dehydrated meals which are shipped […]
Ending world hunger is a pretty big goal, but the folks at Stop Hunger Now have set it for themselves and have been working toward it for 13 years. With […]
While the Great Recession technically ended in mid-2009, its effects on North Carolina’s workers and families have dragged on. High unemployment and underemployment have led to increases in numerous measures of economic hardship, including hunger. More than two million North Carolinians faced food hardship in 2010.
For more than a million individuals in North Carolina facing hunger, the state’s food stamps program provided a vital lifeline. Participation in the program has surged since the start of the recession, with the equivalent of the population of Charlotte being added to the program.
Friends of the NC Council of Churches in Western North Carolina will be fasting on Good Friday in solidarity with the poor, and in recognition that budgets are moral documents. They call upon Congressman Shuler to work with his colleagues find a way to balance the federal budget that does not place the burden for doing so on the shoulders of those vulnerable Americans who are least able to bear that burden.
