Let’s Move to Live

 The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in the North Caribbean Conference (NCC) is getting ready for its Let’s Move to Live initiative geared to achieve physical, mental and spiritual transformation – on Sunday, October 7, 2018.

The initiative encourages members to get involved in some form of activity that will enhance their health and add to the quality of their lives. Organizers believe that moving our body is healthy and we should do it on a regular basis – it is never too late to begin.

On St. Maarten, more than 500 individuals are expected to gather for the walk. The Chairperson of Parliament, Sarah Wescott Williams, is already registered to join scores of members for the event. On St. Croix, the health ministry team expects over 200 members and friends to join the planned five-mile walk, beginning at Frederiksted, St. Croix.

In February, 2010, the First Lady of the United States of America introduced an exercise program to decrease obesity levels in children. The SDA Church in the Inter American Division (IAD) recognized that the concept fits into the philosophy of the SDA Church and supports the century-old counsels of E. G. White, regarding the importance of exercise: “Exercise quickens and equalizes the circulation of the blood, but in idleness the blood does not circulate freely, and the changes in it, so necessary to life and health, do not take place. The skin, too, becomes inactive. Impurities are not expelled as they would be if the circulation had been quickened by vigorous exercise, the skin kept in a healthy condition, and the lungs fed with plenty of pure, fresh air.” Ministry of Healing, p. 238

The NCC Education Department through its Director, Gerene Joseph, is also partnering for a successful initiative. The department has organized a sports day to engage students in activities that will enhance their capacity to learn, through healthy transformative practices.

This year, Let’s Move to Live is promoted by the NCC Communication Department. It is intended to promote an inspiring story of a church that encourages the participation of all. The Communication Director, Pastor Royston Philbert, expressed, “Since health is something everyone is concerned about, this is one of the opportunities members can use to connect the community to the church.”

It is hoped that the campaign will not only give individuals the motivation to live a healthier life but will strengthen the base of our contacts as we seek to be intentional about impacting those within our circle of influence.