Rediscovering rest in all its forms
We live in a culture of exhaustion and sometimes don’t even know what type of rest we need.
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Physical health
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Terri Laws: Making our health care system more equitable is a matter of faith
The coronavirus pandemic has made clear the inequities in our health care system, including Black underrepresentation in clinical trials, says a researcher of unequal access to innovative treatments.
Rest can be hard work
The calls to work for justice and to make room for rest are significant and difficult to balance, writes a pastor and denominational executive from Michigan.
Link to author Eliza Cortés Bast
By Eliza Cortés Bast
Pastor and denominational executive
We are physical beings -- what if our ministries reflected that?
Physical labor and activity have been a boon to teens during the pandemic, leading a youth pastor to realize that the physical matters -- to us and to God.
Link to author Matt Overton
By Matt Overton
Associate pastor, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, Washington
Churches in predominantly Black communities can play a key role in vaccinating against COVID-19
Disparities in medical treatment and a history of clinical abuse have undermined trust in COVID-19 vaccines for some Black Americans. Faith leaders are helping through relationships and models for outreach.
Link to author G. Jeffrey MacDonald
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Journalist and UCC minister
Churches can help stop the spread of the coronavirus by offering free COVID-19 testing
Inspired by the success of a program at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in West Harlem, a national nonprofit hopes to encourage other congregations to get involved in overcoming the logistical, emotional and financial barriers to COVID-19 testing in underserved communities.
Link to author Genine Babakian
By Genine Babakian
Journalist
Driven by her faith, a religious sister set new standards in medical care
St. Marianne Cope, driven by her faith to provide medical care to the most vulnerable, also played a key role in creating hygiene standards.
Link to author Elizabeth Yuko
By Elizabeth Yuko
Bioethicist and journalist
A commitment to personal rituals can sustain clergy, even during a pandemic
Pastors can benefit from adaptable, restorative practices, writes a leading researcher on well-being in the workplace.
Link to author Matt Bloom
By Matt Bloom
Professor, Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame
The fear God gives us
Fear is not the antithesis of faith and truth; nor does it indicate a lack of trust in God, writes a pastoral care professor and licensed clinical psychologist. Indeed, God created us with fear to keep us safe.
Link to author Chanequa Walker-Barnes
By Chanequa Walker-Barnes
Associate professor, McAfee School of Theology
What can we do to seek healing in the way of Jesus?
Jesus healed through reversal, rescue and restoration. His healing did not just leave bodies and spirits whole. It left communities whole as well, writes a psychiatrist and theologian.
Link to author Warren Kinghorn
By Warren Kinghorn
Psychiatrist and co-director of the Theology, Medicine & Culture Initiative
Social distancing as a spiritual practice
The “practice” of social distancing is like many of our spiritual disciplines, requiring intent and yielding sometimes intangible results, says a writer.
Link to author Olivia Paschal
By Olivia Paschal
Writer
Apply to Foundations of Christian Leadership
Join us for Foundations of Christian Leadership in San Antonio, where we will draw on the rich resources of the surrounding community as we imagine and listen together to how God is stirring in our world, in our church and in our lives. Applications are due Friday, August 13, 2021. Session 1 will take place October 25-28, 2021. Session 2 will take place January 18-21, 2022.