Chicago, Illinois, Church Network Links Pastor Wellness, Health Screenings and Community Care

For two decades, Pastor Steve Epting has led Hope Community Church in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and has been an advocate for the community’s well-being. When a routine screening revealed serious health risks, he decided he needed to make a significant change, for himself and for his congregation.

Epting’s work with the Alive Faith Network, a partnership between Rush University Medical Center, the global health care company Abbott and more than 100 Chicago-area churches, focuses on health and healing in the community. The initiative aims to address health disparities and uplift neighborhoods through faith-based programs.

The network’s work began with a realization that pastors who give much to their communities often neglect their own well-being. “When pastors get together and talk about their issues, you really see how we struggle both mentally and physically,” Epting said. “As pastors, we’re not usually very good at being taken care of because we’re the ones who want to take care of others. It’s almost like being on an airplane — you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before you help your congregation.”

The Alive Faith Network’s first step was to support clergy. It offers wellness retreats that give pastors space to reflect, heal and rejuvenate. Pastors, who are often seen as first responders in their communities, are frequently under heavy pressure. “We’re constantly pulled in different directions, serving congregants, community members and institutions,” Epting said. “The retreats offered by Alive Faith Network give pastors a rare opportunity to focus on their own mental and physical health.”

Epting said he has lived with chronic diseases for much of his life and knew he needed to change his habits. He said he weighed about 320 pounds and, with the program’s support, lost 90 pounds over time. He now works with other pastors in the network to encourage healthier habits in their congregations.

The network also helps churches establish health ministries that serve as a bridge between congregations and health services, including help with food insecurity and mental health challenges. LaDawne Jenkins, the network’s co-director, said many people in Black communities trust their pastors more than their doctors, a trust shaped by a long history of bias, unethical experimentation and neglect. “The church is a hub,” Jenkins said. “When people need food, housing or health care, they often turn to the church first. We have a responsibility to help improve the outcomes of the community in which we live. A lot of these things are preventable, and it’s really just a matter of getting to know the people we serve.” Serving neighbors in need with food and shelter reflects a practice of hospitality (Matthew 25:35).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the network’s health ministries coordinated with Rush to organize vaccination drives and testing clinics at churches across Chicago, and they ensured pastors received the vaccine. Elizabeth Lynch, PhD, a network co-director and professor of family and preventive medicine at Rush, said public health programs have often been designed without enough knowledge of the communities they serve. “We wanted to change that by partnering with leaders in the Black community to develop programs that truly meet their needs,” she said.

One such program is the Abundant Living study, which addresses high blood pressure, a significant health issue in Chicago’s Black communities. Working with churches to conduct screenings and provide education, the network has identified undiagnosed cases of hypertension and connected people to care, including people who avoid traditional health care settings because of mistrust.

The network has also launched programs focused on physical mobility and nutrition. The “Keep It Moving” program encourages physical activity among church members, particularly those with limited mobility, and other programs offer diet and lifestyle classes to the wider congregation. The stated goal is to foster a culture of health within the church that extends into the community and helps advance research to identify which health programs work best.

Source: Read the original report