Letter from the President and CEO July 2025

Dear Reader,

Welcome to our July newsletter! As we begin a new fiscal year, the Institute’s staff is hard at work planning activities and initiatives for the 2025-2026 season. We are excited to build on the historic success of last year, when we reached several programmatic milestones.

While the Institute’s staff is always focused on advancing our core mission – to enhance well-being by exploring the relationship between spirituality and health – the work is also contextualized by the needs and opportunities of the current social climate. As we move more deeply into our 70th year, our staff is aware of the urgent need to find innovative ways to address widespread feelings of division and polarization, cultivating a culture of connection and togetherness.

Our 34th Psychotherapy & Faith Conference, for example, will be held on November 7th, themed “Tools for Building Resilience in Uncertainty.” The program will feature luminaries such as Ken Pargament, PhD; Bobbi Patterson, PhD, MDiv; L. Wayne Ashley; and Carrie Doehring, PhD. By drawing on ancient wisdom, contemporary clinical insights, and shared ethical commitments, speakers will explore topics such as the limits and power of sanctification, the healing potential of ritual, and the enduring role of family, community, and tradition.

Additionally, we are excited to launch a new initiative within our Center for Faith & Public Health: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Faith Communities, a transformative two-year capacity-strengthening program designed to support diverse faith communities in the Greater Houston region in enhancing their health programs, initiatives, and ministries. This program will serve as a means for faith communities to deepen their focus on all aspects of health, also providing a platform for interfaith collaboration and understanding. You can learn more about how to apply on our website.

We look forward to realizing our vision for the year and invite you to participate in any way you can. Helping to cultivate the human spirit as we advance health and healing is sacred work; each of us has a role to play.

Warmly,
Stuart

Stuart C. Nelson
President & CEO
Loise Henderson Wessendorff Chair