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HEALTH Continued from Page 1

that focuses on one aspect of health and safety: Safeguarding God’s People. This seminar trains everyone who works in our churches -- lay and clergy, paid and volunteer

-- in preventing sexual exploitation. These seminars occur two or three times per year in our diocese and are required for every single person af" liated with leadership in the Church.

sholding@edsd.org. As canon to the ordinary, Canon Holding keeps all information strictly con" dential and takes proper action. The importance of this for one’s overall health cannot be overemphasized. An advocate for the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of every member of our diocese, Bishop Mathes encourages “all who suspect they are being mistreated to make a report immediately.”

Caring for Its Employees

As an employer, the Episcopal Church has earned a good reputation for taking care of the overall health and wellness of its employees.

Recent research estimates that chronic disease accounted for 60% of all deaths in 2005. 80% of healthcare costs are lifestyle- related and therefore preventable. More Americans are becoming overweight or obese, exercising less and eating unhealthy foods (Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, 2009).

Because of these sobering statistics, and many others that point to declining health in America, the Episcopal Church Medical Trust launched its multi-year wellness initiative in order to empower members to take better care of themselves and their families. The Medical Trust offers health plans rich in prevention. It sponsors health fairs at employer locations, offers free screenings by consultations with local healthcare providers and educational materials on relevant topics. The Medical Trust also provides the monthly

“Health & Wellness Newsletter,” which includes health tips, recipes, and information about changing one’s attitude toward healthy

eating and exercise.

“We are committed to helping Episcopal clergy and lay employees and their families create a culture of wellness,” said Libby Miller, R.N. with the Medical Trust. “We help them become more aware of health related issues and make positive lifestyle choices so that they are all well to serve.”

National Episcopal Health Ministries

What if every Episcopal congregation was a vibrant, caring place of health and wholeness? That’s the vision of National Episcopal Health Ministries, an excellent resource for all our churches. The organization aims to “promote health ministry in Episcopal congregations, assisting them to reclaim the gospel imperative of health and wholeness.” National Episcopal Health Ministries views health as a holy, natural and continuous process; it is committed to stewardship of the body and all God’s creation. It holds pre-eminent Christ as healer; authentic and holy relationships; integration of the inner journey and the external life; and reconciliation in a broken and fragmented world. Speci" c service areas include: educating leaders for health ministry and parish nursing; supporting those engaged in health ministry; providing resources to congregations and collaborating with other faith communities, institutions and health organizations. To learn more, visit: www. episcopalhealthministries.org.

The above mentioned organizations are evidence that the Episcopal Church is committed to the health of its members. Other organizations such as CREDO, Episcopal Ecological Network and many other groups working in the name of our physical, emotional, environmental and spiritual health also attest to this fact. Learn more: www.episcopalchurch.org.

Collect for Stewardship of Creation

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, 259) X

Inside Haiti, the church continues to

work tirelessly

BY MARITES SISON

The world had largely forgotten about Haiti and its decades of misery. But with the powerful earthquake of January 12, there was no denying Haiti’s unspeakable poverty, its unremitting history of dictatorships, corruption, political instability and violence laid bare.

The world was shocked and perhaps, from the comfort of homes, ashamed by the images. Hundreds of thousands desperately trying to dig themselves or their

loved ones out of ! attened buildings, corpses swollen and rotting in the streets, and millions with nowhere to go for help.

Many victims remain unaccounted for, possibly trapped in collapsed buildings or buried in mass graves. The 7.0 earthquake reduced to rubble much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and neighbouring suburbs such as Jacmel and Leogane. It rendered about two million, nearly a third of Haitians, homeless. It left thousands of

children orphaned. Of" cials put the fatalities at nearly 200,000.

The response around the world has been enormous, but inside Haiti itself, local relief efforts have been heroic. The bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Haiti, Jean Zache Duracin, lost his own home but refused to be evacuated. Instead, he rallied clergy and lay people to open shelters for displaced people.

More than three weeks into the disaster, the diocese

INSIDE HAITI Continued on Page 8

Small Steps to Becoming

Healthier

from The Episcopal Church Medical Trust’s monthly newsletter, “Health and Wellness News”

Drink a glass of water before each meal. Always eat breakfast!

Eat dessert only once per week, not every day.

Share an entrée with a friend or family member, rather than eating it all yourself. Order an appetizer instead of an entrée.

Share a dessert, and only have the fi rst bite and the last. Stretch when you wake up.

Go to bed ten minutes earlier until you get the recommended amount of sleep.

Every time you eat a meal, sit down, chew slowly, and pay attention to fl avors and textures.

Smile when you exercise.

If you’re fi nding it hard to lose weight, at least try not to gain weight.

Shop “around the edges” of the supermarket to avoid highly processed, low nutrient products that fi ll the inner isles of the store

Eat one meal in a quiet space so you can think about what you are eating.

At least once a day, take a break to breathe, refl ect, relax and regroup.

Take a walk with a friend.

Be more aware of your breathing — take a deep breath vs. a shallow one.

Take time each day to absent yourself from technology. Read a newspaper every day. Set up a budget and pay off debt. Reduce your dependency on credit cards.

Update or make a will and an advance directive.

Organize a game night with family or friends. It gets you off the couch, and trivia games provide learning and conversation.

Join a service group to act locally and think globally.

Make a commitment to volunteer for a good cause at least once a year.

Start a walking group at your parish. Go on a retreat. Laugh often. Make time for prayer. Set aside sacred time for yourself.

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