Committing to a healthy lifestyle can be a difficult undertaking — we get that. The path to health can seem complicated and cumbersome, making many people weary of forging ahead. The desire to improve the health of others adds pressure to this path, because if you are unsure of how to live healthily yourself, it is nearly impossible to help others.

This past weekend, with ambitions to improve their personal health and the health of their church communities, members of the At Worship group took a big step towards developing their goals.

Following the presentations from Loaves & Fishes, Mill Village Farms, Meals on Wheels and Project Host, a rich discussion with the panelists on accessing services as well as opportunities to serve these organizations.

LiveWell’s Margaret Stephens shared how to create goals using the data reports from their individual congregational health and interests surveys, and how to implement what was learned from the presentations.

The At Worship group not only learned there are outside programs, initiatives, and resources available to those who cannot afford purchasing healthy foods, but there are ways to take action on the individual-level. For example, one member learned the importance of reading nutritional labels; another learned how to build a garden of fresh fruits and vegetables for their community; another learned about local volunteer opportunities. Networking among faith community partners offers real examples of policy, system and environmental changes.

For the At Worship group, this event, combined with prayers and a strong community, showed members that the path towards health is worth the challenges.