Search

Black people represent less than 13% of the population in the United States, but over 15% of COVID-19 deaths, with a mortality rate two times higher than White people. The Black Church system has historically been in a unique position to serve Black communities, particularly during times of crisis. The deep-rooted connection of the Black Church system within Black communities was largely shaped by slavery and segregation. However, there have been questions about the relevance of the Black Church system today. The objective of this commentary is to describe the intersectionality of ministry and health that has been illuminated in a profound way during this pandemic. Those in leadership had to evaluate and disseminate COVID-19 information to congregants, recognizing mistrust of the medical and public health systems still permeates throughout Black communities. Moreover, the death of George Floyd sparked international outcry, which launched church leaders to respond to a second pandemic: systemic racism. Understanding ways the Black Church responded to COVID-19, and systemic racism, is significantly important to public health and medical communities as it addresses the relevance of this system and ways to appropriately support during another public health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 related health disparities are prevalent among higher risk populations like the Hispanic community. Vaccination is one readily available public health tool, yet vaccine uptake is lower among minority populations and hesitations and concerns are high. In the present study, interpersonal and media sources of information about COVID-19 were discussed in a series of six focus groups with Spanish-language dominant and bilingual English-Spanish respondents in a large metropolitan area in Texas. Participants reported using legacy media as a main source of information about COVID-19 vaccines and encountered conspiracy theories and misinformation on social media. Using the Health Belief Model as the theoretical lens, we found individuals' and family members' perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 played a part in participants wanting to find and get the vaccine. Provider recommendations may have served as cues to action. Ease of receiving the vaccines at church and pharmacies may have served to boost participants self-efficacy. Perceived barriers include vaccine specific reasons such as the fast pace of initial authorization, side effects, and long-term effects along with conspiracy theories. Prevailing information gaps regarding the COVID-19 vaccines and the resulting uncertainty are discussed. Understanding information sources and the trust Hispanic communities place in these sources is important in designing effective health messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Kenya, the number of street‐involved children continues to grow each decade, with most recent estimates as high as 250 000 to 300 000. Despite efforts by local government, nongovernmental organizations, and community‐based organizations to address this problem, most children who receive services end up returning to the streets. Since 2021, Agape Children's Ministry has provided time‐limited, crisis‐oriented services to families recently reintegrated through its Family Strengthening Programme (FSP). We conducted an exploratory programme evaluation of Agape's FSP to ascertain whether it is achieving the intended outcomes. Thirty families (n = 30 children; n = 38 caregivers) were enrolled in the FSP during the study window and participated in the evaluation. Family functioning and child well‐being increased to a statistically significant and large extent from before to after the intervention. All but two children remained reintegrated at the end of the study period. Results highlight the importance of using a holistic family‐based programme that reunites children with their healthiest possible family environment with a plan specifically tailored to their individual needs and unique family situations. Results also bring to the fore the need for broad governmental attention to basic needs of families as an important part of improving family functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on the increased awareness of breathing since the emergence of COVID-19 and its spiritual implications, particularly in the context of prayer and mission work. Topics include the significance of prayer as a "deep breath" for the Church, the theological insights derived from sacred scripture, and the connection between Jesus' act of breathing on his disciples and the concept of spiritual vitality.

