It's Time Grant Helps a Church Find a Place in a Transitioning Community

Our gym stood vacant; a sad reminder of a day when the church was thriving. The 80,000 square campus that once had 1500 enrolled in Sunday School was now mostly silent during the week and not very active during the three hours it was open on Sunday.

A $21,000 grant would change the course of this inner-city church in a transitional neighborhood.

When I arrived at Baptist Temple almost ten years ago, we were on the verge of celebrating our 100^th anniversary and in search of a vision for the future. The It's Time, with an accompanying grant, was how the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was helping churches like ours find ways to be on mission for God.

In 2009, San Antonio led the nation in diabetes and obesity. At the same time, we had a gym no one was using. The answer was simple. We decided that we were going to help our church and our community become healthier by developing programs for all ages. We used the grant dollars to purchase fitness and recreation equipment and turn a forgotten recreation room into a weight room.

We offered karate, tumbling, chair aerobics, balance training, and open gym nights. During the summer, kids were introduce to golf, tennis, badminton and other non-traditional sports. Classes on healthy cooking, nutrition, diabetes management/prevention, and cancer awareness were offered in partnership with the YMCA, University of Texas San Antonio, Methodist Health Systems, Baptist Health Systems, and the San Antonio Metrohealth district.

Further grants from the Baptist Health Foundation and Texas Baptists have allowed us to hold annual health fairs and establish a community garden. For the last three years Baptist Temple has been a site for the city-wide Fit Family Challenge. We were the first church site. A second church was added based on our successful model.

This level of health awareness led to a campus-wide recycling program that keeps a dumpster full of items out of the landfill. Recently we have installed a solar array and are currently developing a plan to replace our current landscaping with water-saving hardscape and succulent plants.

We hope to provide a model for other churches to follow so they can help their congregation and community live the abundant life that Jesus brings. 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full. 
John 10:10

Bread is More Than Gluten and Carbohydrates

A Rabbi once told me that keeping kosher (following Old Testament dietary laws) made him think about God every time he prepared food. I like that. We say grace before meals to acknowledge God as the source of our daily bread.

At the same time, I thought the Old Testament dietary laws were health-related. The timeless lesson being that we watch what we eat to optimize our health so we can honor God with our bodies. I now realize that there is more to it than that.

As a soldier and competitive athlete my relationship with food had always been performance based. I knew how to get the right amount and type of calories for my body. If my body fat percentage or blood chemistry was out of range, a few adjustments would get me back on track.

However, a healthy diet and exercise has not prevented me from deadly health related diseases. In 2009, a section of my colon had to be removed following an attack of diverticulitis that perforated my colon. That year I was diagnosed with diabetes (family history). Over the last year my diabetes and high blood pressure required greater amounts of medication and, last week, I had quintuple coronary by-pass surgery. Factors other than diet and exercise have been at play.

Early one morning I was making breakfast while the rest of the house slept. I do everything in slow motion these days so I was mindful of my movements. I gathered my ingredients and utensils in silence with the care given a Japanese Tea Ceremony. I recalled the health benefits of each ingredient as I mixed my super-healthy oatmeal together. I ate slowly and with gratitude, not only for the healthy breakfast but, also, for the health to prepare it.

We eat to live but Jesus said, “It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone...'” (Matthew 4:4)

Jesus reminds us of the connection to the God who sustains us. Meal times, whether we eat in community or solitude, offer an opportunity to slow down and remember the connection between our physical and spiritual needs. Life (animal or plant) gives life and labor (ours and that of others) placed a meal before us. Our physical health is improved when we are mindful not only of what we eat but how.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never go hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35 (NIV)