Healthy Congregations

Partnering with Kansas United Methodist churches in ministries of health and healing

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As a United Methodist philanthropy, the Health Fund values its connection to United Methodist churches throughout Kansas. For many years, our Healthy Congregations initiative has supported a partnership between local churches and the Health Fund to improve health in congregations and communities throughout Kansas.

Our commitment to congregational health continues through the Healthy Congregations Covenant program and Covenant training courses; the annual Healthy Congregations Retreat; and the Servant Leadership: Personal and Professional Self-Care workshops for clergy, clergy spouses, and church staff. We also support the work of the Kansas Area Health & Wellness Committee, and provide connections to other health ministry resources and programs.

Healthy Congregations Covenant program

The Health Fund sponsors the Healthy Congregations Covenant program to encourage and support intentional health ministry in Kansas United Methodist churches. The program, built on learnings from the earlier Healthy Congregations in Action pilot project, makes training, resources, and financial support available to churches that commit to health ministry programming. Two participation levels, providing annual funding of $100 or $1000 to support health ministry, are offered to fit churches at differing stages of health ministry development and commitment. We hope your church will join us in working to improve holistic health in Kansas!

Training programs and technical assistance for church health ministry teams are available to help ensure success. A supportive online community encourages participating churches to learn from one another and gives easy access to a variety of helpful materials.

For full details, please visit the Healthy Congregations Covenant home page, or contact Jeff Gamber at 620-662-8586 / 800-369-7191 / jgamber@healthfund.org to talk about the program.

Healthy Congregations Covenant training courses

Training courses for church health ministry teams are offered throughout the year by the University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita to provide tools for organizing and implementing effective health ministry programs and to provide program support on topics ranging from healthy cooking and walking programs to social and spiritual determinants of health, consumer fraud prevention, flu outbreak preparedness, and much more.

The seven "core" courses fulfill the team training requirements of the Healthy Congregations Covenant program; the elective topic area courses are offered as a continuing education and program resource. For full course listings and schedules, please see the Healthy Congregations Covenant training home page. These courses are available to all Kansas United Methodists, even if not currently participating in the Covenant program.

Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat

Since 2001, the Health Ministry Fund has sponsored an annual Healthy Congregations Retreat for Kansas United Methodists. The event, held at scenic Rock Spring 4-H Center in the Kansas Flint Hills, brings together United Methodists with shared interests in congregational health ministries and the promotion of holistic health and healthy lifestyles. The annual retreat features a variety of sessions covering the spiritual, mental, physical, and social components of health. The retreat is provided at no charge to participants, and includes many of the core training courses for the Healthy Congregations Covenant program. The 2013 Retreat is scheduled for April 25 through 27. For full details, please see the Healthy Congregations Retreat home page.

Healthy Congregations Self-Care workshops

We are constantly presented with choices that either enhance or detract from our overall health and well-being. When we are not healthy in body, mind, and spirit together, we are less than what God intended us to be and are less available to do the work to which God has called each of us in ministry. To deny interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit -- or to shortchange any aspect of our lives is to deny the fullness of what God has called each one of us to be. To recognize the inseparability of our complete nature and to operate from that center is to lead from the soul.

The Servant Leadership: Personal & Professional Self-Care Workshop for clergy, clergy spouses, and church staff provides a structured opportunity for individuals to examine their current choices within the mental/emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health areas. Led by trained professionals and church leaders, the workshop encourages discussion and self-examination while providing information and collaborative support. The end product of the workshop, a personal Self-Care Covenant, provides participants with a structured plan for one or more behavioral and/or environmental changes to improve their personal health. For schedules and more details, please see the Self-Care Workshop home page.