The Socratic method of questioning and answering as a learning and teaching strategy has been used widely over time, for it effectively stimulates meaningful learning. Its learner-centered and transformative nature promotes ongoing dialogue. Since cultural differences influence the nature of questions asked, induction of the Socratic method is inevitable so that faith formation leads to thinking theologically where faith becomes a contextual form of thinking and thinking a form of contextualized faith. Some mainline churches in Africa have adopted catechisms with pre-asked and pre-answered questions formulated in Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The challenges of time, culture, and geographical contextual differences create a gap between the church's faith formation and context-based spiritual quests. These gaps demand asking the right questions that challenge and inverse wrong attitudes that foster deep reflective self-evaluation, interpretation, and understanding, shaping appropriate perceptions to address the contemporary spiritual quests of Africa. Using the qualitative literature review methodology, this article discovered that there are some gaps between questions and answers in catechisms used in mainline churches and contemporary spiritual quests of Africa. This article aims to discuss the means of closing the gap between questions and answers in catechism and context-based spiritual quests. It recommends induction of the Socratic method so that the questions and answers in catechisms are contextual, communicable, assimilable, and appropriable in African contexts. This study contributes to faith formation by recommending the induction of the Socratic method so that the questions and answers in catechisms are contextual, communicable, assimilable, and appropriable in African contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses youth community risk and protective factors, five years after a Youth and Family Master Plan, using an integrated conceptual framework which combines community organizing theory and the risk and protective factors (RPF) approach. Results show overall improvements in RPF. Findings reveal positive trends in prosocial involvement through participation in clubs, organizations, activities, community service, and attendance at church or synagogues; reduced community disorganization, such as decreased unsafe feelings in the neighborhood and social disorganization; and lower community transitions and mobility through changes in homes and schools. There were negative trends in the physical environment such as disrepair, permissive substance use, and lower neighborhood attachment, which is the desire to leave the neighborhood. The findings show a convergence of patterns across all methods of analysis for each measure of community youth risk and protective factors, suggesting reliability and a likelihood that the interventions contributed to observed variations between baseline and follow-up. The data patterns in this study align with the assumptions and explanations offered in the two models that make up the integrated conceptual framework. The persistence of some risk factors after five years calls for transformative and sustained social and economic investments in the Pomona community. The patterns also suggest the need to reconsider community organizing models – specifically, the need to go beyond locality development and social planning models and toward social action approaches. This will address complex causes of risk factors, consistent with transformative collective impact initiatives and democracy-driven governance, which grows from the bottom up. A beginning point would be to build on the increased prosocial involvement among youths in Pomona by reconfiguring the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan (PYFMP) with greater youth and ordinary community members involvement and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Members of consecrated life communities exhibit homogeneity with regard to factors that are relevant to health, including diet, daily activities, religiosity, and housing. This may be indicative of the manner in which the community influences the formation of the health-seeking attitudes of its members. Purpose of the study: The objective of this study was to validate a survey about health awareness and health-seeking attitudes among consecrated people and to identify potential issues to be improved. In addition, the study aspires to provide insights into the lifestyles of consecrated persons in Poland, based on the results of the survey and available data. Materials and Methods: The study group included 27 female participants, members of societies of apostolic life and non-habitual apostolic religious congregations of the Roman Catholic Church. The participants were invited to express their comments and suggestions on the survey, with the purpose of validating the survey before using it as a tool for a larger study. Results: All participants agreed that nutrition, rest, and physical activity had a significant impact on health. A total of 89% of participants considered their lifestyle as healthy and a similar proportion indicated that living in a consecrated community had a positive impact on their health, with the most positive influence of factors related to spiritual exercise, rhythm of the day, and sense of interpersonal connection within the community. Approximately 44% of participants indicated that their attitude was based on a healthy diet and adequate sleep quality. However, they identified an existing need to improve the balance between work and rest. Additionally, 4% of respondents admitted irregular eating habits, ignoring quality of alimentary products, non-satisfactory rest time, and insufficient sleep. Conclusions: Even though the purpose of this study was only to validate a survey predestined for a larger study, it already gives an insight into the level of awareness of health behavior and lifestyle of residents of religious communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of capital expenditure on three new church buildings in Edinburgh's New Town, in the financial difficulties that ultimately led to the city's bankruptcy in 1833. It outlines the origins of the financial crisis and the failure of the city's councillors to arrest the remorseless increase in municipal debt prior to the bankruptcy. In describing the financing arrangements pertaining to Edinburgh's ecclesiastical estate, it presents evidence relating to the question of whether this area of