The universal New Year’s pledge around the world seems to be to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, but how many honor that pledge? Even with the best of intentions, goals somehow seem to elude many. The Maranatha Church in Apopka, Fla., has recently utilized a lifestyle program to encourage their church and community to live healthily.
Scripture says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers,” 3 John 1:2. With this in mind, on February 1, 2018, the Maranatha Church started the Full Plate Weight Loss Program. This is not a diet, but a lifestyle change.
The facilitators for the program were Lenore Brantley, Ed.D., professor at Adventist University of Health Sciences in Orlando, Fla., and Lauretta Bivins. After completing the program at another church, they approached the facilitator to find out how they could utilize the materials. They received encouragement and all the program materials at no cost.
The doors to the Maranatha gym opened on February 1, 2018, to more than 80 individuals eager to begin the lifestyle journey. Nurses from Florida Hospital were on hand to provide biometric screenings, weigh-ins, and blood pressure checks.
Each week, the group learned the keys to the Full Plate plan, to power up, and how to eat enough to lose weight. The program concluded with a celebration where participants shared stories of the benefits of following the plan. They celebrated as did the Psalmist who said, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…,” Psalm 139:14.
Southeastern | May 2018
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