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Eliza Cortés Bast: 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.
Physical health
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Riley Singleton, a volunteer assistant strength-training coach, lifts weights in one of the temporary outdoor shelters created so that teen participants can keep training during the pandemic. Photo courtesy of Matt Overton
Matt Overton: 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.
The Rev. Liz Walker, the Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond and Dr. Anthony Fauci discuss the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a webinar series offered by Roxbury Presbyterian Church. Photo courtesy of Roxbury Presbyterian Church
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.
Workers at Convent Avenue Baptist Church offer free coronavirus testing for people in their West Harlem neighborhood. The five-day effort in May has served as a model for faith-based communities to help close the racial gap in access to testing. Photo courtesy of Convent Avenue Baptist Church
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.
St Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, New York, circa 1870. Photos courtesy of Saint Marianne Cope Archives
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.
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Matt Bloom: 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.
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Chanequa Walker-Barnes: 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.
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Warren Kinghorn: 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.
Illustration by Jessamyn Rubio and iStock / DeVita SilviaNingtyas
Olivia Paschal: 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.
Photo illustration by Jessamyn Rubio / iStock by Eucyln
Kara K. Root: The 20-second gift of washing your hands
Twenty seconds doesn’t seem like a long time -- until you try to follow the guidance to wash your hands for that long to avoid the new coronavirus, writes a pastor.