Valley Forge, Pa. — The American Baptist Churches USA have awarded 35 “wellness grants” to ministerial leaders to use toward such health-related activities as a membership in a local fitness club.
The $300 grants were distributed during what the denomination’s Ministerial Leadership Commission called “Clergy Appreciation Season.”
That season, from October to November, is part of the commission’s Clergy Health Initiative that has sought to make clergy health a priority for American Baptists.
“The ministerial leaders cannot be healthy by themselves,” said Ivan George, the commission’s executive director. “Providing the wellness grant and performing other acts of support during Clergy Appreciation Season and throughout the year are ways in which the local congregation or other American Baptists agency becomes a partner with the ministerial leader in the pursuit of healthy lifestyles.”
The grants can be used for “wellness opportunities,” such as a one-year membership in a local health or fitness club, a family membership at the “Y,” or a retreat at an American Baptist conference center or camp, the commission said on its Web site. It sought nominations for grant recipients on its Web site.
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