COLEMAN - Texas A&M University’s Texas Rural Church Network is sponsoring “Rural Health Care and the Church,” a workshop Jan. 24 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church here at 303 E. College.
David Ruesink, executive secretary of the Rural Church Network headquartered at Texas A&M’s department of rural sociology in College Station, said the workshop’s purpose is to foster a spirit of cooperation among church leaders as they discuss the major health care issues facing rural West Texas.
“We’re looking for church leaders interested in working together on a variety of issues,” said Ruesink. “Rural health care, the theme of this workshop, is a good example. The dilemma of dwindling local health care facilities continues to be a growing concern across West Texas.
“We hope to emphasize the positive ways church leaders can enhance rural health in their communities. We’re also interested in discussing how different churches might work together on this and other projects to better the lives of rural West Texans.”
The keynote speaker for the half-day program, which starts at 9 a.m., is Alan Lewis, a rural health and emergency services specialist with the state Office of Rural Community Affairs in Austin. Lewis will speak on the status of health care in rural areas now and in the future.
The program is free to anyone, but Ruesink said the target audience are church leaders, both laity and clergy, from all denominations within a hundred mile radius of Coleman.
For further information contact Ruesink at (979) 845-0859 or to reserve a space contact the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at (325) 625-5773.
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