What is an important next step for us as a General Conference as we press further into church planting over the coming months? The answer is straight forward but requires an explanation: health.

Health is honestly on my mind after our family recently ran two kids through the local Emergency Room. After a round of stitches, splints, and associated treatments, we are on a path toward improved health. It is nice to get wounds mending, but that is certainly not the whole story of our experience. We are not just looking to get patched up to be able to keep going, we are looking for improved wellness coming out of our hospital visit—to actually maintain life in a state of good health. Wellness goes beyond a band-aid that covers things up.

As a Conference of Seventh Day Baptist Churches, we actively pursue wellness. We focus on initiatives that encourage good health through healthy leader, healthy church initiatives.[1] That means that we actively advance God’s Kingdom through planting healthy churches and revitalizing existing churches toward improved health. This requires healthy leaders.

Our Conference healthy leaders initiative rests squarely on the Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund. This fund has been graciously initiated and sustained by the SDB Women’s Society, and is administered by the SDB Director of Pastoral Services. This fund continues to be a significant blessing to our pastors and their families during this challenging ministry season. To learn how this fund is especially impactful, view an interview with a pastor recipient here.

Why. Stephanie Sholtz was a friend to many SDB pastors and their families. Her heart and career choices led her into the counseling profession where she used her training to assist in helping others cope with the stresses of life and ministry. Her tragic death in 2017 was heart wrenching for those who knew and loved her but her legacy of promoting wellness for ministry leaders lives on.

The Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund is designated to assist pastoral leaders and their families who desire to seek greater wellness. Some suggested uses for this fund include pastoral counseling, professional counseling, life coaching, dietician consult, personal trainer consult, a credit counselor or a course leading toward wellness.

How. The Sholtz Wellness Fund has been used extensively over this past year, and is in need of your support. Our annual “Giving Tuesday” campaign on December 1^st will be focused on this need, and you can watch for that in SDB social media outlets.

But, you do not have to wait for Giving Tuesday to participate. You can contribute today by simply going to: https://app.easytithe.com/App/Giving/sdb and select “Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund” with the fund selection tab. Or, you can simply send a check to: SDB Center; PO Box 1678; Janesville, WI 53547 with “Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund” in the check memo line.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 to replenish the Stephanie Sholtz Wellness Fund. We can do this together. Thank you for encouraging our pastors and leaders through your prayer and financial support.

Restored for a purpose,

Carl Greene, Executive Director, Seventh Day Baptist General Conference of USA and Canada

[1] We state it clearly in our Vision Map: “We develop and support new and existing leaders who will work through healthy local churches. Leaders include pastors, as well as people who have served, are serving, or desire to serve in local churches.”