American Public Health Association 143rd Annual Meeting & Exposition

Black Caucus of Health Workers SessionFaith Communities and Health: The Role of the Church

By

Apryl R. Brown, MD, MPH, FRSPH

Candidate for Itinerant Ministry African Methodist Episcopal Church

Apryl Brown

The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months:

No relationships to disclose

Since the period of time prior the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the contemporary advocacy matters of concern African American faith leaders have been at the forefront of society confronting negative social determinants of health and equity which has affected the overall well being of their parishioners in the United States.

Richard Allen and Absalom Jones lay ministers at the integrated St. George Methodist Church were born slaves who eventually purchased their freedom.

Their ministry and evangelism led to an increase number of Black parishioners at the church.

In 1876 the white parishioners met and decided that there after black parishioners should sit only in the baloney reserved for them.

As Absalom Jones was keeling during prayer in the main sanctuary one of the trustees pulled him up off his knees stating that he could not kneel to pray in the main sanctuary. Mr. Jones replied for him to wait until prayer was over and he would trouble him no more.

Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, and other Blacks decided to leave St. George to create independent worship for African Americans.

The Free African Society (FAS) was the first Black mutual aid society formed in Philadelphia founded by ministers Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, free Blacks whose purpose involved creating a non-denominational religious organization attending to the spiritual, physical health, economic, educational, and social needs of the city’s African American community. These progressive visionary Black leaders attended to the Philadelphia African American community’s complete state of health as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) which was released to the world over sesquicentennial (150) years later after the operations of the Free African Society. The Free African Society attended to the complete well-being of Blacks since they were barred from Whites in receiving assistance to attend to various concerns such as health care, education, burial in cemeteries, and receiving financial assistance when in desire need.

Membership required adhering to strict rules in order to carry out the mission which involved “support one another in sickness, and for the benefit of their widows and fatherless children.”

Monthly dues were paid by each member for the benefit of those in need. A member was expelled from the society for nonpayment of dues for three consecutive months.

One century later W.E.B. Dubois called the Free African Society the “the first wavering step of a people toward organized social life.”

In addition to assisting the Black community, the Free African Society became well known for its’ benevolent work as nurses and aides helping the Philadelphia community-at-large during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 which over killed five thousand individuals and over twenty thousand individuals fled the city. Despite attending to the welfare of the Philadelphia African American community as well as the Philadelphia community-at-large, the operations of the Free African Society were always viewed with suspicion, distain, and racism from individuals of mainstream America throughout its years of operation.

Richard Allen became the first African American ordained in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Richard Allen became the founder and first elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church focusing to organize a denomination where free Blacks could worship without racial oppression and where slaves could find a measure of dignity.

Absalom Jones became the first African American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal in the United States.

Both Richard Allen and Absalom Jones became ordained faith leaders who were civil right activists and abolitionists supporting causes that would lead to the emancipation of all African Americans, such as:

Petitioning the US Congress regarding the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act

Underground Railroad

Oversaw the Colored Free Produce Society of Pennsylvania in 1830 (Richard Allen) encouraging others to only purchase goods from the labor of free Blacks in order to counteract the profit from slavery

Clergy and parishioners should be taught that various biblical scriptures reflect the importance of them possessing a high quality of health, for example:

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper

and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do,

do all to the glory of God.

Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the

prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Many of the miracles of Jesus Christ recorded in the bible are health-related, for example:

Gospel of Matthew Healing of a leprosy Healing of the centurion’s servant Healing of the hemorrhagic woman Healing of two blind men Disciples commanded to heal the sick

Many churches today have various subspecialty ministries addressing preventive health and the social determinants of health in order to address the various components to enhance the quality of for its parishioners, such as:

Health Ministry for adults and children For example: The AME Church has the Health

Commission advocating that health care is a right for all individuals and not the few privilege.

Educational Training Housing Program Financial Support Social Justice

Faith leaders who are also health care and/or public health specialists can educate their church parishioners how to become proactive about their health through various activities such as: Health Fairs Awareness Programs

Breast Cancer Awareness Portable mammogram mobile may be available at church

Prostate Cancer Awareness Cardiovascular Disease Diabetes Mellitus Physical Activity Obesity Nutrition

The National Cancer Institute had a book Body & Soul: A Guide for Your Church on how to eat healthy

Physical activity should be available and enjoyed by parishioners of various ages and levels of movement at certain church functions especially while sitting for a prolong period of time, for example: Exercise regimens may be available during breaks

during meetings in attendance by the clergy, missionary, church officers, or the lay congregation.

