Healthy churches 2030 conference will now take place online November 16-19, 2020 

RICHMOND, Va. (July 1, 2020) The Balm In Gilead, Inc. officially announced today that they will deliver their Annual Healthy Churches 2030 Conference as an all-virtual event Nov. 16 – Nov. 19, 2020. The conference was originally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, NC. However, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the decision was made to shift the conference to an all-digital format. The new conference format will allow attendees to experience the programming they have become accustomed to for the past six years online in a digitally immersive environment. 

Attracting participants from across the faith, medical, and corporate landscape each year, the Healthy Churches 2030 Conference is leading the charge in bringing faith and public health leaders together to address health disparities affecting African Americans. Attendees at this year’s Healthy Churches 2030 Conference will have the opportunity to virtually interact with the nation’s top public health and faith leaders and to obtain information and resources that they can use in their ministerial and community programs. 

“With a mission that focuses on health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management, our Board of Directors and leadership team concluded it would be impossible to conduct Healthy Churches 2030 Conference safely in person,” said Dr. Pernessa C. Seele, founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc. “Additionally, we couldn’t overlook the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on the African American community, which furthered our aim to make this year’s conference more accessible to those in urban, rural, and remote communities that we serve.”

In conjunction with the Healthy Churches 2030 Initiative, the conference seeks to build individuals and congregations’ capacity to incorporate key strategies and activities as outlined by the U.S. Health & Human Services, Healthy People 2030 Initiative into its network of congregational health ministries and programs. “To build and strengthen the capacity of faith communities in the United States, we need all churches to have a thriving health ministry to address the disparities that plague our community,” stated Seele.

When reshaping the conference, Seele also considered the coronavirus’s economic effects into consideration when pricing registration. “Our goal is to have a minimum of 1,200 people attend this year’s conference,” said Seele. This year, the conference offers group registration at $25 per person for groups of twenty or more and $75 for individuals. Registration for the 2020 initiation of Healthy Churches 2030 Conference opens Aug. 1, 2020.

For registration and conference information, please visit www.healthychurches2030conference.org.

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About The Balm In Gilead, Inc: The Balm In Gilead, Inc. builds and strengthens the capacity of African American faith communities throughout the United States to deliver programs and services that contribute to the elimination of health disparities. The organization develops educational and training programs specifically designed to establish sustainable, integrated systems of public health and faith principles, which helps to improve health outcomes of individuals living in urban, rural and remote communities. For more information: www.balmingilead.org.