Vision and Mission
Our Vision
We envision Loving Communities of hope, justice and wholeness in which all people are healthy–able to live out their deepest calling and potential.
Our Mission
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.
Our Guiding Principles
We are Rooted in Faith
We believe that there is power for individual and community transformation in the teachings and practices of people of all faiths. We believe that there are two unique and transformational gifts that people of faith bring to the work of creating health equity: Moral Imagination and Spirit Power. We actively draw on spiritual language, ritual and holy scriptures in all of our projects and programs to mobilize these two powerful gifts.
The Center values the integrity of all religious traditions and spiritual expressions. The Center’s approach is enriched and strengthened as we integrate the language, symbols, and frameworks of all those who live out a faith practice or spiritual commitment. Read more…
We Work with Community as the Unit of Health
We work with communities to create health across the whole population. Of course we are concerned with the health of individuals, but our programs are not as focused on changing individual health behaviors as they are on strategies that shift the health of the whole community. Science tells us that the health of individuals is determined, in large part, by the quality of the social conditions in which they live and healthy individuals are better able to participate in creating positive social environments. The aim of The Center is to tend to the wholeness of the community as a whole so that all people are healthy: they have the best possible physical well-being and the ability to enjoy life, live out their highest spiritual capacity and contribute positively to their family, community and society. Read more…
We are Driven by Community
The Center is committed to being a humble, authentic and learning partner with communities. The community defines itself–its own boundaries, issues and dynamics. The role of The Center is as a partner that the community invites in and that serves the interests and desired ends the community identifies. Read more…
We are Systemic in Action
There is no way to form effective solutions to intractable problems without seeing, understanding and unraveling the systems that have converged to support and maintain them. Racism and the unfair distribution of wealth are the fundamental systemic realities that are at heart of health injustice. For all of its initiatives, the Center asks how racism and poverty are at work and integrate this analysis into its program design. Read more…
We are Guided by the Leading Causes of Life
The Center draws on approaches that help articulate and move an agenda of life and hope. We are not simply against health disparities or injustice. We are for life and for Loving Community—people living, loving and working together to their greatest potential. Read more…
We are Collaborative
The Center itself is a collaborative enterprise and each partner characteristically operates through collaboration. This value and experience influences how we understand the nature of the work in community. We understand that the work of eliminating health inequities—the work of creating loving, just communities —is so ambitious that it cannot be accomplished unless we intentionally seek out and draw in anyone who is willing to work. Read more…
So what does all this look like practically? Check out Our Services and Partnerships to get an idea of some of the ways that we are putting these ideas into action.
