Pathways to Wholeness Video Series

Communities thrive when people flourish in their spiritual practices. People who relate well to their own self, their bodies, their neighbors, the natural world and consciously engage the systems in which they participate are better able to build healthy communities. Pathways to Wholeness is an invitation to explore the power of spirituality to build healthy communities.

See the ways faith leaders and health practitioners in California are integrating spirituality and religion to bring wholistic health to their communities. These organizations use the power of storytelling to build resilience and bring healing to the individuals they serve.

Articles

Sojourners Magazine reports on a variety of topics to bring about transformation in health systems, schools, our criminal justice system; and to promote policies that strengthen health, gender, and racial equity. See below for featured articles covering the intersection of these current issues and spirituality.

HOW DO NONRELIGIOUS CHAPLAINS OFFER SPIRITUAL CARE?

by Amy Lawton
In times of loss, change, or other challenges, chaplains can listen, provide comfort, and discuss spiritual needs. These spiritual caregivers can be found working in hospitals, universities, prisons, and many other secular settings, serving people of all faiths and those with no faith tradition at all. Yet a common assumption is that chaplains themselves must be grounded in a religious tradition. After all, how can you be a religious leader without religion?
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HONOR ALL MOTHERS BY ASKING CONGRESS FOR THESE PROTECTIONS

by Adam Russel Taylor
Most years, when Mother’s Day rolls around, my wife, Sharee, simply asks for an entire day off, a day in which she doesn’t have to think about planning or doing anything and can instead enjoy a day of pure rest. Each year, as I try to honor this request, I’m reminded just how much my wife does to ensure that our two active sons and I can thrive. I also call my mom to thank her for all the myriad ways she made sacrifices and poured into me so I could thrive. Isn’t that the hope and desire of every mom, to do their best to provide a safe and hopeful future for their children?
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IF CHRISTIANS WANT TO ‘CHOOSE LIFE,’ LET’S TALK ABOUT BLACK MATERNAL MORTALITY

by Lauren W. Reliford
During some of the most intense periods of fighting in the Syrian civil war, the maternal mortality rate in Washington, D.C., was worse than it was in Syria. Reading that statistic shook me to my core. The first time I came across it, I was in graduate school studying to become a social worker. A cold feeling pooled in my heart and dropped to my stomach as I absorbed a report that found Syria’s maternal mortality rate rose from 26 to 31 deaths per 100,000 live births from 2007 to 2015 — an increase researchers attributed to the nation’s ongoing civil war and the subsequent deterioration of its health care system. Meanwhile, during the same period, maternal mortality in the U.S. capital reached 33 deaths per 100,000 live births. A recent study found that the 2021 maternal mortality rate in the U.S. was greater than any other high-wealth nation, including France, Germany, the U.K., Canada, and Australia.
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Resources

Sojourners wants to equip faith groups, health practitioners, and policymakers to integrate spirituality into their work to promote healthier communities in California and nationwide. On May 9, 2024 we gathered a diverse, multifaith group of experts in health policy and practice to share how health and spirituality intersect within their work.

These sessions contain information and guidance captured during these sessions that show experts in California working to promote healthier communities from a variety of angles.

Explore the videos below and share with your communities.

Dr. Doug Oman on Public Health and Faith Collaborations

Faith in Black Communities Panel

Rev. HHyepin Im on Spirituality and Mental Health in AAPI Communities

Sh. Suhail Mulla on Meeting Spiritual & Emotional Needs in Muslim Communities

Chaplain Ruth Belonsky on Soul Care and Stigmatization

Paul Hoang on Hope, Healing, and Community

The Power of Spirituality to Build Healthy Communities Panel