PHW received an Outstanding Community Service Award from Peletah Ministries in New Bern, under the leadership of Pastors Anthony and Dawn Baldwin Gibson, on Saturday, January 11. Peletah Ministries, a small congregation of about 50 people, is making a real difference in their local community and surrounding areas. But instead of shining the spotlight on themselves, Peletah Ministries chose to acknowledge other community partners – e.g., the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, NC Cooperative Extension, NC Resourceful Communities and the Council’s very own PHW Initiative – at their Second Annual Church Anniversary Celebratory Reception.
Peletah Ministries achieved PHW’s highest level of certification in 2013 for their efforts to improve the health of God’s people as well as a $1,000 mini-grant to further grow their health ministry. Through their strategic partnerships with other statewide organizations and local businesses, Peletah Ministries was able to accomplish the following in 2013:
- Fed nearly 7,500 people through their food ministry
- Distributed more than 130 desktop computers to students in Jones, Craven and Pamlico counties
- Successfully completed the Faithful Families Program for adults and children
- Became a Certified Application Counselor organization to help individuals in need of affordable health care
- Became one of the sites for the National Institute of Mental Health’s disaster preparedness project
I was blown away by all that Peletah Ministries – again, a small congregation of just 50 people! – was able to accomplish over the course of a year. They are living proof that one person plants a seed and another waters it, but God gives the increase (I Corinthians 3:7).
Thank you, Peletah Ministries, for your service to the community and for taking the time to recognize partners who have supported you along the way. We are truly grateful.
-Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator
Partners in Health and Wholeness is an initiative of the North Carolina Council of Churches. PHW aims to connect health as a faith issue. Please visit our website to sign your personal pledge to be healthier, and to find out about grant opportunities for places of worship in NC.
