Introducing sexuality education into your congregation can be a wonderful opportunity to put faith into action. The impetus may come from the youth of your congregation, a parent's group, the pastor, a health professional, or someone else.

There are people throughout the United Church of Christ who have been trained as Our Whole Lives facilitators and have successfully implemented Our Whole Lives/ Sexuality and Our Faith —and many of them are willing to share their journeys with you.

The main ingredient in the success of implementing Our Whole Lives is a commitment to the sexual health and wholeness of the community. Other practical considerations many have found helpful are:

• building allies
• forming an oversight committee
• educating and inspiring the congregation, and
• implementing the program and including it into the congregation's ministry on an ongoing basis.

Choose the age group you want to start with (K-1, Grades 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 grades, Young Adult or Adult) and then check out the Our Whole Lives Training page to see where a training is being held near you. Trainings are held throughout the US and Canada, and often in partnership with Unitarian Universalist Association churches; however, wherever you go, you will receive training from Approved Trainers in the levels you are planning to implement. The training page updates frequently, so check back often. You may also choose to work with your local church, association, conference or national setting to host a training. There is more information about hosting in a downloadable guide on the Our Whole Lives Training page.

How long are the programs?

Good sexuality education takes time, especially in a culture which is raising its consciousness regarding sexual harassment, assault, and toxic gender roles and expectations. Don’t let the length of the programs deter you. Contact us to find out more.

K-1:
8 sessions, 1 hour each
Parent meeting: 1.5 hours, Parent/Child Orientation: 2.5 hours

Grades 4-6
10 sessions; 75-minutes each
Program Information meeting: 1.5 hours, Parent/Child Orientation: 2.5 hours

Grades 7-9:
25 sessions, 1.5 hour each
Parent Orientation: 1-2 sessions, 2-4 hours total

Grades10-12:
14 sessions, 2 hours each
Parent Orientation: 1-3 sessions, 3-4 hours total  

Young Adult*
12 sessions, 2 hours each

Adult*
14 sessions, 2 hours each

*These levels of curricula are modular. You may choose to do only one workshop, or work through the entire manual, depending on the needs of your group.

What is Sexuality and Our Faith?

Sexuality and Our Faith is the faith companion to Our Whole Lives. Each level of Our Whole Lives has a corresponding Sexuality and Our Faith manual that provides faith-related information and questions for each workshop. Our Whole Lives itself is secular and can be used in community settings and schools in addition to churches. One half of each Sexuality and Our Faith manual contains material written by the Unitarian Universalist Association that brings in how their principles relate to the Our Whole Lives workshops, and one half by United Church of Christ authors who bring in prayer, scripture, litany and song to support what is being taught in Our Whole Lives.

What are the visual components?  Who can use them?

The Sexuality and Our Faith DVD for Grades 7-9 and Grades 10-12 are designed for use only in UUA and UCC congregations who have approved trained Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith facilitators for those grade levels, and can only be used in the context of the UUA or UCC church offering the appropriate level of Our Whole Lives. They are an optional resource that require parent permission to be viewed by youth. Comprehensive and effective sexuality education programs can be conducted without these visuals. Both the DVDs seek to underscore the values of the curriculum and were designed to answer participants questions about what sexual anatomy and activity look like in an environment of responsibility, respect, safety, and trust.

The DVDs can only be purchased by UU or UCC congregations and only after the congregation's Our Whole Lives facilitators have successfully completed training in the use of the resource. Individuals cannot purchase them. Contact owl@ucc.org to inquire about purchasing them.

Are the program lengths and sessions adaptable?

Our Whole Lives programs are flexible and can be adapted to your program needs. The older grades courses can be used in a retreat setting. In order to maintain the integrity of the program, it is highly recommended that all sessions of the resources in any program from K-1 through 10-12 be taught.

Can we collaborate with another church or community organization?