activity was in deficit or surplus. It concludes by considering the competing narratives around the question of the state funding of ecclesiastical provision, and the way in which ecclesiastical revenues – burgh church seat rents – underpinned the final bankruptcy settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I look at the widespread, and often much debated, abandonment and reuse of church buildings in the Netherlands. I focus on the striking case of the Roman Catholic Chassé Church that, after years of being left abandoned, was converted into the Chassé Dance Studios and Hotel. Based on ethnographic fieldwork at the site, I show that the transformation process of the Chassé Church took place within a field of contestation in which different groups involved, articulated distinct modes of understanding the site and attributing it with value. I argue that these registers of valuation all centre in important ways on notions of home. Consequentially, while the repurposing of the church building represents the loss of a home for some, it has been co-opted as an instrument of home-building by others. For the latter, the site has played an important role in their quests for local belonging, feeling at home in the neighbourhood and, to some extent, delineating a national culture. By tracing such emotions of not only attachment and belonging, but also loss and nostalgia, this paper calls attention to the everyday affective dimension of processes of religious heritage making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early church construction relied on complex and intertwined material and social networks, at the elite and lower-class levels. The material networks included reused and recycled Roman materials, and by reconstructing demolition and reprocessing technologies, we can link these materials with processes of construction that we know about from epigraphic evidence. The presence of reused and recycled materials in churches also enables the development of a circular model for construction. The investigation of archaeological remains from church workshops in France and Italy proposes craft zones on construction sites. This allows theorisation of worker interaction points across vertical and horizontal organisational systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One understanding of Anglican cathedrals is that their ministry, like the ministry of the bishop whose cathedra they house, stretches beyond the city and embraces the whole diocese. The advent of digital and online technology has brought the ministry of cathedrals much closer to homes throughout the diocese. The present study examines the impact of the Exploring the Sunday Gospel programme developed by Liverpool Cathedral on the spiritual journey of one senior rural churchgoer who turned towards Liverpool Cathedral when her own rural church ceased to offer services during the pandemic. The data support the value of a programme designed to equip churchgoers to engage in depth with the Sunday Gospel before hearing the Gospel reading proclaimed during the Sunday Eucharist, whether in-person or online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on religion and its practice. This paper aims to examine how the pandemic affects religious activities, donations, and finances over time and across regions within the United Methodist Church (UMC) in the USA. To address this question, we analyze survey data collected during the pandemic from 2963 churches in the USA by United Methodist Communications. Our analysis utilizes several quantitative techniques, including Z-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multinomial logistic regressions. The results indicate a decrease in church attendance over time, with a more pronounced effect observed in non-urban areas (suburban, small town, and rural). Similarly, while church donations and finances mitigate over time across churches, churches in urban areas experience a quicker rebound compared to those in non-urban areas. Lastly, we find that church attendance and donations positively affect finances. These findings hold important implications for churches in various regions, offering insights to develop strategies for navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the barriers and facilitators to organizational maintenance of faith-based health promotion programs. This study used qualitative data (collected from 2016–2019) from pastors (n = 81) and program coordinators (n = 103) to identify barriers and facilitators to 24-month maintenance of a faith-based physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) intervention in South Carolina. Barriers differed for PA versus HE: resistance to change impeded HE while church characteristics tended to impede PA. Similar themes emerged for PA and HE facilitators: healthy opportunities, church communication, and consistency. Future research should build upon this study to tailor faith-based health promotion programs for long-term sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine whether social support from extended family and church members moderate the association between chronic stress exposure and sleep quality in a nationally representative sample of African American adults. Data from African American respondents aged 18 and older were drawn from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview. The analytic sample for this study included 1,372 African American adults who attended religious services at least a few times a year, as the church-based relationship measures were only assessed for these individuals. Self-reported sleep quality was assessed by sleep satisfaction, trouble falling asleep, and restless sleep. Chronic stress exposure was measured by a nine-item index. OLS and logistic regression were used to estimate the relationship between chronic stress exposure, extended family and church relationships, and sleep quality. The data indicated that chronic stress exposure was associated with decreased sleep satisfaction, increased likelihood of trouble falling asleep and restless sleep. Receiving emotional support from family and more frequent contact with church members were associated with decreased restless sleep. Emotional family support moderated the associations between chronic stress exposure and trouble falling asleep and restless sleep. The positive associations between chronic stress exposure and these two sleep quality measures were attenuated among respondents who received high levels of emotional support from their family. Together, these findings