National Benevolent Association and Disciples Health and Social Service Ministries Abide Together to Meet Community Needs
Specialized Peer Group for Disciples Chaplains
Your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund (DMF) and the Easter Special Offeringsupport the National Benevolent Association (NBA) and Disciples health and social service ministries, as we abide together in the life-giving and life-saving work we have been called to do. Ministries like the NBA Mental Health Initiative, which connects Disciples working to counter stigma and change the conversation about mental illness and disorders within the church. NBA recently convened a specialized peer group for Disciples chaplains to get the much-needed pastoral, emotional and self care they deserve. The group will journey together virtually over the next two years, after meeting in-person in February. “The stories shared, insights offered, testimonies of grace and vulnerability… It was an honor to witness what God is doing in their lives,” said Rev. Angela Whitenhill, NBA Mental Health Initiative Manager. “And it confirmed our decision to respond to a very specific need that could go unnoticed… Words can’t express how meaningful the experience was.”
By supporting DMF, you abide with the NBA and Disciples health and social service ministries as we respond to a variety of specific needs across the life of the church. We recently accompanied a cohort of ministry partners through a Fundraising for Small Nonprofits course, providing them with tools and training necessary to support and sustain their work with communities spanning from incarcerated and returning citizens in Pomona, CA; to women and children in Memphis, TN; to senior adults in Jacksonville, FL. Through the NBA Incubate Initiative, this kind of accompaniment now extends to Jayuya, Puerto Rico, where a community health clinic recently broke ground, with representatives from the NBA, the Florida Region, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico, and other denominational partners present to witness and support this work.
You can follow the NBA Stories Vlog to learn more about these ministries and the positive impact Disciples can make. When you make a gift to DMF, you share God’s love from your doorsteps to the ends of the Earth. Many thanks for abiding with us and sharing your generous support, during this Easter Special Offering and throughout the year!
As the health and social services general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the National Benevolent Association partners with congregations, regions, general ministries, and a variety of Disciples-related health and social service providers to create communities of compassion and care. Founded in 1887 by six women responding to the needs of the day and on their doorsteps, for more than 130 years the NBA has continued to serve “the least of these.” Learn more at www.nbacares.org.