If there is another United Church of Christ congregation in your area, or a church that believes that sexuality education is an important part of their commitment to youth, it is appropriate to collaborate. The more diversity in a group, the richer the program. Because Our Whole Lives was written to be used in a secular setting, it does not contain religious references. The Sexuality and Our Faith manuals provide that optional addition. Be sure to have at least two trained facilitators before offering any Our Whole Lives program with any group.

How much does it cost?

What you need:

• A copy of Our Whole Lives for the level you will be offering for each facilitator on your team
• A copy of Sexuality and Our Faith for the level you will be offering for each facilitator on your team
• Training for your team
• If you are offering Our Whole Lives for Grades 4-6, there is an accompanying text called It’s Perfectly Normal, which some churches choose to provide for participants to borrow or keep.
• If you are offering Our Whole Lives for Grades K-1 or Grades 4-6, there is an accompanying Parent Guide which should be purchased for each family.

The United Church of Christ offers a significant 25% discount to UCC members who attend Our Whole Lives—Sexuality and Our Faith trainings for materials for the training they are attending. To receive a discount code for your order of materials, please contact the Our Whole Lives Coordinator at owl@ucc.org.

Congregations must also budget for Our Whole Lives facilitator training. The total cost for a congregation will be determined by how far they must travel and how many days it will take. Once the facilitators are trained, the actual cost of implementation in a congregation is small and includes costs such as printing, supplies and snacks.

What are the criteria for selecting good facilitators for Our Whole Lives?

The success of the Our Whole Lives program depends on the qualified and caring persons who are selected and trained to be Our Whole Lives facilitators. Keep the following criteria in mind when choosing your facilitators:

• Their commitment to value-based, comprehensive sexuality education. A facilitator needs to have values (responsibility, sexual health, responsibility, justice and inclusivity) in harmony with the Our Whole Lives program and goals, and to feel comfortable with their own sexuality.
• Their experience, skill and comfort with the specific age group they will work with and its developmental needs.
• Their anti-bias awareness. A facilitator needs to understand, appreciate, and celebrate diversity of race/ethnicity, culture, age, ability, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. A facilitator needs to have the skills to create a safe and engaging/learning environment.
• Their ability to be an advocate for sexual health and safety. The facilitator must support your Safe Church Policy and must follow your state's process for reporting any alleged abuse.
• Their ability to build relationships with participants, and with their parents and caregivers. Facilitators need to build community in the classroom and develop relationships of respect and responsibility.
• Their faith. A facilitator needs to be a person who is respected by the congregation and comfortable discussing the integration of sexuality and spirituality with members of the faith community. They should be aware of their own spiritual and religious grounding.

At the facilitator's training, the facilitators are being trained and evaluated. Occasionally our Approved Trainers identify individuals during the trainings that might not be appropriate for teaching Our Whole Lives. Churches should know that their facilitators may not be approved if there are concerns that arise during the training. If this is the case, the facilitators will be notified directly by the trainers and the congregational contact person(s) will be notified.

Should we screen potential leaders?

The United Church of Christ Insurance Board and Church Leaders strongly advise that churches screen all people working with youth and children. We recommend conducting background checks on facilitators of Our Whole Lives.

Our Whole Lives and most Safe Church policies insist on having at least two adults with the children and youth in the program at all times. In addition, if concerns arise during an Our Whole Lives training about a facilitator's appropriateness for facilitating Our Whole Lives, the trainers leading the workshop will speak to the potential facilitator and to the professional leadership of your congregation about their concerns.

What are people saying about Our Whole Lives?

In addition to articles being written in major newspapers throughout the country, pastors, facilitators, students and parents have expressed gratitude for Our Whole Lives. Here are just a few quotes:

"Sexuality is too important a subject for youth to be without a trustworthy source of accurate, reliable information. To be involved with these young people in one of the most important stages of their lives is an honor which is not taken lightly." (Our Whole Lives facilitator and parent)

"The information presented in the Our Whole Lives programs is straight, honest talk about respect for one's self, friends and community. Our Whole Lives provides answers to basic questions and offers many opportunities to digest and reflect on what it means to be a healthy teen. How wonderful that, as a caring church community, we can offer so much to our children in a safe learning environment." (Our Whole Lives parent, nurse practitioner)

