While Beltway Church of Christ and Zion Church are known as places of worship, they’re also creating a space for overall health and that includes physical wellness.
On Saturday, May 4, the fellowship hall and classrooms of the Beltway Church of Christ were filled with several hundred people from around the area when the Camp Springs, Maryland church hosted a Community Mental Health Awareness Day.
“It was necessary to have this particular event now because we’re just fully getting out of COVID, and some people are still dealing with things that hadn’t been dealt with,” Le’Andre Johnson, minister at Beltway Church of Christ, told The Informer.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Bruce McClure, a licensed counselor and minister at Prince George’s Church of Christ.
“It’s the same gospel, but how do we adapt it to mental health, physical health, behavioral, financial, relational,” McClure told The Informer. “It’s more than here; believe, confess, and be baptized.
The event emphasized combating mental health challenges with therapy, wellness practices such as exercise and through faith-based work.
Similarly to Beltway Church of Christ, Zion Church in Greenbelt, Maryland is using faith as entrance into wellness work and practices.
“Exercise, rest, and proper nutrition are critical to our well-being,” said Zion’s Pastor Keith Battle.
A few weeks ago, three dozen men gathered at Zion for the last session of an eight-week Bible study, health and exercise class that was all part of a faith-based boot camp.
“When you can get men together in large groups to encourage and support one another in their health and wellness [it’s powerful],” explained Battle.
Augustus Jones, the trainer in charge of the boot camp at Zion, explained how the program helped participants not only physically, but overall.
“This was a way for men to incorporate health and wellness into their everyday lifestyle,” Jones told The Informer.
Jones, 37, said that the program also offered students tools to be more active with their families.
“My son and I go walking, and he is only 8 months old,” Jones said.
He also explained that such faith-based fitness programs allow men to create a support system, while prioritizing health all at once.
“A lot of men don’t have anyone to check on them,” Jones said. “We have brothers going through divorces, custody of their children, and often, men are more comfortable exercising with each other.”
Augustus is one of kind. His ability to connect with an individual and come up with a customize solution to their health needs has been nothing short of impressive.