The Faith and Health Perspective, May 2020

We understand during this time that we are all feeling overwhelmed. This month we hope to alleviate some of this burden through a more abbreviated newsletter with important updates.

We are all still online and working -- if you have any questions feel free to contact our team.

Please click here to browse and bookmark our continously updated COVID-19 Resource & Response page.
Events
Virtual Clergy Breakfast 

Join us on Tuesday, June 16th for our next clergy breakfast in response to the opioid crisis. We will join together virtually to discuss the effects of the opioid crisis in North Carolina, harm reduction principles, and how faith communities can get involved in this work. You must RSVP to receive Zoom call details. Click here to register.
Be Happy Hour

Thank you to everyone who joined us 2 Mondays ago, virtually, in celebration of the 85th Anniversary of the NC Council of Churches and the 10th Anniversary of PHW. We enjoyed live music from the Reverend Sarah Howell-Miller and NC Interfaith Power & Light Director Susannah Tuttle and her husband Frank Tuttle, virtual door prizes, and spirited conversation together.

If you were unable to join, we encourage you to access the recording here!
 Featured Article 
Cherishing the Elderly Among Us 

"May is Mother’s Day. It is high school and college graduations, Memorial Day weekend barbecues and beach trips , and the anticipation of summer’s more languid pace. May is also Older Americans Month, a designation established in 1963..."
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Staying Connected During a Pandemic

This month our spotlight features Robbinsville United Methodist Church (UMC), a congregation that has mobilized to meet the needs of its community in the heart of Western NC.

Pastor Eric Reece shared with us not only the individual efforts of his congregation, but the collaborative efforts with other faith communities and community partners:

"One of the first things we did was improve the WiFi in the church facilities. We set up a computer station in the fellowship hall for students to complete 

their school work. 

The public school system contacted us about being a school lunch site where children could get their daily lunches for the week and a weekend bag. We included helpful health information from the CDC and included the mental health hotline. We also offered childcare services free of charge for essential workers through May 8.

We worked with the public school system to provide food during Spring Break when school lunches would not be 

available. With grants and help from good folks, we donated $1,000 to the schools for this cause along with 6 lbs. of fresh pasture raised beef and 1/3 lbs. of local cheese to 50 families. We have also helped DSS supply food boxes distributed to 27-33 elderly persons most weeks.

Partnering with the NC Rural Center, we purchased 14 mobile hot spots with 1 year service prepaid for our public schools. We have added a WiFi asset point in the Grace Place Communty Table for community use.

It is important to us that we give credit to our partners at Stecoah Baptist, Grace Fellowship Baptist, MANNA Feeding America, Grace Place Community Table, Bryson City UMC, and Whittier UMC for their collaboration with us in this response."

If your faith community is working on COVID-19 efforts, please email us at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org so we can lift up this important work. 
Meditative Moment: Breath Prayers

Now more than ever it is important to center restorative practices. We hope you can use these breath prayers for anxious times in your spiritual healing and worship. In these prayers, Sarah Bessey, critically acclaimed author and President of the Board for Heartline Ministries in Haiti, brings together deep breathing in harmony with scripture passages to cleanse and nourish the soul. Sarah provides the following example below:

"Start with ten good breaths in and out, with the words that are most meaningful or steadying to your soul.

(From Matthew 11:28-30)

Inhale: Humble and gentle One,
Exhale: you are rest for my soul.

 (From John 15)

Inhale: True Vine and Gardener,
Exhale: I abide in You.

 (From Romans 8:38-39)

Inhale: Nothing can separate me,
Exhale: from the love of God.

When you are finished, imagine yourself slowly leaving that sanctuary.

Transition slowly from prayer to rising. Recite the following:

May the peace of God give you renewed hope and wisdom,
May you find the strength you already carry within you to be enough,
May the grace of God be sufficient,
May you find a deep breath when the air around you is thin,
May you grow in compassion in these days,
May you love well, not in spite of these anxious times but because of them."

We invite you to use this example or replace it with scripture that helps you renew and reconnect your spirit and soul to God. Thank you to Sarah Bessey for publicly sharing this. 
Let's stay connected!

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