"Don't ever stop offering Our Whole Lives at church. I took it when I was in high school and I think it saved my life. Every kid should see themselves the way Our Whole Lives sees them." (College student)

"One parent gave me a hug and thanked me for introducing Our Whole Lives into the church. Another was near tears as she told me how excited she was that we would be offering the Our Whole Lives program, how impressed she was by it, how important it was to be doing this, and so pleased that her children would be in the program. Another just said, 'Look, you can tell how moved I am, I am trembling.'" (Pastor)

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. The training I received this weekend was the best training I've ever received. I arrived very nervous—what am I doing here? Now I'm leaving knowing that the youth from my church will be receiving excellent information—and I can do this!" (Our Whole Lives Facilitator)

Religious and theological response to the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center and Pentagon has been quick, constant, and thorough. But while the public has been hearing the voices of the three traditional peace theologies, and reflecting on them, the voice of a fourth theological paradigm, just peace theology, has been less clear and less understood by the public as a paradigm. The three classic theological understandings in Christian theology—pacifism, just war, and crusade/holy war—have been articulated well and have increased or decreased in public affirmation. The fourth paradigm, just peace theology, has been spoken, but not perceived as clearly by the public. But if the Bush administration does not start taking seriously the call for Just Peace by many in the Christian community, it is going to lose the public support it so desires.

Pacifists have been vocal in insisting that terrorists must be held accountable for their acts and brought to justice. Pacifists have also put forward many alternative strategies, so that violence is not answered with violence. But on the central question of how the al Qaeda network might be brought to justice, pacifists have largely been silent.

Just war advocates have filled this silence, affirming that force in bringing al Qaeda to justice is morally justified. And a strong case can be made that all the criteria of a just war have been met. While there is room to argue over some of the criteria, generally this military action in Afghanistan has come closer to meeting all the criteria than any war in the past couple of hundred years. There are several reasons for this. Because wars over the past two centuries have seen such a dramatic increase in the power of weaponry, and because most wars have felt free to attack the infrastructure of the opposing nation, recent past wars, including World War II, have seen civilians deliberately attacked, and large number of civilian casualties. But Afghanistan had no infrastructure to destroy, and care was taken, using newer and more targeted weaponry, to hold civilian casualties to as small a number as could reasonably be expected.

So if this was a successful just war, why are we so far from peace? The very success of this "just war" shows the weakness of the just war theory.

Conducting a just war is only half the response needed. Force has been successfully applied, but justice has not been brought, nor has the cycle of violence been broken. Justice, of course, is a much richer concept than retributive justice. It at least includes restorative justice. While garbage trucks in New York were seen with large banners saying "revenge," the government has generally tried to minimize talk of revenge, and concentrate on bringing the wrongdoers to (retributive) "justice." By "justice," Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is clear: he wants Osama bin Laden dead or alive, but prefers him dead. Revenge is lurking just below the surface. And the U.S. government shows little interest in any larger concept of justice than using military force to stop or kill terrorists and end the threat of current terrorists. But this is why the Christian community has never regarded just war theory as the whole answer. The Christian tradition is much richer, and voices have been raised in the mainline Protestant community, the evangelical community, and the Catholic community urging caution in the use of force and insisting that a much larger effort is needed to restore peace and bring a just international order. It is this larger consensus in the Christian community that Just Peace theology has attempted to articulate.

Peace is not just the absence of conflict. Peace is the presence of justice. Peace, or shalom, is a broad concept implying right relations and harmony. When the United Church of Christ defined "just peace" at its 1985 General Synod (in the process of declaring itself to be a Just Peace Church), it defined it as the interrelationship of justice, friendship, and common security from violence. The goal is always to minimize violence while working for justice and friendship. Just peace theology does not reject either just war theory or pacifism, as the United Methodist Church made clear in its 1986 document from the Council of Bishops entitled "In Defense of Creation." It attempts to put these Christian understandings in a broader context.