underscore the detriment of chronic stress exposure to African Americans' sleep quality and suggest that extended family members are effective stress coping resources and play an important role in this population's sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The island of Seili, in the south-western archipelago of Finland, is famous for its history as a leprosy colony and mental asylum. The island formed a small, hierarchical community run by priests and hospital officials. In this article, we examine the history of the burial crypt in Seili church by comparing information from historical documents and observations made during archaeological fieldwork. The material gathered from these two sources is conflicting, suggesting an interesting history in the use of the burial crypt. It seems that women's coffins could easily be moved elsewhere from the crypt when new coffins belonging to males were interred. It is argued that identifying the buried individuals would be necessary for a taphonomic study of the mummification processes and ensuring that the information about the crypt is based on facts. However, the identification is difficult due to inconsistent historical records. This underlines the importance of Post-Medieval archaeology in studying sites connected to family histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article's objective is to analyse the birth and development of the People with Physical Disabilities Movement in late Francoist Spain and the democratic transition. To that end, this work is based on qualitative research, based on 12 in-depth interviews, carried out with people with innate or acquired physical disabilities, from different regions of Spain, and born between 1938 and 1960. The participants selected for this work have been especially involved in the People with Physical Disabilities Movement in Spain since the sixties and seventies until today, from a total of 26 informants sources. These testimonies, always used anonymously, will be completed with reference works on the issues discussed, as well as other primary sources. This article analyses the birth of the Movement of People with Physical Disabilities in Spain during the late Francoism and the transition to democracy, from the 1960s to the early 1980s. This article delves into the life stories of 26 individuals with physical disabilities born between 1938 and 1960. Together with other social movements, people with physical disabilities were able to coordinate themselves in the late Francoism in order to create a new social movement to improve their living conditions. By giving voice to its protagonists and their experiences, the research seeks to understand more profoundly the basis and the -development of the Movement of People with Physical Disabilities in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of tourists visit churches on their holiday without being religious or having any religious motivation. If religion is not important for the visit, what is then central to the tourist experience, and how do tourists describe their church visit? In this article, I examine tourists' church visits and the meaning it gives. In a setting characterized through tourism and religion, and with a special focus on the individual church experience, the personal perspective is prioritized. The data for this study have been collected at the church of Santa Cecilia in Rome, where I have interviewed 12 tourists. The findings show that the experience of escape is an important part of the church visit. Further the findings demonstrate tourists' need to find back to themselves, as a contrast to the busier tourist role. While previous studies of visits to religious sites often emphasize religious identity and holiness, this study indicates that religion is unimportant or subordinate to some extent. The findings therefore provide new knowledge about the significance for tourists of visiting churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety and depression among adolescents in the United States has steadily increased. In addition, significant disparities in access to mental health care exist for African Americans. The purpose of the current project was to support the mental health of African American adolescents involved in faith-based youth groups through implementation of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). The community partner was an African American church in Southwest Georgia. Mindfulness training modules are offered in monthly sessions. Pre- and post-intervention surveys and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were analyzed, comparing mean GAD-7 scores before and after participation. Nurse-led quality improvement initiatives support adolescent mental health and provide sustainable resources for mental health in rural areas. Results of the quality improvement project reveal improvement in self-reported anxiety symptoms among participants after the 4-month DBT intervention. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(8), 7–10.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive autonomy encompasses one's ability to make decisions around contraceptive use, pregnancy, and childbirth. An individual's geographic location affects access to a wide range of information and care related to reproductive choice. Individuals in rural areas face additional barriers to reproductive health and decision-making than those in urban areas. This phenomenological qualitative study examined the experiences with and perceptions of reproductive decision-making among women in rural Appalachian communities in the United States. Four themes emerged from the data: autonomy tied to choice, role of religion and church on autonomy and decision-making, navigating limited access to care, and shame. Women should be supported in making reproductive health decisions, and efforts are needed to increase autonomy within reproductive health care and decisions. Sexual health programming within school and other community settings should address shame that often occurs around reproductive health topics, particularly among religious communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on Thomas Aquinas's assertion that the spiritual common good of the Church is contained in the Eucharist, exploring its profound theological implications. Topics include relationship between the common good and the Eucharist, the comparison of the Eucharist to other sacraments like marriage; and the three aspects of the common good: communicability, hierarchy of final causes, and community.

