Background: The Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls (HBHS) program aims to reduce diabetes risk among urban African Americans by creating healthy food and physical activity environments within churches. Participant engagement supports the development of applicable intervention strategies by identifying priority concerns, resources, and opportunities.…

Describes the humanitarian efforts of St. Luke's Parish to reach out to the community and help others. Its attempts to spread justice and peace have made it a healing presence in southern society. (YKH)

Highlights changes in the Catholic church over the past few decades that have broadened Catholic culture and made it more ambiguous for young Catholics. Describes ways to reach out to youth and involve them in social projects, volunteer ministries, religion teaching, nursing home visits, parish councils, choirs, and liturgical functions. (MAB)

Reviews attitudes toward art in the early Catholic Church, considering the ability of art to influence those who experience it. Highlights the spiritualism of the Russian painter, Wassily Kandinsky. Suggests ways in which today's religious institutions can use art as a form of outreach to bring greater meaning to members of their congregations.…

Describes the methods and tools used by the Office of Religious Education of the Diocese of Worcester to help parishes improve the quality of their programs through long-term planning. Explains the parish visitation process. (DMM)

Local ministers and congregations are encouraged to join with, and take advantage of, the community college as a means of reaching and helping the new breed of college student who attends a community college. The traditional approach of campus ministry is discussed, and the differences in the life situation of community college students are…

Looks at the respective roles of the diocese, parish, and school in creating good fund-raising and development programs. Considers what each has to offer, what each has to gain, and how their efforts can be coordinated. (DMM)

Suggests that one place parents can find helpful resources to aid in the faith formation of their children is the parish community. Presents some models that can be used to prepare for faith events, which depend most often on the makeup and vision of each parish community. (VWC)

Prison Fellowship Ministries' church and community based Transition of Prisoners (TOP) program in Detroit is examined. TOP mobilizes, trains, and equips primarily African-American churches and volunteers to assist ex-offenders to successfully reintegrate into their community. Preliminary outcome data suggest that participation in TOP reduces need…

Based primarily on interviews with American sponsors of Khmer refugees, describes a cluster resettlement project conducted in Amherst, South Hadley, Northampton, and Easthampton, Massachusetts. Discusses services provided to refugees and considers sponsor-refugee relations. (GC)

As part of an evaluation of the Community College Program of the United Ministries in Higher Education (UMHE), this study surveyed 323 pastors in local churches to determine: (1) local congregations' interest or involvement in working with community colleges; (2) a baseline against which to measure further involvement of the church with the…

The pilot Ecumenical Child Health Project tested ways to coordinate local church activities aimed at improving young children's access to health care. Within a year, coordinators at 3 pilot sites had succeeded in initialing or enhancing several activities that linked health care to more than 1000 families and children living in medically…

Leaders from business, education, churches, government, and the nonprofit sector in Multnomah County (Oregon) started eight Caring Communities, collaborative programs dedicated to 100% high school completion. Although each has its own emphasis, all support and coordinate other groups' efforts to help poor and minority students succeed. (TD)