Sarah and Temi are roommates. Sarah is a pharmacist who works at Ayobami Hospital. She goes to work every Monday to Friday from 6am to 11pm. Temi, on the other hand, is a student at the University of Lagos.
It was 6am, on a Friday morning. Temi was getting ready to go for her morning workout. Sarah was preparing to go to work.
Sarah: I really wish I could go with you. My only free day is Saturday and Sunday.
Temi: Awww…I know right. I wish I have a workout partner too. It would have motivated me to do more.
Sarah: You know how much I love to workout. I should be doing my workouts at home. There are apps that can help but I am always very tired getting home by 11pm. I have to wake up as early as 4am so i can leave home by 5am. When I get home, I still spend time trying to plan for work the next day. It’s tiring.
Temi: There is a solution though.
Sarah: Really? Tell me about it.
Temi: You didn’t hear pastor’s announcement on Sunday about the fitness program that will hold every Saturday by 6am.
Sarah: Okay. This is so lovely. Now, I’m getting fired up.
Temi: lol…brace up o. That’s not all.
Sarah: Sorosoke o…
Temi: There is another one on Sunday evening by 6pm for those who miss Saturday workout or anyone that wants to attend.
Sarah: You mean I can now workout in church. This is the best news for me right now. Church is just making my life easier. I mean this is a lovely development.
Temi: Yes you can.
Sarah: It is so refreshing that church takes into consideration, not just spiritual wholeness but physical fitness as well. I’m blown away.
Temi: Same here.
Sarah: I can’t wait o. I will be the first person to get there.
Temi: hahaha…Sarah be calming down.
(Both of them laugh)
It is not enough to be holy, we can be wholly and whole. Everybody is here on earth for a purpose. There is no way we can fulfill our purpose in life unless we are healthy enough to do so. A steward or worker in church needs to be fit for the master’s work. e.g A person who works in the technical department to produce sound in church needs to have muscular strength to carry speakers and other equipments needed; an usher needs stamina and muscular endurance to be able to stand for a long period of time, a chorister needs cardiorespiratory endurance for the lungs to be able to utilise oxygen effectively to sing excellently. All these are components of physical fitness that can help individuals function effectively as a steward in God’s house and their individual lives. Stress is another area that is a silent killer. It is ubiquitous and follows us everywhere. Furthermore, it affects our bodies five fold: physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, mentally. That means we need to learn how to battle it five fold and steward our health well.
Physical fitness helps us function effectively and serve God with vigor and without undue fatigue. The components of physical fitness are both health and performance related. Some of these components help us to be healthy while some help our performance of daily tasks. The health-related components of physical fitness include Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, body composition, muscular endurance and flexibility. The performance-related components include balance, coordination, agility, power, reaction time, speed. Exercise is a means towards being physically fit. It has been proven to prevent illness, heal depression, alleviate stress, increase alertness and smartness, a good way of coping with stress and is therapeutic for many conditions such as arthritis and asthma.
The church has been a great contributor to ensuring that individuals are healthy through spiritual programs, miracle crusades where people receive healing, fun programs to help relieve stress and tension from work and organizing fitness programs. Asides going to the gym and working out at home, there are church-based fitness programs that provide fitness services for individuals to ensure health promotion and improved productivity. It is not enough to offer healing prayer for those with illness, the church can also offer God’s healing provision of exercise and educate individuals on the need to exercise and eat right for disease prevention. Meaningful, professional Christian exercise classes draw people and bring people together. It promotes healthy connection and bring about socialization. A conventional faith based fitness program should be different from other fitness programs. It should be much more than just sweating and building muscle. It should also be seen as am opportunity to win more souls to Christ. Some churches do not just refer to it as a fitness program but a ministry. Through fitness ministry, the church can reach out to their community through devotional exercise – fitness that is much more than simply the physical aspect of exercise. Churches often have programs for everything imaginable: singles groups, married groups, children, outreaches and more. Fitness should not be left out. It is refreshing that church leaders are discovering the value of offering really excellent fitness programs for the community. The social aspect of exercise is powerful. Care groups and small groups have proven to be ideal settings for fitness programs which can be highly successfully rolled out as an extension of a group Bible study. It should be planned and organized in such a way that God is glorified, backed up with prayer and very good Christian music to exercise along with.
There are churches that offer these programs and there are churches that do not. This program however is highly beneficial to members and the community at large and can be inculcated by churches. To establish fitness program in Churches, there are certain keys to take into consideration.
KEYS TO ESTABLISH FITNESS PROGRAMS IN CHURCHES
1) Form a Advisory Fitness Team
Proper planning is essential to set up a goal-oriented fitness program that will stand the test of time. The fitness program has to be set up in such a way that it is highly beneficial to members of the church and will make an impact on the community. The Advisory team should be a solid one consisting of the Lead Pastor or a representative of the pastor on fitness or health matters, fitness professionals, an accountant and event planner who will organize and bring people together towards its execution.
2) Establish clear goals for the program
Any vision or program that is planned without certain goals and objectives will fail. This is the first task that should be undertaken by the Advisory panel. There is need for questions to be asked such as: For what purpose is the fitness program organised? What equipments will be needed? What type of classes or mode of exercise will be used? Who is going to lead the fitness class? What items will be needed to cater for the people? Where exactly will it hold? Do you have some existing space within your church, or on church grounds that can be used, or will your church need to look at building or leasing a property off site? What days and time should it hold? Is it a one-off program or it will be held monthly? Will church members be interested? Will it be open to those who are not church members? What strategy will be used for publicity? How do we evaluate the outcome or feedback mechanism to be used to ascertain the success of the program? These questions are crucial questions to be asked and answered and will serve as guide for action.
3) Assign budgets
Finance is very important to achieving any new project. Like most new projects, being properly funded is extremely important to ensure a successful launch of the fitness program. All costs need to be itemized by category, such as construction, equipment costs, marketing and the service, cleaning and upkeep of the facility and equipment. Will the church fund the entire project outright or will members be asked to bring in their quota? It is essential to determine how much it will cost to start up and keep at it.
4) Don’t lose focus of the main objective.
Helping the members of your congregation lead healthier lives and become more physically fit is great. However, this project can be seen as a unique way to grow the church and bring more people to Christ which is a major focus. Planning must be strategic especially if it is a project that will be open to the general public. Growing the church through fitness programs might sound surprising, but this is a common trend we see with some Ministeries. Dave Bundrick, Minister of Recreation for Houston’s First Baptist Church, routinely has members join their fitness programs and then later join the church. The church should not organize a project or program that will lead people farther away from Christ. Fitness programs can serve as an excellent outreach tool by attracting new church members and leading them to Christ.
Fitness programs has shown that it can positively impact the lives of church members, help grow church membership, and lead more people to Christ. Perhaps now is the time for the church to get on board with having its own fitness program.
SOURCE
Faithandfitness.net
