HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES Faith Based Collaboration Celebrates A.C.T.S. of F.A.I.T.H.

Leading churches focus on healthy communities

Special Correspondent: Susan Peters
(U of C's Urban Health Initiative)

Please join me at Oakdale Covenant Church on Saturday, October 1st, from 11am-2pm at Actions Connected to Spirituality, Forming Alliances In Transforming Health, the brainchild of a youthful University of Chicago researcher, Dawnavan Davis, PhD. Dawnavan will host their first “fund and friend raiser” at 9440, South Vincennes Avenue. The program’s theme is, Spiritually United to Promote Health Equity in Our Communities.

The program celebrates the painstaking work of the eleven founding churches: Blooming Rose Deliverance Church, Carter Temple CME, Faith Community of Saint Sabina, Langley Avenue COG, Metropolitan Community Church, Mount Calvary Baptist Church, New Beginnings Church, Oakdale Covenant Church, St Luke Missionary Baptist Church, Salem Baptist Church and Trinity United Church of Christ.
The churches joins Davis’ leadership to determine the leading illnesses in their congregations like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and heart disease. The founding churches, now equipped with data, can work to focus their individual health programs towards providing the community with information that can lead toward a positive impact and healthier outcomes that threaten the vibrancy, health and the welfare of their communities.

Some churches were early adopters. "As soon as Dr. Davis shared the concept of having our faith based institutions collaborate in the delivery of health programs I wanted to take part,” says Pastor Scott Onque, of St. Luke MB Church.

A.C.T.S OF F.A.I.T.H began in 2008 with funding from National Institute of Health and The University of Chicago. Rev. Jacqueline Triche Atkins, J.D., of the Power Circle Congregation and 'A.C.T.S OF F.A.I.T.H' inaugural Board President says, “This work could not have occurred without Dr. Davis’ time and talent as a skillful community organizer and leader of research projects that utilize the CPPR (Community Based Participatory Research) Model.

'A.C.T.S OF F.A.I.T.H' model has been so successful that the group will officially become a non-profit in 2012. Popular Gospel hostess, Janet Sutton of “_The Community Christian Gospel Hour_”, is emceeing the 'A.C.T.S OF F.A.I.T.H' event, which will feature appearances by WVON’s Gospel Diva, Pam Morris.

Tickets are $10.00, available at each of the founding churches. For information call 773-245-3008 or email info@aofchicago.org.