Exercise/dance regimens may be led by individuals of the liturgical dance ministry.

Exercise regimens may be catered to senior citizens and/or individuals who have a limited range of motion.

Psychological assessment and treatment addressing potential mental health issues should be available and encouraged to attain by both members of the clergy and lay parishioners.

The stigma regarding much needed psychological assessment and treatment should be removed and it does not reflect an individual’s faith walk with God.

Maintaining good mental health is has equally important as maintaining good physical health. Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Clergy and parishioners should be taught the importance of empowering themselves with knowledge by participating in the Surgeon General Family History Initiative where they will gather a detail record of their family medical histories expanding up to three generations of biological relatives.

This record will provide an accurate picture of the patient’s genetic makeup enabling a medical specialist to make more a precise diagnosis concerning mental and/or physical illness.

African American churches have founded historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in order to elevate the level of educational attainment which is a direct relationship to the quality of health seen within a community, for example:

The AME Church founded: Wilberforce University in 1856 (Ohio) Edward Waters College in 1866 (Florida) Allen University in 1870 (South Carolina) Paul Quinn College in 1872 (Texas) Morris Brown College in 1881 (Georgia) Shorter College in 1886 (Arkansas) Payne Theological Seminary in 1894 (Ohio) Turner Theological Seminary in 1900 (Georgia)

Became a founding constituent of the Interdenominational Theological Center in 1958

Certain African American churches have provided a source of financial resources for their parishioners to help sustain themselves in order to experience an adequate quality of life. The Fannie B. Peck Credit Union

First Black owned financial institution in the state of Michigan which was founded and operated at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Detroit.

It was named after the first lady of the church. It provided the African American church members with

the opportunity to receive loans and/or financial assistance from a financial institution whose requests were usually rejected from banks in mainstream America.

There is a widespread discussion among faith leaders regarding if Jesus Christ engaged in issues pertaining to social justice during his three year public ministry in where he taught his main disciples and others how to live and treat one another, for example:

Matthew 25:35-39 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me

drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirty, and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Some African American churches engage their parishioners to apply their faith principles of Christianity in overcoming societal oppression similar to how Jesus Christ taught the masses during his ministry on earth.

African American parishioners may enhance the quality of their lives by as the body of Christ overcoming negative social determinants of equity such as: Racism Lack of Educational Attainment Lack of Career Opportunity Lack of Social Support Low Socioeconomic Status Hazardous Environmental Conditions Low Quality of Health

Heighten level of events of racism involving police brutally and the unarmed killing of Blacks whose deaths were not justified in court led to the coalition of diverse denominations mostly African American supporting the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

December 14, 2014 which was designated as “Black Lives Matter Sunday” encouraged all worshippers to wear black demonstrating the message that “Black life has value.”

History has shown that African American faith leaders involving the clergy, missionary, and lay constituents have engaged in public health endeavors as they have tenaciously worked to enhance the quality of life for their parishioners as well as the community in which they serve through addressing the mental and/or physical health as well as the social determinants of health and equity.

Mentors:

Rt. Rev. John R. Bryant, Presiding Prelate and Senior BishopAfrican Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church

Rev. Norman V. Osborne, Presiding Elder Michigan Conference South DistrictAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church Fourth Episcopal District

Rev. David R. Jarrett, Pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Detroit

Board of Examiners Michigan Conference African Methodist Episcopal Church

Fred Gordon, Superintendent of Bethel AME Church Detroit Mildred Goodloe, Director of Bethel AME Church Detroit Rev. Amelia Graham, Superintendent of Michigan Conference Jerry Givan, Director of Michigan Conference Rev. Ernest J. Ni’A, Dean of Instructions Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount, Church School Superintendent

AME Christian Education Fourth Episcopal District

Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant, Fourth Episcopal Superior - Senior Episcopal Supervisor Joyce Keys, President of the Fourth Episcopal District Joyce Johnson, President of the Michigan Conference Mildred Goodloe, President of Ruth Missionary Society Bethel AME Church Detroit

AME Women’s Missionary Society Fourth Episcopal District

Sources:

AME Church AME Church Discipline AME Payne Theological Seminary King James Bible