The Center’s Programs and Partnerships
The Center promotes health equity through community building, nurturing leaders and connecting with the unique spirit power of people of faith to promote social justice and abundant life for families, neighborhoods and communities.
There are many ways that The Center can partner with you to promote health equity and abundant life in our communities. These range from in-depth community engagement strategies to shorter workshops and educational programs. We also work through longer, on-going partnerships in specific communities. To learn more about any of these programs or partnerships, please contact us!
The Center’s Programs
We have listed some of the programs that we offer below. Find a complete list of the programs we offer here.
Chicagoland Trauma Informed Congregations Network
The Chicagoland Trauma-Informed Congregation Network is an interfaith table that brings together faith-rooted organizations and others that are interested in using our collective wisdom to respond to the call to facilitate and deepen the role of faith communities in recognizing and creating “safe and brave spaces” that support the healing of trauma experienced by individuals and communities. The Network is not a direct service provider, but a vehicle for education, skills transfer and connection of the intersection of faith, trauma and restorative justice.
Health Ministry Development
The Center is the leader in providing health ministry development services for congregations in the metropolitan Chicago area. This includes introductory workshops, as well as more advanced, longer-term education and support.
LAMP (Love Asset Mapping and Planning)
LAMP brings people in a community together to identify how faith communities are supporting the health and well-being of the community. Since it was first used in 2006, this process has been used throughout the world to quickly and effectively get communities talking to each other and moving forward to take action together.
Consultation
We work with congregations and organizations of all kinds to help them connect with others doing similar work, design faith-based initiatives, and move their faith and health work to address the social conditions that create health disparities. We’d love to come out and talk with you and learn more about what you are doing. Contact us!
Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table
Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table is a 7-week curriculum for Christian congregations that helps participants think about eating as a practice of faith.The Center provides orientation sessions for leaders who want to use the curriculum in their congregations. See the curriculum here.
Courage to Love
Courage to Love is an initiative to reduce pre-term birth and infant mortality in the African American community by mobilizing love as a resource to protect black families from the stress of racism and discrimination.
Healthy Hotspots
The Center is pleased to be part of the Healthy HotSpot initiative, in partnership with the Cook County Department of Public Health. Healthy HotSpots is an effort to multiply the number of places that make healthy living easier in or near your community. Find out more about ways your faith community can lead in creating a culture of health for your members and for the wider community.
Preventing Flu: Living Faith, Loving Community
Since 2010, The Center has been one of ten sites around the country funded through the Interfaith Health Program at Emory University to develop faith-based strategies for preventing flu in communities that have low immunization rates. We have developed a set of educational materials that are designed especially for faith communities to use to promote a wholistic message that emphasizes Living Faith, Loving Community. Find out more here.