One way of putting this is that just war theory plus pacifism's non-violent alternatives to war equals just peace theology. Pacifists don't simply resist the use of force. They also insist that there are many positive alternatives to force, and if the cycle of violence is to be broken, and justice and friendship to be created, these alternatives must be employed. Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals and Catholics agree. And most pacifists have a great regard for the need for justice as well as for peace, keeping the two in balance. Just peace theology, of course, seeks to raise the commitment to justice equal to and interrelated to the commitment to peace.

Just peace advocates and pacifists ask these hard questions: How will the cycle of violence be broken? How will we acknowledge the beam in our own eye and our complicity in causing the situation? How will we look at the root causes of the conflict, and address the larger issues of justice, which must be addressed if there is to be reconciliation and the restoration of a just and peaceful community? How can we create international structures of common security from violence, international structures of justice?

Over the past ten years 23 Christian ethicists, biblical and moral theologians, international relations scholars, peace activists, and conflict resolution practitioners have worked to refine the Just Peace paradigm. Ten just peace practices were identified: (1) nonviolent direct action; (2) independent initiatives to reduce threat; (3) cooperative conflict resolution; (4) acknowledgement of responsibility and seeking repentance and forgiveness; (5) advancement of democracy, human rights, and religious liberty; (6) fostering of just and sustainable economic development; (7) working with emerging cooperative forces in the international system; (8) strengthening the United Nations and international organizations; (9) reducing offensive weapons trade; (10) encouraging grassroots peacemaking groups. (See Glen Stassen, Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for Abolishing War; Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press, 1998).

To fight terrorism, there are at least two broad categories where the United States needs to be offering proactive leadership, to address the question of justice and achieve a just peace. One is the development and use of greater international cooperation and the strengthening of international institutions. The other is the addressing of some of the root causes of unrest that Osama bin Laden has been able to exploit for his terrorist purposes. These include, above all, addressing the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Right now the U.S. is attempting to define "terrorism" and "war on terrorism" by itself, without reference to any international standard or body. As President Bush put it, you are either for us or against us. How different that is from saying "you're either for terrorism as defined by the U.N., or against it." In the first case, the U.S. projects itself as an imperial power and invites the world to support U.S. power or oppose it. That is an invitation to more immediate terrorism and the nurturing of future terrorists, who will not agree with the U.S. imposing global imperial power.

If the U.S. wants to strengthen friendship with the Muslim and Arab world, as well as with other nations, and if it wants to maintain public support, it must put as much effort into initiatives of justice and development of international institutions capable of fighting terrorism over the long haul as it is now putting into military budgets and solutions. Justice, friendship, and common security from violence must be balanced.

Instead, if the U.S. thinks it can use unilateral military power, and use the language of holy war ("axis of evil" and other words which demonize perceived enemies, projecting all evil on one side and all goodness on the other), the U.S. will be giving bin Laden exactly what he sought: a holy war between the Muslim world and U.S. imperialism.

The Rev. Dr. Jay Lintner served as Director of the United Church of Christ Washington Office from 1985 to 2000. From 1981 to 1985 he served as Peace Priority Coordinator for the United Church of Christ, where he was staff to the Peace Theology Development Team that produced A Just Peace Church.

By Elizabeth M. Casparian, Ph. D.,
and Eva S. Goldfarb, Ph.D
(14 sessions)
$60.00

Our Whole Lives for Grades 10-12 is a comprehensive program that can be used in religious education programs by teachers and pastors with youth groups, weekend retreats, and youth conferences and camps. Its activities help participants make healthy, well-informed decisions about relationships and sexuality.

Eva Goldfarb, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in health programs at Montclair State University where she teaches and conducts research in human sexuality, curriculum development, and evaluation of health education programs. Co-author of Filling the Gaps, a book on hard-to-teach topics in human sexuality, she has over twelve years of experience teaching courses, leading workshops, consulting on media projects, conducting seminars and developing curricula in the areas of human sexuality and sexual health. Goldfarb holds a doctorate in Human Sexuality Education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Casparian, Ph.D., has been a consultant in health and sexuality education for over eleven years, writing and developing teaching materials and videos, and leading training sessions and seminars with adolescents, parents, teachers and other professionals. Co-author of Filling the Gaps, a book on hard-to-teach topics in human sexuality, she has written and consulted on sexual health issues with universities, public service organizations and schools. Casparian holds a doctorate in Education Leadership in Human Sexuality from the University of Pennsylvania.

