Current Activities

Serving as consultant to the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC) Compassion Capital Fund Community Based Health awardees. Three-year contract began in 2003. Awardees in 2003 include: Carver County Worksite Health Promotion Action Team, City South Cluster, First Trinity Church of God in Christ, Family Opportunities for Living (FOLC); Kenneseth Israel Congregation, Minnesota State Baptist Convention, Masjid An Nur, Overcomers Outreach Ministries, Soul Journers, and Tamarisk Resource, Inc. 2004 awardees are: Community Wellness and Healing Center – St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Family Institute for Creative Well Being, Generations of Faith Baptist Church, Jordan New Life Community Development Corporation, LaMision el Santa Nino Jesus, Richfield Community Nursing Project, and TRUST, Inc.

For information regarding the Compassion Capital Fund at GMCC, visit their website www.gmcc.org and click on Compassion Capital Fund. A third and final round of applications will be accepted in early fall 2005.

Received a major grant of $30,000 from Wheat Ridge Ministries for a Diabetes Prevention Project with City South Cluster, a group of six Lutheran churches in South Minneapolis and CoAM (Cooperative Adult Ministry), an ecumenical group of 35 churches. Nine sites have been funded to establish a one-year pilot project to educate persons about Type 2 diabetes, help persons to identify risk factors and to initiate activities to increase exercise and improve diet choices. Sites and participating congregations include: Bethel Lutheran, Epiphany Lutheran, El Milagro, Asbury Methodist, Bethlehem Lutheran, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran, House of Prayer Lutheran, Lake Nokomis Lutheran, Minnehaha Methodist, St. James Episcopal, Our Redeemer Lutheran, Minnehaha Community Lutheran, Normandale Lutheran, Plymouth Congregational, Trinity Lutheran of Minnehaha Falls, and Crosstown Covenant. See Exemplary Models for more project information.

Helped plan and coordinate four-week series on Faith and Health at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview, MN. Topics were Cancer, Stress, Pain Management and Heart Disease. Second series planned for 2005. See Seminars/conferences.

Worked with University of Minnesota School of Nursing to place three undergraduate and one graduate nursing students in community sites for public health fieldwork.

Coordinated community attendance and community reception hosted by local pastors for March 2005 presentation on reconciliation by Ms. Naomi Tutu. Co-hosts for the reception were Rev. Alfred Babington-Johnson, Rev. Ian Bethel, Dr. Curtiss DeYoung, Rev. Albert Gallmon, Rev. Sam Nero, Rev. Efrem Smith, and Dr. Richard Wallace

Hosted a two-day workshop to train facilitators in Circle of Life, a holistic wellness program that established small support groups to help individuals identify and incorporate healthy choices for body, mind and spirit. Churches participating from Minneapolis were: Bethel Lutheran Church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lake Nokomis Lutheran, Our Redeemer Lutheran, Plymouth Congregational Church, Trinity Lutheran of Minnehaha Falls, Crosstown Covenant. Other churches represented were: House of Prayer Lutheran, Richfield; St. Luke’s Lutheran, Bloomington; Normandale Lutheran, Edina; Maple Grove Lutheran, Maple Grove, Advent Lutheran, Maple Grove; and Lord of Life Lutheran, Maple Grove. Circle of Life link www.wellnesscircle.org

Co-sponsored Shades of Blue: Preventing Suicide in Youth from Communities of Color at the Holiday Metrodome, Minneapolis in May 2005. Speakers were: Dr. Alvin Pouissant, Dr. William Lawson, and Dr. Frances Brisbane. Over 200 attendees. The Shades of Blue conference followed the successful Black and Blue: Depression in the African American Community conferences in 2003 and 2004. Over 1,000 attendees total at the “Blue” conferences. Contact Pat Peterson, Coordinator of the MN Faith Health Consortium for ongoing community events.

Participated by invitation at the Interfaith Health Program, Atlanta, Georgia, evaluation and planning session in March 2005

Attended the Health Ministries Association national conference in Omaha, Nebraska, July 2005.

Community engagement

• Board member, Health Ministries Network – North Central Region
• Board member, American Indian Community Development Corporation
• Board member, Wheels to Work; board secretary
• Advisory Committee, Community Wellness and Healing Center