Being Healthy, Being Faithful Health Calendar 2012

Health topic per month

(to be ‘promoted’ via bulletin inserts, sermons, children’s lessons, ‘mission minute’ by member of congregation, learning a new Bible verse each month, mens & ladies groups, youth group, etc.)

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January Healthy Lifestyle

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Congregation: Begin a healthy lifestyle program at your Church & identify a health liaison to help distribute information to the congregation. Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

Individual:

Sign Partners in Health and Wholeness Endoresement Resolution http://healthandwholeness.org/sign-endorsement-resolution

Have people turn in how much physical activity they get in 1 week; goal is 150 minutes (about 20 minutes per day; & can include housework & yardwork, walking & exercise.

Emphasis on benefits of physical activity. (www.divinity.duke.edu/initiatives-centers/clergy-health-initiative)
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February Cardiac Diseases (Stoke, Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Attacks)

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Congregation: Put posters & flyers up about heart disease. (www.heart.org)

Individual: As Lent approaches, encourage people to decide on a “fast” of one unhealthy habit (such as sugary drinks or sitting in front of the TV for hours)

Emphasis on making the changes that we need with God’s help. (www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

Make sure to get everyone to sign the Endorsement Resolution as a first step to committing to a healthy lifestyle for your community! http://healthandwholeness.org/sign-endorsement-resolution
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March Healthy Eating

“God has given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.” Genesis 1:29

Congregation: Start a community garden (www.communitygarden.org)

Individual: Buy more local produce and increase your intake by adding two veggies to a meal.

Emphasis on eating 5 or more a day of fruits & vegetables. (www.eatinghealthyfoods.org)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

April Food Safety

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Congregation: Introduce the 5 keys to safer food. (www.who.int/foodsafety)

keep clean
separate raw & cooked
cook thoroughly
keep at safe temperatures
use safe water & raw materials

Individual: Switch from canned & processed foods to fresh or frozen whole foods.

Emphasis on increased awareness of food preparation & storage. (www.ces.ncsu.edu)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

May Mental Health

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philipians 4:6

Congregation: Provide a speaker on depression to a group at your church. (www.srmhc.org)

Individual: Visit with someone who suffers with depression. Talk to your children about topics such as, bullying & internet safety.

Emphasis on supporting those with mental health concerns. (www.naminc.org)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

June Men’s Health

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases…My youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:2-5

Congregation:

Provide a speaker on a health topic for a Men’s Breakfast.
Put up a men’s health fact sheet in the men’s restroom at church. (www.menshealthmonth.org)

Individual: Schedule the routine medical appointment for the man in your life (father, husband, son). (www.cdc.gov/family/checkup)

Emphasis on increasing health awareness for men.

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

July Water

“That person is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” Psalms 1:3

Congregation: Make water the primary drink at meals & church gatherings.

Individual:

Go caffeine-free for the month, and drink water instead.
Donate the money saved to a Church mission project, such as, digging wells for clean water in poorer countries. (www.thewaterproject.org)
Teach children & adults to limit long showers and shut off the water in between brushing teeth.

Emphasis on drinking enough water and water shortages. (www.science.howstuffworks.com)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

August Physical Activity

“Bodily exercise has some value, but godliness is profitable to all things in both this life and the one to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

Congregation: Designate a walking area around your church, and offer a time of prayer walking once a week. Introduce the children in your church to ways to be more active. (www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity)

Individual: Join or start a walk or exercise group in your neighborhood, at work, and at church.

Emphasis on getting more physical activity in your life & the lives of others. (www.letsmove.gov)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

September Cancer Prevention (Breast, Prostate, Colon)

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.” 3 John 2

Congregation: Offer whole grains and fresh produce during church potlucks and food gatherings. (www.wholegrainscouncil.org)

Individual: Schedule your annual personal health screening. (www.cdc.gov/family/checkup)

Emphasis on how healthy eating prevents most cancers.

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

October Aging Well

“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.” Proverbs 16:31

Congregation: Invite a speaker to discuss the positive aspects of growing older.

Individual: Start a new hobby or activity to keep your mind young. (www.mindtools.com)

Emphasis on living well as we live longer. (www.aarp.org/health)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

November Substance Use

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable.” Romans 12:1

Congregation: Distribute information on topics such as; discarding old medications, appropriate use of prescription & over-the-counter medicines, and abuse of drugs & alcohol.

Individual Find one or two other people to help pray and support someone who wants to stop smoking. (www.quitlinenc.com)

Emphasis on living substance free. (www.drugabuse.gov)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

December Rest

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Genesis 2:1-2

Congregation: Have a moment of solitude where time for prayer & meditation is given before a gathering.

Individual: Learn a relaxation technique. (www.relaxationresponse.org/steps)

Emphasis on the importance of stress reduction and rest. (www.helpguide.org)

Be awarded for your healthy actions and become a model to other churches by being PHW Certified (http://healthandwholeness.org/get-phw-certified)

Alternate Monthly Topics

Climate Change-a National Campaign Industrial Agriculture, Air pollution, & 3R’s

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. In God’s hand is the life of every living thing.” Job 12:7-8, 10

Congregation: Get your church to recycle, reuse, reduce. (www.42explore.com/recycle.htm)

Individual: Buy local foods from small farmers who don’t use pesticides.

(www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/home.html)
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Breastfeeding and Bottle feeding

“As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed.”

Congregation: Post a breastfeeding fact sheet in the women’s restroom at church. (www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding)

Individual: Pray for new mothers.

Emphasis on benefits of breastfeeding for infant & mother. (www.openbible.info/topics/breastfeeding)
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Women’s Health

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases…My youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:2-5

Congregation: Provide a speaker on a health topic for a Women’s Breakfast.

Put up a women’s health fact sheet in the ladies’ restroom at church. (www.womenshealth.gov)
Individual: Schedule the routine medical appointment for the women in your life (mother, wife, daughter).

Emphasis on increasing health awareness for women. (www.cdc.gov/family/checkup)
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Sunday Night Health Series

Introduction to Health as a Faith Issue; Why health matters, resources

Jesus gives us the example that health and wellness is desired by God for us. He healed many people to show the power and demonstrate God’s love for us. These are just a hand full of scriptures that talk of how God healed. We are able to honor God through our bodies by eating healthily and treating our bodies with honor and as the sacred dwelling place of God’s Holy Spirit. (1 Co. 3:16-17)

The message to men of Faith, ‘But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”’ Joshua 24:15 NIV

Men have a responsibility to love your wives as Christ Loved the Church. Ephesians 5:25- Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

How you rear your house and your habits sets an example for your household. It is important for you to model serving the Lord with treating our bodies as the temple of the Lord as well as loving your wife to make it easy for her to be healthy. Men have a direct responsibility from the Lord to model their lives after Christ and to lead others to do the same. Men are an important source for wives and children to be healthy, guard your hearts men and live out the gospel, taking the lead on healthy initiatives.

Action: Sign the endorsement resolution to start healthy habits

Collective Action: begin a prayer group dedicated to praying for each other and other men of faith to take different action around health issues and support for families and each other. Prayer changes things and we want God to be a part of this process!

The message of Faith to our Youth, We need you and you can be our leaders, when we don’t know how you might have the answer to lead! ‘Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.’

Health advocacy young and old, Matt. 22:39 ‘And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Not only are we called to take of ourselves, being the temple of God, but help support those who have less than us. We also are called to be the voice to the voiceless. Acts 2:44-45 (Phi) All the believers joined together and shared everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need.

Acts 4:32,34-35 (NIV) All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had... There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.