During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia between 1935 and 1941 there was an outbreak of brutal and violent attacks on the Ethiopian church. These attacks were supported by many in the Italian church and were described as a Crusade, with no condemnation of them from the papacy. The two churches come from very different geographical locations and cultural backgrounds, and this has led to periods of warm relations, but also to examples of aggressive evangelism and hostility. The situation at the start of the Second World War aggravated aggressive tendencies. They are a warning to the churches of how easy it is to slip into violence and hatred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Text messages are useful for health promotion and can be modified during public health emergencies. Purpose: Describe how we developed and implemented a physical activity (PA) text messaging component within a faith-based intervention, modified the text message content in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluated participants' perceptions of the modified text messages. Research Design and Study Sample: PA promotion text messages were delivered to predominately Spanish-speaking, churchgoing Latino adults (n = 284) in Los Angeles, California. In 2020, we modified the messages to disseminate COVID-19-related information and support and share virtual PA resources. Data Collection and Analysis: We analyzed quantitative and qualitative survey data to gauge participants' experiences with the text messages. Results: COVID-19 related text messages were a feasible, acceptable addition to a PA intervention for a sample of Latinos. Conclusions: Throughout the pandemic, the messages enabled continued communication and support for PA and protection from COVID-19 in a population at high-risk of health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures to limit COVID‐19's spread were vital at the pandemic's onset. While some churches complied with public health mandates, others resisted them. Some religious ceremonies depend on third parties independent of the church. Funerals may require mortuary services overseen by funeral directors. Religious groups that may otherwise resist public health directives may comply when they depend on a third party. Extending street‐level bureaucracy theory, we examine the role of service providers who function as street‐level bureaucrats in shaping how religious groups respond to public policy mandates. Using the case of funeral rites in Old Order Amish churches, we content‐analyzed Old Order Amish obituaries from an Amish correspondence newspaper and interviewed funeral directors that serve the Amish. We found that the content of obituaries changed to incorporate COVID‐19 mitigation strategies due to requirements from some funeral homes. We also found that funeral directors used discretion to interpret health mandates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how the Roman Catholic Church in Poland navigated the enormous increase in church buildings at its disposal at the end of the Second World War. This expansion was largely due to the mass acquisition of post-German churches in lands transferred from Germany to Poland. But rapid reconstruction of most of the churches destroyed during the war as well as the resumption of new construction also played a role. Although access to increased worship space might seem to have been a boon for Poland's postwar Catholic Church, the appropriation, reconstruction and completion of thousands of church buildings presented the church with an array of challenges. Refounding local Polish religious life in post-German, and often post-Protestant, houses of worship raised difficult questions about how various constituencies in newly formed communities could be made to feel at home in their new surroundings. Trade-offs between the expectations and customs of divergent groups were exacerbated by the prominence within the postwar church of Catholics who were themselves post-German, having spent the war categorized as German before being recategorized as Polish after 1945. Close attention to how Polish Catholics encountered new sacred spaces and one another reveals the complex negotiations and balancing acts required to form an ostensibly homogeneous religious-national community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation was conducted of a community trauma program based in a local church to guide improvement, expansion, and replication efforts. While conducting interviews an unexpected pattern of language emerged, and in the creation of the evaluation report a poetic representation was included as an offering to the interviewees who had shared their time, their stories, and their words. This article explores poetic representation as an option for sharing evaluation data, presents a model for evaluating poetic representation, and encourages evaluators to explore creative mechanisms for sharing with research and evaluation participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we examine