September is here bringing new changes to our lives. The weather is starting to change, hurricane season has begun, and the new school, church and sports calendars are ...
School is out, children and adults are hiking, biking, picnicking, and generally enjoying God’s creation. It is fun and relaxing but outdoor activities might include some...
Now is the time to talk about mental health: May is Mental Health Month! In the United States one in five Americans will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any...
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During Advent, the season of waiting, we are often overwhelmed with all the preparations, events, gift buying and a desire to make everything just right for Christmas. We...
COVID-19 is not done with us yet; we must stay aware. As congregations of faith, we are committed to caring for one another. Being informed and willing to resume masking ...
How to help prevent overdose deaths.
SNEC Health and Wellness Ministry has begun the process of becoming designated as a W.I.S.E. Conference by the UCC Mental Health Network. The UCC Mental Health Network ...
For all my life I have believed that all people deserve equality of human rights, access to healthcare and fair, equal treatment under the law and basic humanity of our ...
Covid-19, Monkeypox, and infant formula shortages are top news stories today. Congregations are praying, mobilizing resources, and considering what they can do to ...
Poor mental health is alarmingly high among high school students during the pandemic and even higher among LGBTQ+ youth.
We are all living with the reality of uncertainty at this moment in time. Our world as we knew it has been turned upside down by the pandemic, social injustice, health ...
Vaccination, positivity, hospitalization rates, masking: what does this mean for my community? How do I decide what to do for myself, my family, my community, my ...
The Parish Care team at First Church of Christ in Old Saybrook, Connecticut launched a new program known as 'Wilderness Companions' - a time of spiritual growth and story...
March 1, 2022, COVID Update We are making progress in the pandemic. More people are vaccinated, the Omicron surge is subsiding, and mandates are being relaxed, as we ...
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What does New Year’s Eve mean to you, a time of reflection, resolutions, a chance for a new beginning, renewed covenant with God and each other? If you are like me, you ...
COVID-19 (Omicron, Delta), Influenza A, Influenza B, Rhinovirus (common cold)… yikes, so many viruses in the air! Do not fear, get vaccinated! We have been hearing a ...
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What do I do when someone who attended worship tests positive for COVID-19 one to two days later? Notify your local health department to see what they recommend for your...
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“Health Equity is Social Justice.” This was the message from Tekisha Dwan Everette, Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions in Connecticut during her speech at the ...
Be “a lighthouse in their child’s storm, the light that shines steadily in a predictable rhythm and doesn’t waver no matter how big the storm is.” This is the advice ...
“I’d like double shots please!” For those who are eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine ...
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“Patience is a virtue. Virtue is a grace. Grace is a little girl who would not wash her face.” Maybe you have heard this little poem by Dick King-Smith. My mother ...
We can all play a role in preventing suicide! That’s the message from the The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, which has designated September as Suicide ...
Several inquiries have been received regarding maintaining safe workplace practices for church office staff vaccinated and unvaccinated. The resources listed here offer ...
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From your Faith Community Nurse, Minister of Health & Wellness Deborah Ringen Wow, it is August already! Summer days bring fun, family, vacations, and the realization ...
As people called to serve to God, it is easy to lose sight of our own woundedness yet spending some time with our doubts and pain brings greater self-awareness which ...
Sunshine, heat, outdoor activities, flowers, birds, and bees, ticks, heat waves, humidity, and hurricane season, all are the joys and concerns of summer! Are you ready? ...
Wow, keeping track of new guidelines in the pandemic response can be very confusing! How can we decide the best way to move forward? How do we balance caution and caring ...
Excitement is growing, the desire to, “resume life as normal, pre-pandemic,” is strong, but is it safe? Southern New England Conference UCC states are beginning to ease ...
Mental health conditions are on the rise. Before the pandemic it was reported that one in five adults in the US experienced a mental health condition. Now researchers ...
We can all pitch in to advocate for communities of color and vulnerable populations by publicly distributing information from the CDC and local public health officials ...
April 2021 National Health Observances include National Minority Health Month, and World Health Day, timely topics in the context of the coronavirus pandemic racial ...
