Partners in Health & Wholeness

An initiative of the NC Council of Churches

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St. Stephen Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ

· by Lindsay Barth, Event Coordinator & PHW Communications Associate

St. Stephen Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ is located in Trenton, NC in the heart of Eastern North Carolina. They have been a member of the PHW Collaborative for almost 7 years. Led by Bishop Rodney Parker, St. Stephen has been embodying the mission of our Collaborative program through a Healthy Eating educational program, community garden, and exercise programs.

Congregation members coming together to volunteer with the outreach ministry.

Health lead Beverly Hines shared with us some of the efforts their ministry has led through this time of uncertainty: “Bishop Rodney Parker is our pastor. Even though he is not from Trenton, he has a great love for the community and the county. From the beginning of this pandemic, he asked us to search ourselves for ways that we could positively impact the community.

Congregation members volunteering at the food drive.

From that charge, we have really stepped up. Our outreach ministry is called Jones County Community Hope. We have held food drops, delivered COVID-19 kits, and sponsored a drive-through COVID-19 test event which tested over 350 people. We have more food drops coming with fresh fruits and vegetables. We also check on some of the sick and elderly community members that live alone. We pass out masks and gloves. We have a blood drive scheduled that will also test all donors for COVID-19 antibodies. 

Supplies for the food drive.

We are working on setting up counseling and offering mental and spiritual support to the community. We have been extremely busy and wish to continue making a positive impact on the community. We thank God for the leader he placed with us in Bishop Rodney Parker.”

Thanks to St. Stephen Church of Christ, members of their community are being nourished with healthy food and access to proper testing. We thank God for their ministry. To learn more about St. Stephen Church of Christ, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StStephenCOC/.

We encourage you to share with us what your faith community is doing right now by emailing information and photos to Lindsay Barth, PHW Communications Associate, at lindsay@ncchurches.org.

About Lindsay Barth, Event Coordinator & PHW Communications Associate

Lindsay is a native of Western North Carolina. She continued her education at UNC Chapel Hill where she studied Communication, with a focus in Interpersonal and Organization Communication, and Hispanic Literature and Culture. While at UNC, Lindsay realized her passion for public health education through working with a student-led nonprofit called GlobeMed.

Since the fall of 2017, Lindsay has been working with Council in an event planning and office management capacity. She also serves as the Communications Associate for the Partners in Health and Wholeness Program. When she’s not at work, you can catch her exploring new places and watching UNC basketball.