the two crises of the Church: crisis 1, which is the decline of the Church, and crisis 2, which is the Church forgetting its calling. Crisis 1 draws the most attention from churches, but it is crisis 2 that churches should attend first. We argue that the order matters: a church paying attention to its calling will not solve its decline, but will help break free from tiresome attempts at repair. It will also help churches to practise an attitude of receiving, being directed at the kingdom of God. The distinction between crisis 1 and 2 will help churches and theologians name the challenges that the Church faces and will help prioritize them. It requires that discernment as a communal practice with others becomes an important part of the theological method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than a century, in the center of Sofia, the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria, there is and functions the church of St. Nikolai Mirlikiyski the Wonderworker, known as the Russian church. The church was built at the beginning of the 20th century with the idea of being part of the complex of the Russian imperial diplomatic body in Sofia and to serve the Russian diplomats, their families and the Orthodox Russian citizens living permanently or temporarily in the Bulgarian capital. However, after its consecration in 1914, disputes began, both regarding the ownership of the church building and the canonical jurisdiction of the church—of the Metropolitan of Sofia or the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. This dispute culminated in September 2023, with the expulsion from Bulgaria of several Russian and Belarusian clergies serving in the Russian church on charges of espionage in favor of the Russian Federation. The subsequent closure of the church by the Russian ambassador Mitrofanova led to internal and external political tension and ecclesiological chaos in the country. The Russian side violated the Bulgarian Law on Religions, known as the Confessions Act 2002, and directly infringed the Statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. This article provides expert answers to the public law, property rights and canonical issues concerning the case of the Russian church in Sofia, based on the relevant sources of law (ecclesiastical and civil). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The church of San Lorenzo in San Buono (Italy) is unique in the local landscape due to its technical, and architectural features. The building, whose construction dates from the 14th century to the mid-20th century, was realized by the most important designers in the region. The bell tower is an element characterized by refined neoclassicism and testifies to a remarkable episode of the permanence of the neoclassical style in Abruzzo until the first decades of the 20th century. The present study illustrates both a technological-constructive analysis of the building and an assessment of the seismic risk of the bell tower, to present an important point for the knowledge of the artefact with regard to possible conservative restoration works. The seismic risk analyses are carried out for two different structural configurations and two different typologies allowed by the Italian building codes for monumental masonry buildings: simplified linear and non-linear static. The study illustrates how the presence of the adjacent structure significantly alters the structural behavior of the masonry tower, both in terms of displacement and propagation of the crack pattern. The differences in the results of the non-linear calculation and the expeditious methods suggested by the standard are highlighted as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racially and ethnically diverse populations have recently contributed to the majority of rural and small-town growth. Consequently, the disproportionately high risk and prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) among rural and minoritized older residents will likely increase. To address this threat, we tested the hypotheses that (1) a faith-based, resident-led approach would increase basic ADRD knowledge and diagnosis, and (2) older age, female gender, lower educational levels, and more years lived rural would predict number of referrals, new dementia diagnoses, and treatment. An adaptation of Schoenberg's Faith Moves Mountains model, previously successful in detection and management of other chronic illnesses in rural settings, guided this community-based participatory research. Local faith community members were trained as research assistants to recruit, administer surveys, conduct brief memory assessments, teach brain health strategies, and follow-up with residents. Outreaches were offered virtually during the pandemic, then in-person monthly at rotating church sites, and repeated ∼1 year later. This rural sample was racially and ethnically diverse (74.5% non-White), with 28% reporting eight or less years of formal education. Findings included that referrals and years lived rural were significant and