Faith And Fitness: Could God Make People Finally Get The Message?

The Centers for Disease Control released the numbers for obesity in the nation, and the results were not good. Mississippi once again ranked number one on the list of obese states, a ranking it has held for several consecutive years. For the first time, there has been a number of states that have reached 30% obesity and only one remains below 20% at this point. It is estimated that two thirds of all adult Americans are overweight or obese and, the CDC cautions that the number could be much higher by 2030. That has lead to several measures and groups trying to make a change for the nation’s health, but those groups are all fighting an uphill battle.

Now, another group has decided to fight the battle of the bulge. Churches and church groups across the country are trying to get their congregations to eat healthier and to work toward better health. Pastor Michael Minor has taken his congregation’s health into his own hands, banning the fried chicken from the after service meals served for his church. That announcement was not well received at first, but Minor, who serves a church in Northwest Mississippi, pushed on. In addition to the no more fried chicken rule, Minor has also urged his followers to fight for their own health.

Another church in San Antonio, Texas has declared a 100 day challenge while one in Tampa, Florida has held a number of classes on healthier eating. And it doesn’t stop there. Churches are frequently considered the heart of the community that they are located in, the first place that people go to when there is a problem of any kind, including sickness or natural disaster. A person can go to their doctor and be told that they have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol and that they need to eat better, exercise and lose weight but will not pay any attention to what they just heart. If their priest, preacher or pastor tells them that they need to take better care of their body while they are taking care of their soul, they are more inclined to follow through.

In the past, churches would pay lip service to the concept of a healthy diet, but only a few times a year, usually in the form of a sermon on gluttony or with church sponsored health fairs. But, with the growing obesity crisis, churches have had to make some major changes in how they do things.

The National Baptist Convention USA has said yes to having trained health counselors in their churches. In 2009, several million dollars were given to faith based coalitions to help fight the battle of the bulge for the people in different congregations and areas. In many areas, the churches are the best place for children or people in low income families to get a meal- which makes it even more important that they are serving healthier foods and choices.

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