Greater St. Matthews has an aerobics class three times a week and offers quarterly nutrition classes. We have also held a fruit and vegetable luncheon to assist with making healthy choices and finding easier ways to include fruits and vegetables with every meal. The healthy recipes were written out and shared with others. This could be one tip for other congregations to assist in implementing healthier practices. The fruit and vegetable luncheon (held in March 2013) was very successful and several requests have been made to implement another one soon.
The aerobics class has been very successful as well and is continually growing. We are at the point of trying to find more space for aerobics students and improvising on the type of fitness classes provided, such as circuit training and group walks versus aerobics. Other congregations could possibly hold weekly walks as a group and offer incentives for completing the set goal.
Our plan moving forward is to hold a festival that will provide information to youth on healthy eating, healthy recipes and healthy snacks. We will also sponsor another healthy luncheon that will involve preparing our recipes together, sharing our recipes in a prearranged notebook, and having a medical professional expound on the benefits of eating healthy. Our ministry is excited about the health ministry and continues to look for ways to improve the health of our members as well as the health of our community.
The success story above was submitted by Kimberly Patterson, PHW Liaison at Greater St. Matthews in Wadesboro, where Rev. Reginald White serves as pastor. If your congregation would like to put your faith into action by prioritizing the health of your members, please visit the PHW website at www.healthandwholeness.org.
-Willona Stallings, PHW Program Coordinator
Partners in Health and Wholeness is an initiative of the North Carolina Council of Churches. PHW aims to connect health as a faith issue. Please visit our website to sign your personal pledge to be healthier, and to find out about grant opportunities for places of worship in NC.
Leave a Reply