By Nicole Johnson, PHW Director January seems to be a time for changes, for some people it is about starting anew and for some about being enough. If you are like some of us on the PHW team, this time of the year is more a reflective moment and a time to say, “We did good”. For 2023 the team has been looking back at all the work you have done, and we can for sure say, “You did good, all of you. You did good”. We have been reflecting on the new partners we connected with to develop resources, new health leads we met, new faith community stories we heard, and the new photos that you sent to our inboxes, and it was ALL good. In terms of internal changes, there have been many. Partners in Health and Wholeness has grown and adapted over the last year through staff changes, programmatic changes, ministry changes, and leadership changes. For January 2024, we want to be able to say "We did good" through all the changes. So, as we continue to work alongside you, we have done our best to ensure that any changes have a positive impact on the work we do together. One of the changes for 2023 is a leadership change. PHW is moving back to having a sole director and many of you received word of that change via the Council’s E-news or on the blog or via a special announcement. My colleague, Rev. Jessica Stokes, who has been co-director with me the past 6 months is stepping into leading the continuing development of our Mental Health Advocacy work. As we have all seen during the pandemic, the importance of mental health has never been more important. There is a growing societal awareness that we need to be better and do better for all our mental health. The PHW team is focused on continuing to expand the resources for faith communities around mental health. Other changes you may see this year include a shift for mini-grants as we make them more focus area specific and in some cases denomination specific. We will also be asking you to host regional gatherings centered around the PHW focus areas at various locations across the state both in person and virtually. You can also expect a series of workshops and gatherings on Tobacco and Nicotine Education this year. Additionally, and maybe most importantly, we are excited to be moving forward with the development of a health lead and clergy led Partners in Health and Wholeness Advisory Board. Our vision is to have nominations from you, our collaborative faith community partners. 5 nominees will be selected for a 1-year term initially. Be on the lookout for a nomination form in the next couple of weeks. Collaborative means working together, and we are leaning ever more into that value. Happy 2023, y’all. |
