News

Awareness first step to improving women's health globally

By Marvé Ralston, special contributor A recent three-day training event in Fort Worth, Texas, provided an opportunity for 27 women to become better educated about women’s maternal health in the world. The Healthy Families, Healthy Planet project is a program initiative of the General Board of Church and Society and is funded through a grant from the United Nations Foundation. The goal of the training was to educate and mobilize an additional group of advocates for international...

Clergy health DVD sets tone for healthier congregations

Clergy health is an issue that increasingly presents challenges for The United Methodist Church. Studies have shown that United Methodist clergy experience more severe health problems than the general population, even taking into consideration age, geography and other factors. The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund has a new training resource to help create awareness in congregations of the unique issues clergy face in maintaining and improving their physical, emotional, social, financial...

United Methodist clergy living dangerously

By Susan Cooper, Kansas communications associate director Church dinners can be a minefield of high-fat and high-sugar foods. (photo by Britt Bradley) Pastors are putting their lives at risk. They are constantly confronted with fat-laden food and sumptuous sweets prepared and served by the devoted and loving hands of their church members. They are expected to answer calls for advice, comfort and support 24...

Winning district named for Walk to Jerusalem, new challenge announced

Congratulations to the participants of the 2012 Walk to Jerusalem Challenge. Six of the 11 Kansas United Methodist districts made it to the “Holy Land,” with Salina District symbolically making the trip five times. The challenge was to have each district walk 6,759 miles, the distance from Kansas to Jerusalem, from Jan. 15 to April 15. The thousands of steps logged were divided by 2,000—the approximate equivalent to one mile—to produce the mileage estimate. The Salina...

Join the 2012 Clergy Wellness Program

The Clergy Wellness Program is open for enrollment for 2012. The program is designed to empower United Methodist clergy in Kansas to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles that will provide a foundation for a balanced, sustainable life of ministry. The program begins with a two-day wellness retreat, during which participants meet with professional consultants for comprehensive wellness assessments and receive recommendations for a customized personal wellness plans. Following the retreat,...

Take challenge to be active member of the body of Christ

By Rev. Lisa Thompson, special contributor As the holidays approach, we can get excited and ready for the Walk to Jerusalem challenge that begins Jan. 15 by remembering we do not have to wait until then to get moving. Wichita East District Superintendent Rev. Gary Brooks joined the United Methodist family on Thanksgiving Day for the Say Grace 5K Race to benefit the GraceMed Health Clinic in Wichita. Before the race, Brooks said he had to check on the distance of five kilometers. “It is...