Healthy Congregations Initiative

Overview

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund has restructured its efforts to promote health ministries in Kansas United Methodist churches, bringing three of its previously separate programs together into an integrated initiative to encourage, support, and recognize healthy church congregations. The Healthy Congregations recognition program, the annual Health Ministry Renewal Conference, and the Congregational Health Ministry Grants program have now been renamed and brought together under the overall Healthy Congregations banner.

Additionally, the Kansas Area Healthy Lifestyles Advisory Committee, a joint task force of the Kansas East and Kansas West United Methodist Conferences, has developed the Healthy Congregations in Action initiative in cooperation with the Health Fund. Healthy Congregations in Action seeks to promote healthy lifestyle choices around nutrition and exercise

The three components of the integrated Healthy Congregations initiative—now known as the Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat, Healthy Congregations Grants, and Healthy Congregations Recognition—will work in concert to encourage development of, provide financial support for, and recognize the achievements of intentional health ministries in Kansas United Methodist Churches. Under the combined Healthy Congregations initiative, the Annual Retreat provides opportunities for sharing and inspiration, the Grants program provides funding and technical support for implementation, and the Recognition program highlights the good works done and feeds ideas forward into the next year’s Retreat.

The Healthy Congregations Annual Retreat, formerly known as the annual Health Ministry Renewal Conference, now in its fourth year, provides participants with a number of benefits including information about what local churches are doing to encourage healthy lifestyles through exercise and proper nutrition; renewed personal energy through shared spiritual activities in a scenic retreat setting; useful information about current health ministries in Kansas United Methodist congregations; and networking opportunities with others who share interests about congregational health ministries.

Healthy Congregations Grants, formerly known as Congregational Health Ministry Grants, are one-time grants of up to $5,000 to start or expand comprehensive ministries of health and wellness in local United Methodist congregations. Projects funded will emphasize wellness, prevention, volunteer caregiving, social support, and congregational health education and awareness. Since the beginning of the grant program in 2002, the Health Fund has awarded over 27 grants supporting health ministries in United Methodist churches across Kansas. The Healthy Congregations Grants program has been extended with an additional commitment of $100,000 and applications will be accepted until all committed funding is granted.

The long-running Healthy Congregations recognition program which for 13 years has sought to recognize and promote congregational health ministries will now be known as Healthy Congregations Recognition. The purpose of Healthy Congregations Recognition is to facilitate and recognize intentional health ministries that promote spiritual, physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being in and through Kansas Area United Methodist Churches. To participate in Healthy Congregations Recognition a designated church representative fills out a report highlighting the congregation’s health ministry activities throughout the previous year.

Congregations reporting at least a minimum number of health activities based on membership size receive recognition as Healthy Congregations as well as a choice of free health resource to help further their health ministries. In addition, six churches (one from each of three membership categories in Kansas East and Kansas West United Methodist Conferences) reporting outstanding examples of health ministries are designated “Healthy Congregations of the Year” and receive $1,500 cash awards.

The deadline for the 2006 Healthy Congregations Recognition is March 1, 2007. Report forms are now available here on our website. Start your report today and add to it throughout the year as new activities develop.