Bishop's Day 2012 to focus on improving health globally

by Paul Thomas, director of communications
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2/13/2012

Dr. Scott Morris, founder and executive director of the Church Health Center, will headline the Blue Water District Bishop's Day on March 3.

Zach Hunter, a 20-year old anti-slavery activist, will speak at the Saginaw Bay District Bishop's Day on March 10.

 

 
"Improve Health Globally" is the theme of the 2012 Bishop's Day, which is set to take place in each district of the Detroit Conference during the month of March. The theme is tied to one of the Four Areas of Focus of The United Methodist Church, "stamping out killer diseases of poverty by improving health globally." Each of the conference's six districts has planned at Bishop's Day event that focuses on global health in a variety of ways, from providing fresh water to anti-slavery efforts.
 
In the Detroit Renaissance District, Bishop's Day will take a two-fold approach. During the morning session, the district will hear the reports of the 44 churches that participated in "Kingdom Assignment Detroit." In August, during the inauguration of the Detroit Renaissance District and the installation of its new superintendent, the Rev. Melanie Carey, each participating church was given $1,000 to invest to extend God's kingdom in the neighborhood around their church building.
 
The afternoon will feature a presentation by the Conference Council on Youth Ministries regarding its' S.P.L.A.S.H. initiative. S.P.L.A.S.H., which stands for Saving People's Lives and Spreading Hope, is a project focused on the need for fresh water with the goal of raising $500,000 to provide wells and water purification kits around the world. 
 
The Detroit Renaissance District Bishop's Day will take place on Saturday, March 3, from 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Rochester: St. Paul's UMC. United Media Creations, a ministry of Detroit: Ford Memorial UMC sponsored by the Conference Commission on Communications, is planning to offer a live feed of the event on the conference website.
 
The Blue Water District will also hold its' Bishop's Day on March 3 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at Port Huron: First UMC. Dr. G. Scott Morris (www.churchhealthcenter.org/gscottmorris), founder and executive director of the Church Health Center (www.churchhealthcenter.org), will be the keynote speaker. Morris, an ordained United Methodist elder, is a board certified family practice physician and the author of several health-related books.
 
The Church Health Center, which opened in 1987, has as its mission to seek to reclaim the Church’s biblical commitment to care for our bodies and spirits. The CHC, a health care ministry supported by a broad base of the faith and medical communities, has over 70,000 patients of record in its Clinic and provides primary health care to low-income, uninsured working people of Memphis, Tenn. The CHC has also developed its Wellness ministry where the best disease prevention efforts of medicine are combined with the pastoral and spiritual care of the faith community. 
 
In addition to Dr. Morris' appearance, the Rev. Dr. William Dobbs, clergy assistant to Michigan Area Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton, will lead worship with an offering to be collected to go to the Church Health Center.
 
The Ann Arbor District will focus on the issue of health care with a pair of guest speakers as part of its Bishop's Day event. Molly Kaser, the CEO of the Center for Family Health in Jackson, Mich., will speak about the challenges of health care access to the poor and underserved, while Nyamah Dunvar, grants officer for The United Methodist Church's Imagine No Malaria initiative, will focus on the ways that congregations of any size can have an impact on saving lives in the name of Christ. The Ann Arbor District Bishop's Day will take place on Saturday, March 10, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Saline: First UMC.
 
In the Saginaw Bay District, Zach Hunter (www.zachhunter.me), a 20-year old anti-slavery activist, will headline Bishop's Day. Hunter is the author of three books and launched Loosen Change to Loosen Chains, a student-led effort to raise awareness and funds to end slavery, when he was 12 years old. Several workshops will also be held about local efforts to improve health. Saginaw: First UMC will be the site for the district's Bishop's Day, which will take place from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. As part of Bishop's Day, socks will be collected and distributed to local homeless shelters.
 
Michaela Barnhart, vice-president of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries, will be the keynote speaker at the Marquette District's Bishop's Day, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 17, from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at Ishpeming: Wesley UMC. Barnhart, a senior at Escanaba High School and member of Escanaba: Central UMC, will be talking about the S.P.L.A.S.H. initiative. A trio of workshops are also planned to provide information about S.P.L.A.S.H., health care for the underinsured, and free health clinics.
 
The Crossroads District is taking a different approach to Bishop's Day by holding a Global Health Fair at the Genesee Valley Center (www.geneseemall.com) in Flint from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. Health groups from Genesee County have been invited to staff a table at the event, while district churches will also have tables to share their health-related ministries and church information. The district will also provide entertainment in the mall during the event. According to estimates, several thousand people visit the Genesee Valley Center on any given Saturday.
 
Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton, who initiated Bishop's Day shortly after being assigned to the Michigan Area in 2004, has indicated that this will be the last year of Bishop's Day events, although he expects district-level continuing education events to continue. Bishop's Day has focused on each of the denomination's Four Areas of Focus during the last four years. Prior to that, Bishop's Day focused on stewardship and evangelism.