Health Fundamentals

January 2011 Special Healthy Congregations Issue
Sections: Funding and Resources | Events

Funding and Resources

Healthy Congregations Covenant deadline is March 1

March 1 is the deadline for submission of reports and/or plans to receive funding through the Healthy Congregations Covenant program. The program offers two participation options to fit churches at different stages of health ministry development and commitment.

To determine your church's current Covenant status and how the March 1 deadline affects your church, see this page for details.

The Healthy Congregations Covenant program is designed to provide training, funding, and technical support to help Kansas United Methodist churches develop and grow effective, high quality health ministry programs.

Covenant of Participation - Level One
For churches just starting their health ministry programs or not yet ready to make the greater commitment of the Level Two Covenant, Level One participation provides $100 annually with completion of a simple report on your church's health ministry activities during 2010.

Covenant of Action - Level Two
Level Two participation includes training of a health ministry team and development of an annual work plan. Each church that commits to completing the seven capacity-building core training courses, submitting an annual work plan, and submitting an annual activity report will be awarded a $1,000 “signing bonus” for program and training support.

Once a Level Two team has achieved “certified” status by completing the core courses within 24 months, the church qualifies for $1,000 cash support each subsequent year by submitting a health ministry activity plan and report by the annual March 1 deadline.

Churches signing up as Level 2 participants will receive an initial $1,000 “signing bonus” for training and program support once their completed Covenant form has been accepted. Details of the Healthy Congregations Covenant program are available on our website.

Events

Self-Care Workshop February 17, Garnett First UMC

A free workshop for Kansas United Methodist clergy, clergy spouses, and church staff is offered Thursday, February 17 at Garnett First United Methodist Church. Servant Leadership: Personal and Professional Self-Care provides a structured opportunity for individuals to examine their current choices within the areas of mental/emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health and to develop personalized plans for behavioral and environmental changes to improve their personal health.

Workshop participants will explore the connections between spiritual, mental, social, and physical health; understand how servant leadership requires self-care; experience stress-management techniques; learn how to say "no"; self-assess current health behaviors and choices; and discuss current knowledge and recommendations for nutrition, physical activity, hydration, and sleep, and how to personally implement those recommendations.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a structured self-care covenant for behavioral and environmental changes to improve personal health, and an accountability plan to help keep on track with the chosen self-care goals.

Pre-registration is required. Workshop details, dates, locations, and online pre-registration can be found on the Health Fund website www.healthfund.org/selfcare.php. The workshop is underwritten by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.

Register today! Healthy Congregations Retreat April 29-30

The tenth annual Healthy Congregations Retreat for United Methodists will be held April 29-30. Register today and look forward to enjoying two days of relaxation, interesting sessions, and networking with friends and peers in the beautiful and peaceful natural setting of Rock Springs 4-H Center, a scenic 735-acre conference site located in the Flint Hills. The retreat is provided free of charge by the Health Fund.

Visit our website to see videos and read comments from participants at previous retreats as they describe the experience in their own words and encourage others not to miss out on this "best-kept secret."

Lloyd Bachrach is the featured plenary speaker for the 2011 Retreat. Lloyd was born with a congenital bone deficiency which made mobility difficult for him, but through determination and hard work has overcome his substantial physical challenges to excel both athletically and professionally.

The event brings together United Methodists with shared interests in congregational health ministries and the promotion of holistic health and healthy lifestyles. The retreat features a variety of sessions covering the spiritual, mental, physical, and social components of health.

Who should attend the retreat?

United Methodist parish nurses, local pastors, and other laity who are actively involved in congregational health ministries
All who want to initiate new health and wellness ministries in their United Methodist congregations
United Methodist church teams of two or three persons are encouraged to attend for mutual support after returning home

Sessions and workshops offered at this year's Retreat include several of the "Core Courses" needed to fulfill requirements of participation in the Healthy Congregations Level 2 Covenant program.

A $25/person refundable deposit is required for registration; the uncashed deposit check will be returned during check-in.

More event information, including a full schedule and online registration, is available at www.healthfund.org/hcar.php.

Scholarships available for Mt. Sequoyah health ministry training Apr. 4-9

A week of possibilities for parish nurses and others involved in congregational health ministry is being offered at Mount Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Basic Parish Nurse Preparation Course is offered April 4-8 for experienced registered nurses and health advocates (retired RNs, allied health and non-medical participants such as clergy and laity) and covers topics including:

Roles of the parish nurse and health advocate
Wholistic health and healing
Getting started and functioning as a member of the ministerial team
Spiritual caregiving
Ethics and legal considerations

A second course, Developing Parish/Faith Community Nursing Leadership Practices in an Era of Change, is offered on April 8-9 for experienced faith community nurses and health advocates, and covers topics including:

Faith community nurses leading through transitions
Applying leadership practices to faith community nursing
Leading congregations through the use of story and prayer practices to cope with change

The programs are based on curricula developed by the International Parish Nurse Resource Center and are open to all faiths. Both programs are presented by Sharon Hinton, RN, MSC, FCN, Director of Rural Nurse Resource Parish Nurse Community Outreach www.ruralnurseresource.org.

Some scholarship assistance is available to United Methodists interested in participating; UMCOR is offering some scholarships for tuition/registration costs and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is offering travel, room, and board reimbursement scholarships for Kansas United Methodists. If interested in applying for the Health Fund scholarship, please contact Kristine Dean kdean@healthfund.org / 800-369-7191 for details. The UMCOR scholarship application is available on the web at the below link.

There are certain participation eligibility requirements; please see the details and forms on the Mount Sequoyah website for more information.