The Community Care circle ministry is part of our Communal Praxis of Social Witness, living out
our faith through Reflection and Action. There are several components of the
Holistic Health
Ministry
Spiritual care of self and each other is an important part of healing, but often overlooked in the medical model of
our health care system. As reflected in Scripture, respect for human dignity and positive interpersonal relationship have healing
power and are the basis of holistic health caring.
We are called as Jesus’ followers to be good stewards of our body, mind,
spirit and soul. Wholeness, or holism, is what God desires in our faith/life journey. Similarly, holistic health incorporates
care and healing of our physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs. Bridging faith and health is a gradual journey that
is accompanied by study, self-reflection, prayer and outreach.
The Holistic Health Ministry at OUMC is currently attempting
to respond to the results of a health inventory administered in the Fall of 2006. This inventory reflected what are some current
national health trends, such as persons living with three or more chronic diseases, an aging population in need of social support
and navigation through the health care system, and spiritual health considerations such as the relationship between spiritual health
and/or prayer and our decision-making ability, and our ability to forgive others.
This information has helped us determine how best to respond to our congregants and create initiatives that will help persons live reasonably healthy lives within limitations of the human condition.