Here at Meridian Baptist Church we had to take a stand on healthy lifestyles.

It was a wake up call for us when one of our members had to have a heart transplant.  We were faced with the problem of making unhealthy choices in life - starting with food and exercise. We were eating too many greasy, fried foods and not enough fresh vegetables.

One of the things we did as a congregation was encourage a balanced diet with more emphasis on larger portions of vegetables. We also encouraged more exercise to strengthen our bodies from the inside out. We discouraged serving fried foods at all our church events and asked people to think about the kinds of foods they brought to share. And we hosted health events to help our congregation and those in the community to be more health conscious.

It hasn’t been easy to change the way our members think about what they eat, but we are making progress through steadfast encouragement. Sometimes people think that the healthy choice costs more - either monetarily or through hard work.  But the benefits of a healthy life outweigh any possible costs.

After implementing some positive changes that encourage healthy living, the rewards have been such a blessing.  Many members took up daily exercise routines while others made better food choices.  They are happier and enjoying the freedom of feeling healthy.

In the future, we plan to host more events that promote healthy lifestyles.  Whether through nutrition classes, health screenings or other directions, we are encouraged knowing that our members and community will benefit from our efforts.

On April 24, we are once again hosting “Life Line Screening” offering preventive heart disease screenings, available by appointment, to the community as well as to our members here at Meridian.

Article written by Meridian Baptist Church