South Pacific Lifestyle Medicine Summit inspires attendees to share Jesus.
More than 200 Adventist health and medical professionals, church leaders and members, educators and students from across the South Pacific gathered for the second annual Lifestyle Medicine Summit in Castle Hill, Sydney, Australia, August 23-25, 2019.
Organized by Adventist Health, a department of the South Pacific Division (SPD) church region, the summit boasted workshops and presentations from local and international speakers who inspired attendees to utilize lifestyle medicine as a way to share Jesus with their circles of influence.
Presenters focused on topics including how to create comprehensive health strategies; international health missionary work; improving resilience and mental health; evidence of God’s creative design; and the benefits of a plant-based diet and regular exercise.
Lifestyle Medicine and Ministry — A Strong Connection
A major theme addressed by many of the presenters was the strong connection between lifestyle medicine and ministry. Interventional cardiologist and president of the Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN) Brian Schwartz challenged doctors and medical professionals to tell their patients that, as human beings, they are merely Jesus’ hands and feet and that He is the real Healer.
Health strategy consultant Geraldine Przybylko (right) introducing keynote speaker and Adventist Health Ministries associate director Zeno L. Charles-Marcel. [Photo: Adventist Record]
Interventional cardiologist and president of the Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN) Brian Schwartz challenges attendees during his keynote presentation at the second annual Lifestyle Medicine Summit in Castle Hill, Sydney, Australia: “Jesus saw no distinction between spiritual and physical healing — He said ‘take up your bed and walk.’ Shouldn’t we?” [Photo: Adventist Record]
The seven areas of health promoted by the new “Empowering Lifestyle Innovation Advocates” (ELIA) Wellness app: emotional, physical, social, vocational, spiritual, intellectual, and environmental health. [Photo: Adventist Record]
“I am convinced more than ever that unless I show Jesus to each of my patients, I am committing spiritual malpractice,” he said during his Saturday (Sabbath) morning keynote presentation. “If we give our patients an extra few years of life but not eternal life, what’s the point?”
Two other keynote speakers were featured throughout the weekend: medical director of the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP), chair of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and CEO of Lifestyle Medicine Solutions Wayne Dysinger, and Adventist Health Ministries associate director, medical director and co-founder of the Lifestyle Center of America Zeno L. Charles-Marcel.
Highlighting the connection between lifestyle medicine and the gospel, Charles-Marcel gave his testimony about how Seventh-day Adventist health principles influenced him to become an Adventist himself.
“Studying medicine at Loma Linda University, I was so impacted by how Seventh-day Adventists really lived out the health principles in the Bible. They took it seriously, and that inspired me to become an Adventist too.”
The Scourge of Diabetes
Alongside his testimony, Charles-Marcel emphasized the impact of diabetes in the South Pacific and shared real-life stories of individuals undergoing double amputations and being in acute hospital care for up to six months. His concern was echoed by SPD discipleship ministry departmental assistant Pamela Townend and SPD Adventist health ministries specialist Chester Kuma in their 10,000 Toes Campaign presentation.
“Every 20 minutes, someone is dying from diabetes, and every 10 minutes there is an amputation.… Knowing this, we came up with the name 10,000 Toes in one hour—God definitely breathed into that,” Townend said.
Kuma and Townend were joined by delegates from across the South Pacific who have implemented 10,000 Toes initiatives in their local churches and seen the positive impact of the program.
“We created a team and taught church members how to use the [diabetes detection] kits; churches became centers of influence and wellness.… We have had churches growing, and everybody is buzzing, wanting to be a part of the movement,” said Fiji church member George Kwong.
Exciting Projects and Initiatives
Alongside 10,000 Toes, the weekend summit featured other projects and initiatives from across the South Pacific, including the ever-expanding CHIP program; plans for community health outreach in Sydney in 2020; and the new “Empowering Lifestyle Innovation Advocates” (ELIA) Wellness app.
Executive general manager of Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Cathy McDonald shared the positive impact that CHIP, a health education program, is having in communities across Australia and New Zealand.
“We’re called to ‘live life to the full,’ so living with disease and stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depression is a spiritual issue,” she said. “Modern medicine has its role but doesn’t treat the cause, only the symptoms. That’s why CHIP is different, as validated by over 35 scientific articles.”
McDonald announced that the goal is to touch 10 million lives through CHIP in the next 10 years.
Continuing the emphasis on impacting lives through lifestyle medicine, SPD health strategy consultant Geraldine Przybylko presented the new ELIA Wellness app, designed to connect Adventist and non-Adventist health professionals, organizations, and individuals across the South Pacific.
The app creates a framework that focuses on seven dimensions of health and brings together the many initiatives run by the Adventist Church—including the Live More project, Forgive to Live program, 10,000 Toes campaign, and CHIP. The goal of the app is to train and empower church members to be able to run these programs in their local churches.
Upcoming Health Expo
In conjunction with the app release, Przybylko announced plans for an ELIA health expo, entitled “Life Boost: My Wellness Expo,” which will run in Centenary Square, Parramatta, Sydney, April 26-28, 2020. Backed by the Parramatta mayor, the expo has the goal to create an integrated follow-up strategy for the app and to engage health leaders in mission in a more significant way.
“We’re thinking of banners, posters, and flags around the community. We’re partnering with other health institutions, practices, churches, and the city of Parramatta. It’s an up-and-coming city, and it’s expanding, so it’s the perfect place to do it.”
Attendees were encouraged to take part in the health expo in the capacities of their skill set — as health professionals, music artists, administration volunteers, IT experts, greeters, and more.
Aside from engaging presentations, attendees also participated in “breakaway sessions” tailored to specific groups — medical professionals, cultural groups, and laypersons. In between presentations and workshops, participants ate healthy, plant-based meals together.
The original version of this story was posted by Adventist Record.
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