Recently, I began volunteering to give COVID-19 vaccinations at a drive-through mass vaccination site in Connecticut. Currently my job consists of writing and teaching ...
Here we are a little over a week into the new year. Our nation and our world continue to struggle under the COVID-19 pandemic. As of January 12th all three states in the ...
Christmas is the season for joy, right? Maybe, maybe not. For many it is the season for depression and stress. Expectations of happy family get togethers even in the ...
From the CDC: "Community- and faith-based organizations, employers, healthcare systems and providers, public health agencies, policy makers, and others all have a part in...
Holidays are usually a busy, joyous time to celebrate. Our religious and secular traditions provoke memories of years past spent with family and friends. Every year there...
Longest Night services bring the opportunity of pastoral care to those experiencing loss, grief and pain even in the joyous time of Advent and the coming of Christ. This...
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are among 40 states that have reported an increase in overdose deaths during 2020 as compared to 2019. The pandemic is ...
Grateful for this sheltered place With light in every window Saying, "Welcome, welcome, share this feast Come in away from sorrow" ~ from the Thanksgiving Song, by Mary ...
Over the past months, I have written to you about the importance of advance healthcare directives and end-of-life care planning. These critical conversations with our ...
Oh God, how we long for a traditional holiday table where many extended family and friends have gathered in the glowing warmth of a feast and holiday decorations. We ...
Last April, I wrote a blog titled Mental Health and Suicide Resources discussing the unique circumstances of the pandemic such as isolation, loss of a job, uncertainty ...
All human beings experience feeling “blue” or “down in the dumps” sometimes. It may come as a surprise, but clergy are human too! It can be hard to admit that one might ...
People are getting out more as local restrictions ease allowing restaurants, businesses and schools to open with specific guidelines to reduce the threat of coronavirus ...
This interview captures the reality of the experience of COVID-19 and the theological reflection required to make sense of the world in the pandemic. The Rev. Karen ...
Faith Community Nurses, clergy and lay ministers of health are trusted by the people of the congregation and community. The foundation of our faith encourages caring for ...
How can clergy juggle family caregiving and the stress of serving their flock during a pandemic, racial injustice, hurricanes, and the divisive political climate? Even ...
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“Dear children, let us love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” ~ 1 John 3:18 The novel coronavirus pandemic has caused uncertainty, fear, and loss ...
The importance of conversation with loved ones surrounding one’s end of life choices for ...
Hurricane season 2020 has begun; amidst the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice we ...
As a faith community nurse I can relate to pastoral concerns around providing spiritual care during the pandemic. We are used to being with a person or family during ...
As we all focus on trying to prevent the spread of COVID 19, caring for our general health and well-being is sometimes neglected. Mental health concerns, chronic disease ...
Experts are learning more every day about the novel coronavirus. There are two issues to be aware of that impact parents and children in particular. While it was once ...
Hour, by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month… how long will it take for life to return to some kind of normal or new normal? The federal, regional, and local ...
Advocates for people experiencing and surviving domestic violence agree that abuse related to physical distancing is on the rise. Calls to domestic violence hotlines have...
Everyone in the world is experiencing the COVID 19 pandemic to varying degrees depending on your geography, but we all are undeniably experiencing change, uncertainty, ...
For many of us the Coronavirus pandemic has meant preparation, hand washing, covering your cough, social distancing, changes in daily routines of life. For some it has ...
Experts are speaking out in favor of a public advisory to wear protective face coverings when in public. They emphasize maintaining physical distancing, keeping our hands...
Are you feeling scared, sad, disappointed, concerned you may become ill with COVID-19? Are you watching the news or scouring websites to find out how many new cases have...
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and ...
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 Revised Standard Version (RSV) 4 I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every ...
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“Every moment involves the divine call and human response. Although we believe that God is not the source of illness, divine wisdom is revealed in illness as well as in ...
News reports are filled with reports about the spread of illness and death due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-n CoV). As I listen, I cannot help but see the ...
Every February we see media messages about American Heart Month: Go Red for Women®, Know your Numbers, Warning Signs of a Heart Attack and more. We are told to eat lots ...