Resurrection Catholic Church has been a close partner of The Wellness Coalition (TWC) for many years. A lot has changed with the Resurrection Catholic Church’s Health Ministry since the onset of the pandemic. Many of the in-person events have not been able to take place. However, like many other organizations, Resurrection has enhanced its social media outreach and other virtual platforms to keep the health ministry going.
Building Connections During the Pandemic
Michelle Coe, Health Ministry Leader, said the health ministry group is open to the public and they continue to receive a lot of interaction within the group. Parishioners share aspects of their health journey with one another in the Facebook group which inspires others to make healthy lifestyle changes. Resurrection has also been able to promote and participate in other organization’s events. Participants in the group share events that are taking place in the community and are open to the public. Some events that have been posted include the Sheridan Heights Community Center dance series and Hutchinson M.B.C. food drive.
A Strong Partnership
The Resurrection Catholic Church Health Ministry has benefited greatly from working with The Wellness Coalition. Much of the health information that has been shared by their health ministry has come from TWC. They have also been able to connect with other churches and adopt some ideas that others are using. Father Manuel, Pastor at Resurrection Church, says that TWC team keeps them motivated and on track with the monthly calls and meetings that require all partners to report the activities that have taken place in the past month.
Leading By Example
One of the four pillars that the churches are required to complete is “Pastor Involvement.”Father Manuel talks about his health journey and how he has been working out with a personal trainer for about 5 months now. They have a well-equipped gym on campus and parents can watch him and others work out as they drive by to pick up their children. Parents have inquired about joining the exercise group with the trainer. Their reactions have inspired him to ask the trainer to do a chair-exercise program for the senior ministry at Resurrection. Father Manuel is always thinking ahead when it comes to the health ministry. He is committed to do frequent announcements promoting the COVID-19vaccine, monthly walks, and blood pressure checks. He also includes a short word of encouragement to live a healthy lifestyle in the bulletin that is mailed out to those individuals who are not comfortable with the virtual platforms.
Promoting Nutritious Food Options
The healthy food policy is the most important component of the health ministry. It has been difficult for Resurrection to incorporate their policy into church meals because they have not been meeting face to face. When they are gathered together, water is always offered as well as fruit and healthy snacks. The Men’s ministry sells a monthly meal that adheres to the healthy food policy. Resurrection has also partnered with Metropolitan United Methodist Church to pass out food boxes that are filled with fresh produce to the community once a week. Resurrection also has its own food pantry that is used to distribute food to families in the community. Recipes are also included in the food boxes to assist families with cooking dishes that they aren’t used to cooking. Overall, Resurrection has always included healthy options in their congregational meals. They have a few parishioners that are vegan, so they make sure to include vegan options at meals as well.
Preventing and Managing Chronic Diseases
One of the most impactful activities that Resurrection has completed within the health ministry has been the 9-month Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). Some of the individuals that participated had very serious health conditions and would not have been able to pay for a class that catered to helping them control those conditions the way that the CDSMP program helped them. Another activity that reached a lot of people was the vegan cooking class. Two parishioners taught classes that included cooking healthful versions of soul food dishes. At the end of the class series, everyone had to prepare a vegan dish and they had a big potluck event. They also talked about how switching to a vegan diet can help you reduce the number of prescribed medications an individual takes to control their chronic diseases.
Resurrection Catholic Church is currently hosting a breastfeeding support group and is a site for TWC’s breastfeeding cut-out campaign. Everyone is also invited to join their monthly walks at Lagoon Park on the third Saturday of every month at 9:00 am. Water and healthy snacks will be provided for participants. For more information about upcoming events, visit rcmsouth.org