Clergy Educational Event
9 am, Hubbard Learning Center, Sticht Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center campus
Every day when I see one of your clergy colleagues in the hallways or in the rooms with our patients, I thank God for the many ways you bring healing, comfort and solace into these lives. I know that the time you spend inside our walls with your members is only a tiny fraction of your healing ministry. The 2,024 of your clergy colleagues work not only as individuals, but often as those nurturing congregations which are agents of healing and hope throughout the community.
Some of this is directly linked to the things we think of as “health,” but most are more fundamental to the life journey. The ministry called Baptist Hospital was begun in 1922 by people of faith who understood that health is a fruit of many things, and could never be achieved if the hospital were set off by itself separated from the congregations. We still believe this to be true.
On February 23rd our time of mutual training will focus on the strengths of congregations that pertain to health back in the neighborhoods, not just in the hospital. I wrote about this in the book “Deeply Woven Roots” back when I worked for President Jimmy Carter. This is still the basic logic on which our extended partnerships between healthcare and congregations rests.
I hope you’ll join us on February 23. We’ll be glad to give you a copy of the book Deeply Woven Roots. If you can’t come that morning, you can pick up your copy at the FaithHealth office (where you got your parking pass). I plan for our time together to be a dialogue. The book serves as a starting point for the conversation and serves to highlight great strengths embedded in congregations.
Rev. Dr. Gary R. Gunderson, VP Faith and Health
We hope you’ll make plans to join us on Thursday, February 23, at 9 am in the Hubbard Learning Center, Sticht Center, on the campus of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. A light breakfast will be served. RSVP to Karen Kimbrell [email protected].
