Fit for their faith: Local churches strengthen congregants through exercise and wellness classes

Worship centers strive to help members strengthen their faith. But local church leaders say strengthening their bodies also is vital, so they can do God's will to the best of their ability.

"We just see it from a heavenly perspective," said Kyle Sawyer, executive pastor of Real Life Church in Macon. "Jesus lives on the inside of us. Because of that, we want to take care of our bodies. If God has a purpose for our lives, we want to be here as long as we can."

Area churches are encouraging congregants to stay active and educating them about important issues through health and wellness ministries, special programs and the pulpit.

"With Christ, our body is our temple. In order to better serve him, our temple has to be in order," said Che Harris, Health and Wellness Ministry leader at Agape Outreach Ministries in Warner Robins. "We need to be healthier and lead a healthier lifestyle in order to be able to do things to better serve God."

Here's how a few churches in Middle Georgia are trying to make a difference.

FITNESS

Some churches are keeping members moving through exercise classes and groups. Harris, a personal trainer, massage therapist and group exercise specialist, teaches both cheer aerobics and regular aerobics once a week at Agape Outreach, with six to 12 people normally attending. She hopes to eventually offer more classes and to plan 5K races for members to compete in.

Macedonia Church in Macon started ballroom dancing classes in May and will continue until next year. Held twice a month, 15 to 20 people of all ages have been participating, said Virginia Curry, a parish nurse and lead servant of the church's Health and Wholeness Ministry.

"A lot of people don't like to do walking and that type of exercise, but what we're trying to do is encourage people to move in any way they can," she said.

Real Life Church has more than 30 life groups that meet weekly, and three are fitness-based, Sawyer said. A fitness trainer leads a men's group on Saturdays, and a Zumba group and walking group meet on Tuesday nights; each group has 10 to 15 people. Sawyer said the church would like to offer additional exercise classes in the future.

"Not everybody wants to get tougher and work out. We have people in church that want to get in there and stay fit," Sawyer said. "(The health and wellness ministry) brings people together. We have a phrase in our church and that's 'We're better together.' We believe in that."

Agape organizes an annual health and wellness trip for women and men in the community, Harris said. This year, participants will do activities such as horseback riding, camping and hiking in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Last year, they went to Orlando, Florida.

EDUCATION

Curry said the main goal is to educate members about how to live healthier, longer, better lives. She plans a health education program for seniors at Macedonia every month, and reaches the rest of the congregation through postings on bulletin boards and through health tips in the church bulletins.

"I always integrate exercise and diet into whatever entity I'm teaching for at any given time," Curry said. "We are running rampant with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol."

Agape offers health classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and past topics have included blood pressure, cancer, autism and heart disease, Harris said.

Wimbish Road Seventh-day Adventist Church in Macon gives "God's Farmacology" presentations about natural remedies once a quarter and is hosting diabetes seminars, said Sharon Taylor, director of the Health Ministries Team, along with her husband, Marvin.

"We're trying to get them to be healthier by losing weight, controlling blood pressure/cholesterol. This seminar that we're doing now emphasizes reversing diabetes through plant-based diet and exercise," said Taylor, who mentioned that some members had already lost weight and are seeing improved blood sugar levels.

Macedonia, Agape and Beulahland Bible Church, which has campuses in Macon and Byron, host regular health fairs that include on-site screenings so that attendees can gather more resources and information. Wimbish is offering Life Line Screenings for heart disease in December at the church, Taylor said.

Churches also get the word out through events themed around national health observances, such as Macedonia's Think Pink luncheon in November, and Beulahland's wear pink day in October for breast cancer awareness and wear red day in February for heart health awareness.

Agape is taking an active approach to helping people make better food choices. The church partners with wholesaler Zaycon so that community members can get their hands on fresh, organic meats at discount prices, and it will start a garden of natural fruits and vegetables next year, Harris said.

SUPPORT

Churches are also advocating for healthy living from the sanctuary. Health Ministries Team members at Wimbish present an educational tidbit -- on topics such as blood pressure, cholesterol, exercise and water intake -- to the congregation during services on the second Saturday of each month, Taylor said.

Harvest Church in Byron doesn't have a formal wellness ministry, but encourages members to be healthy through sermons about spiritual fitness, said staff member Kipp Stewart-Taylor.

Sawyer said the senior pastor at Real Life mentions staying fit and healthy during his messages from time to time. In addition, most of the staff are members of the same gym, Kinetix Health Club.

"It's a way for us to just build close relationships with each other and also stay fit together," he said. "We'll model that from the start, then maybe that will trickle down into our church."

Many churches, such as Macedonia, have people assigned to respond to medical problems during worship. Thelma Taylor, coordinator for health and wellness at Beulahland, said members are CPR and first-aid trained and a defibrillator is stationed in the sanctuary.

"Mainly because of the community and our population served, we need someone there just for emergency events during services," she said.

How does your worship center incorporate music into its services? Whether it uses contemporary or traditional songs, a mixture of musical styles or no music at all, we want to hear about it. Email Andrea Honaker at andrea384@gmail.com to share what makes your church's music ministry unique. Include a contact name and phone number with your response.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Fit for their faith: Local churches strengthen congregants through exercise and wellness classes ."