October 2016, Volume 1, Issue 10

Mind, Body, Spirit:
Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

The month of January, a relative calm period between major events on our church calendar, presents opportunities for life saving health education activities.  The national epidemic of the often deadly use of legal and illegal drugs calls for us to respond.  Here are three companion health education programs you could implement that will benefit families in your congregation and community.

2017 NATIONAL DRUG & ALCOHOL FACTS WEEK (January 23^rd-January 29^th) links students with scientists and other experts to Shatter the Myths™^,℠about drugs and alcohol that teens get from the internet, social media, TV, movies, or from friends.  Looking nation-wide at reported past month drug use among high school seniors, more than 5% misuse prescription drugs; more than 20% smoke marijuana, and 35% use alcohol.  When teens are given the scientific facts about drugs, they can be better prepared to make good decisions for themselves and they can share that information with others.    An online guide, provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, gives you everything you need to plan, promote, and host a program, including free materials for teens.

The home page also provides links to partner organizations and activities. Under the Partner Spotlight area there is a listing of Our Partners – 46 other organizations working together to address this problem.  All have resources!   

One partner organization that I know makes a difference is The Herren Project [THP]. Their Project Purple Initiative empowers youth to stand up to substance abuse, promotes positive decision making, and encourages them to make a difference in their communities.  The program has grown out of the life experience of Chris Herren, a kid who grew-up as a star basketball player and then went on to play college and professional basketball, marry and have children.  The continuing use of alcohol and then drugs became the focus of his life and he lost everything.  Chris regained sobriety 8 years ago and has rebuilt his life with a passion to alert others to the dangers and provide them with assistance in taking the first steps toward recovery and a life of sobriety.  If you watch his Note to Self that was shown on CBS This Morning or Chris Herren – Unguarded you will understand why his telling of his story has such a powerful effect on youth, as well as adults.

Brown Bag Medicine Reviews

A Brown Bag Review of medicines encourages people to put all of their medicines and herbal supplements into a bag and bring them to you for review. The goal is to determine what medicines a person is taking, what he or she knows about the medicine, and how they are taking them. The process can identify medicine errors and misunderstandings that have a possible negative effect on health. Information is available on how to conduct a Brown Bag Medicine Review. You could plan it as a special event, part of another event such as a health fair, and/or as an ongoing service. Another tool to Help Patients Remember How and When to Take Their Medicine assists the person to stay on track and provides documentation to carry with them as they move between their health care providers, including you.

Safeguarding Medicine in the Home A third step is to provide information on how to Safeguard Medicine in the Home. Two-thirds of teens who report abuse of prescription medicine are getting them from friends, family and acquaintances.  Parents and Grandparents can play a powerful role in preventing teens from obtaining these medicinal drugs.  Provide them with a list of sites in your community where they can safely dispose of unused medications. 

SELF-CARE

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.”  Psalm 98:4   Are you familiar with the Joyful Noiseletter?  Each issue provides funny religious stories free of profanity and blasphemy, plus a page of cartoons that can be used in sermons, church programs, and church bulletins.   In 2014 the newsletter published an article titled The Physically Fit Messiah.  Reading the article will bring a smile to your face as the author reminds us that “Jesus, the healer, was supremely healthy, robust, loving, and joyful”, he walked everywhere and ate primarily a vegetarian diet, and that “Jesus came to us with a message of salvation through both spiritual and physical fitness”.

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Health Education

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.  In addition to various types of individual and communal violence, dangerous and dramatic weather events have also created traumatic situations.  Information on PTSD is available from the National Institute of Mental Health that will help parishioners understand the occurrence of and treatment for PTSD.  Similar information specific to PTSD in Children and Teens is available from the National Center for PTSD.

