While members’ girths expand at alarming rates, Baptist churches across Alabama are taking steps to help members lead healthier lifestyles. Recreation centers, indoor walking tracks and exercise classes encourage people to get off their couches, move their bodies and pump up their heart rates.
Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, sponsors Body Recall classes to improve one’s physical flexibility. Sarah Godard explained that Body Recall usually is for those older than 50 but many younger ones also take the classes.
“We do exercises sitting in a chair and standing up, mostly stretching and flexibility movements,” Godard said. “The idea is that if you are flexible and you fell, you would be less apt to break a bone because you wouldn’t be stiff to start with.”
The church recently opened classes to seniors throughout the West Mobile community and participation has increased from 25 to 45 as a result.
“One of the chiropractors who has an office across the street from the church has sent people over to take the class,” Godard said. “I’m 72 years old, and I have two deteriorating discs in my back. I’ve been doing Body Recall exercises for three and a half years, and I’ve had no trouble with my back during this time.”
First Baptist Church, Centre, in Cherokee Association, opened its Recreation Outreach Center in 2003. A senior adult fitness class met there early in the year, helping senior citizens gain and maintain flexibility. The center also offers a variety of aerobics classes and has an indoor walking track.
Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Homewood, in Birmingham Association, has taken an unusual approach to Christian wellness. In August 2001, the church hired member Debbie Moss as its minister of health and wellness. The ministry, which embraces the total wellness concept, is designed to equip members to keep their minds, bodies and spirits in top condition.
“Historically, churches do a great job with spiritual needs, and recently, with the emotional,” said Moss, a registered nurse with a background in health education. “If you look at the model of Jesus’ life, His ministry involved the whole person.” Classes for new moms, Fit 4 sessions and programs on stroke treatment and prevention, depression and nutrition all work hand in hand with the exercise classes, weight room and walking track at Dawson’s Family Recreation Center.
Moss also maintains an information area called the Health and Wellness corner. “Every month, we feature a new recipe developed by Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College (in Birmingham),” said Moss. “We do a recipe sampling one week a month, using health-conscious recipes. We tie it to nutrition and the health problems obesity can lead to.”
Smaller churches usually cannot afford recreation centers, health and wellness ministers or even ministers of recreation, but they can promote better health and physical fitness among their members. First Church, Ashville, for example sponsors stretching classes in its old sanctuary.
Wade Rooks, minister of recreation and senior adults at First Baptist Church, Centre, offers suggestions for churches that don’t have space for exercise classes. “They can tell folks to mark out walking paths in their neighborhoods, or to go jogging,” he said. “People can get some free-weights such as dumbbells or barbells for their homes. I’m a fan of softball and basketball, and you can find a league and develop teams for your church as an outreach to your community.”
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