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A message from your Lafiya Parish Nurse Ministry… Manchester Church of the Brethren is a Lafiya Congregation. Lafiya is a Nigerian word meaning complete wholeness and health for body, mind and spirit. LAFIYA MISSION STATEMENT: Manchester Church of the Brethren intends to be a congregation which lovingly ministers to one another as whole people, united in body, mind, heart, and spirit, in fulfillment of the new covenant established by God when Jesus Christ entered this world to offer us abundant life (John 10:10). We intend to recognize ourselves and each other as one body and one in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). As God's own holy vessel, we intend to do as Paul instructed, caring for our whole selves for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10). As a Lafiya Congregation, one which is founded in the Nigerian precept of uplifting wellness through wholeness, we intend to encourage each other to remember that the body, mind and spirit are intimately connected. We will strive to empower one another to receive, as well as give, loving care with spontaneity and joy. We will help each other take responsibility for preventative approaches to our own wellness, and we will advocate this God-given responsibility near and far. We envision the Manchester Church of the Brethren as a community of faith which creates a safe and supportive environment for sharing our strengths and vulnerabilities as we collectively go about the tasks that God has appointed for us. Our vision will be consummated by conatantly uplifting wach other in prayer and deed so that we grow in God's love and become all God intends for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As a Christian Community, striving to be peacemakers, we are called by Christ to be inclusive and caring. We affirm that people of any race, ethnic identity, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, education level, ability, age, or life situation, are welcome in our congregation. Confused by overwhelming medical needs or simply monitoring your blood pressure? A parish nurse can provide guidance, set you up for Meals-On-Wheels, or check how you are doing on a regular basis. Call the church office for details! Writing…Two Minutes to Better Health How much impact can two minutes of writing have on your health and well-being?
According to some recent articles, much more than you would think!
In the mid-1980s, psychologists discovered that the process of writing about emotions seemed to lead to improvement in health outcomes.
A year ago the British Journal of Health Psychology devoted an entire issue to exploring what is known, after 20 years of research, about using expressive writing as a health intervention. One of the most intriguing of the articles explored duration. Just how much writing is needed for it to have an effect? While most researchers asked people to write for about 15 minutes about positive or negative emotions, some researchers found that even writing for only two minutes a day had a discernible positive effect.
So, take out your pens and journals…or go to your computer keyboards, and write your way to health! Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions by James W. Pennebaker, 1997, The Guilford Press.
Chad M. Burton, Laura A. King (2008). Effects of (very)brief writing on health: The two-minute miracle British Journal of Health Psychology, 13 (1), 9-14 |