Publications

Admit One: What You Must Know When Going to the Hospital – But No One Actually Tells You! by Kati Kleber, BSN, RN, CCRN. Kati draws from both the perspective of her experience as a patient and her perspective as a nurse to speak to both providers and potential patients.  She discusses what patients should be aware of and what kind of questions they should ask during pre-hospitalization visits.  This book can help you guide the people you are in ministry with as they face any planned hospitalization.

Programming

Pack Up Your Sorrows: A story of illness, hope, and transformation is the story of singer, songwriter Meg Hutchinson’s journey as she explores the reality of living a healthy life while coping with mental illness. Meg weaves her personal experience with Bipolar Disorder between conversations with researchers, advocates and leaders in the field of mental health including Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, Dr. Richard Davidson and Dr, Nassir Ghaemi.  View the trailer to see if your congregation and community would benefit from seeing this movie.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Continuing Education
Health Ministers Guide (HMG) – Connecting Science and Community Health provides, in 5 languages, need-to-know information and community interventions. The HMG series provides written information, posters, and variety of materials to get the topical information shared.  It is part of a larger effort to build resilient communities.  Some topics are:  Health Minister’s Guide on Zika and the Zika Action Guide for Health Ministers, Viral Hepatitis – The Silent Epidemic, Bladder Health: What Health Ministers Need to Know, and Seasonal Flu Guide for Faith-Based and Community Organizations.

This resource has been created because the Partnership Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships “recognizes that Health Ministers are first responders, trusted messengers, accompaniers, and cultural key holders”. We are viewed as “vital actors in an integrated-prevention focused health delivery system”.  It is wonderful to have the importance of this work recognized and supported with materials!!

Mental Health First Aid is a face-to-face public education program that helps parents, first responders, faith leaders, and other people identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use conditions.  There are two 8-hour courses available. One focuses on the care of adults and one focuses on the care of youth ages between the ages of 12 and 18.  Federal grants are now enabling recipients to offer this training at a reduced rate.  Contact Mental Health First Aid instructors in your area for information.  Locate a course near you and ask about rates for faith leaders including you.

Publications

Stone Soup for the Community – The Story of a Faith-Based Health Coalition, written by Karen Jo Hahn,  describes the process followed by the Fifth Ward Congregational Health Coalition to Bring “Healing of the Body and Spirit to the Community”.  Formed by three pastors and a faith community nurse in 2000, the Coalition now includes dedicated community leaders and volunteers from 35 different churches and organizations that provide free health and social services for persons in need.   The story of this 15 year journey is both heartwarming and inspiring.  Perhaps it will give you some ideas.  The book may be purchased in paperback for $13.95, in Kindle format for $2.99 or downloaded as a free pdf at the Shalom Path Press bookstore. 

Informatics: Empowering ePatients to Drive Health Care Reform  explains the phenomenon of the empowered e-patient and the empowered e-caregivers, provides examples, and suggests how we may best assist the people in our congregations as they explore the internet for information.  The equipped, enabled, empowered, and engaged patient (anyone with access to the internet) is becoming a peer, working together with us and other healthcare providers in identifying their healthcare needs and deciding how these needs might best be met.  The article, written by Ramona Nelson, PhD, BC-RN, ANEF, FAAN, was published in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 21, No.3.

Research

The Frailty Syndrome: Definition and Natural History  reviews the current state of knowledge regarding the epidemiology of frailty.  It explains the current understanding of the aging process and the severe impact of frailty on older adults, their caregivers, and on society as a whole.  The information will help you identify high-risk individuals, their vulnerabilities and propensity for adverse health outcomes.

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SEEKING INPUT FOR FUTURE ISSUES!    

Have questions? Contributions? Ideas for future Issues?

Please share them with Peggy Matteson, editor of our newsletter.

Letter 1

Letter 2

Your responses 

Your suggested letters

Papers for Reading 

Worship in the Local Church

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Practices of Faith

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Web Development with Local Churches 

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Leadership Development