December 2011 In This Issue Well to Serve, Well to Lead — A Pilot Program New Wellness Program at General Theological Seminary Member Story A Message from NEHM 100 Small Changes Healthy Recipe Chicken Vegetable Soup Ingredients 3 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth 3 tbsp. orzo (rice-shaped pasta) 1 1⁄2 cups sliced zucchini and/or yellow squash 4 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 1⁄2 cup frozen peas 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. snipped dill Directions Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in orzo; boil 9 minutes or until almost tender. Stir in squash and white part of scallions; cook one minute. Add chicken and peas; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one minute or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables and orzo are tender. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, dill, and scallion greens. Pour into bowls and serve. Serves: 6 82 calories per serving Print recipe Have you or your congregation made a healthy change? Email member stories and recipes to wellness@cpg.org They could be published in an upcoming issue. for members of the Episcopal Church Medical Trust   At the end of every year, it’s helpful for individuals and organizations alike to review what has been accomplished and the challenges that lie ahead. As individuals, we look at the changes that have occurred in our personal and professional lives. Here at the Medical Trust, we are pleased to see that over the past year, there has been definite progress in the creation of a culture of health and wellness in the Episcopal Church. In this edition of Health & Wellness News, we will review the health and wellness programs put into place over the past several years, including the raising of awareness about healthful lifestyles through the Small Change, Big Difference campaign that began in 2010, as well as other initiatives during 2011 that will continue to help us all be Well to Serve.             Well to Serve, Well to Lead — A Pilot Program Early in 2011, a small group of bishops, led by the Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle of the Diocese of Texas, took part in a phone conference with members of the Medical Trust to discuss how to address wellness in the Church. The focus of the conversation was on raising awareness and encouraging healthful lifestyles among the clergy. The outcome was an invitation from the Rt. Rev. Kirk Smith for all active and retired clergy and spouses/partners in the Diocese of Arizona to participate in a one-day Wellness Summit, led by the Medical Trust. Through it, we were able to meet with 183 attendees in Tucson in August — a great start! For the Arizona Wellness Summit, we also developed a pilot program that we call, Well to Serve, Well to Lead. It is a six-week program that addresses diet, exercise, ergonomics, stress, mind/body connection, and health leadership. The Arizona Wellness Summit allowed us to test and evaluate this program.     Read more     New Wellness Program at General Theological Seminary In the fall of 2011, General Seminary launched a new program aimed at instilling practices and knowledge concerning wellness. The Episcopal Wellness Program (EWP) incorporates body, mind, and spirit in a multifaceted way, not only to impart information around wellness but also to offer participants tools and experiences of wellness practices that can be utilized over a lifetime. The program has been developed through the office of the Chaplain with support from our Center for Christian Spirituality, and is offered to the entire seminary community (students and their spouses/partners, staff, faculty, and administration). The enthusiasm and help of the Church Pension Group has been essential in bringing our program to fruition. The EWP combines “traditional” wellness components (exercise, nutrition, time management) with embodied spiritual practices such as tai chi, meditation, and yoga. The hope is that the EWP will not only help students be healthy in body but will also be an important part of their full formation as lay and ordained leaders in the Church.     Read more     Member Story Our Servant Leadership School (SLS) decided to implement a communal healthful lifestyle change rather than hold people to it individually. We regularly share a meal together in which participants sign up, usually in pairs, to prepare meals for the whole group (usually 20-25 people). In the spirit of this communal change, we began passing out a Food Customary at the beginning of each semester with guidelines written by one of our members, Maryrose Hightower-Coyle, and everyone got on board. While we realize these guidelines may not work for everyone, we’ve found that they have helped us in our healthful exploration. Trade Out Meat for Vegetables. Though many of us eat meat as part of our regular diet, we feel that community feasts should reflect the desire to live more eco-friendly on the earth. The production of meat can be very costly to our natural resources. Consider having meals without meat or meat products. (Dairy products and eggs are fine.)     Read more     A Message from NEHM Looking back on 2011, I am proud of the many initiatives in which NEHM has been involved. Our conference provided tremendous educational opportunities while allowing us to make exciting new connections in the Church. Our next conference, with keynote speaker Edwina Gateley, is May 10-12 in Racine, WI, and I hope you will plan to join us there. I think 2012 is going to be a year in which we see a lot of hard work become visible. Here are just some of the projects we have been working on behind the scenes: • Ministry to Returning Veterans: We featured the work of John Sippola and his co-authors at our conference, and have continued to be in conversation about the development of an extensive effort to provide education to parishes about this critical ministry.     Read more     The staff of Health & Wellness News wishes all of our readers a Blessed Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Peaceful New Year.

Comments or questions about Health & Wellness News? Please email us at wellness@cpg.org Editor in Chief: Libby Miller, Clergy Editor: The Rev. Clayton Crawley, Senior Editor: Stephanie Aballay Sources: National Episcopal Health Ministries www.episcopalhealthministries.org For information on your health plan please visit: www.cpg.org/productsservices/healthplans.cfm This material is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment, nor a guarantee of coverage. Always seek the advice of a health care professional with any questions about your personal health care status, and prior to making changes in your approach to diet and exercise. Check your Plan Handbook carefully to determine which health care services are covered. Unless otherwise noted, websites outside the www.cpg.org domain are not affiliated with the Episcopal Church Medical Trust. Privacy Policy The Episcopal Church Medical Trust 445 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10016 © 2011 The Episcopal Church Medical Trust, All rights reserved.