positive predictors of new ADRD treatments [(b = 3.74, χ2(1, n = 235) = 13.01, p < 0.001); (b = 0.02, χ2(1, n = 235 = 3.93, p = 0.048)], respectively, regardless of participant characteristics. Resident-led action research in rural, diverse, faith communities is a successful approach to increasing ADRD disease knowledge, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liturgical space represents the embodiment of Christian theology in church buildings, encompassing both physical and metaphysical aspects. This space carries holiness and sacredness through a set of architectural elements that create sacred and profane zones within the church architecture. For centuries, design elements have shaped the form of Eastern churches in Iraq. This research aimed to answer the following question: what does a participant see at first glance in the liturgical space of a church building? This paper revisits the impact of design elements on the liturgical space of Eastern churches. The research methodology involved analyzing qualitative data using visual attention software (VAS) 3M, version 2024, to examine eye-tracking data and identify what visitors first noticed when entering these church interiors in Mosul, Iraq. The results highlight the variations and dominance of specific design elements in their impact on Eastern churches. The conclusions emphasize the importance of scientifically based restoration for the perception of design elements in these churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research studies university undergraduate students' perceptions of the causes of suicide and suicidality among the youths in Zimbabwe with reference to the case of Midlands State University. The research also examined the contribution of COVID-19 to suicide and suicidality and the role of the family and church in suicide and suicidality causation or prevention. A qualitative methodology was used to collect data through semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews and a focus group discussion using a sample of 31 participants. Thomas Joiner's Interpersonal theory of suicide is utilised and adapted to explain suicide ideation among Zimbabwean youths. Abusive, fractured family and romantic relationships, economic frustrations, stigmatisation, loneliness, drug abuse and the pressure to conform were some of the causes of suicide ideation. The research recommends increased regular mental health and suicide prevention awareness campaigns to inform the students on the available services. Supportive, stable and positive relationships and interactions within families and churches are necessary to build resilience against suicide ideation and suicidality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black church has long been seen as a crucial partner in addressing public health issues. This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-engaged church intervention addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved Black communities in Jefferson County, Alabama. We partnered with churches to implement and evaluate the intervention between March and June of 2022 and found that our church partners were capable of significant messaging reach, particularly through electronic means. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S5):S392–S395. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307683) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes how faith-health-academic partnership addressed COVID-19-related challenges experienced in a large-scale, religiously and culturally tailored COVID-19 testing intervention in Kansas City, Missouri from 2021-2022. Topics discussed include participant characteristics, the use of a community engagement approach, and concerns of project partners.

This article examines an account by William Grant Broughton, describing a journey made in 1845 to the south of his Diocese of Australia. It was published by English supporters, describing the impossibly large area of his responsibility and pleading for a subdivision of his diocese. Broughton wanted to overcome ignorance of Australia, to thank his supporters for money and manpower, and to demonstrate that his work as a bishop was not just a state appointed official, but as a spiritual Father-in-God in apostolic succession from Christ. Broughton was inspired by the Oxford Movement. Broughton met influential colonists and inspired support in his vision of church buildings where the Gospel might be preached and the sacraments of the Church of England celebrated with a dignity to inspire and attract the flock. Broughton knew the 1836 decision of the Government to give state aid to all major Christian denominations undermined the claim of the Church of England to have inherited established legal status the church enjoyed in England. Broughton's heroic efforts form an inspiring Anglican heritage. The article concludes that by the time of his death in 1853 his church was but one denomination in a spiritually plural, and secular, society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]