The Adventist CHIP Association presented its fourth annual CHIP Summit in Vancouver, B.C., Nov. 20-24. Four-hundred twenty-eight people from all over the North American Division, including 84 from the Northern California Conference, attended the summit. This represented the strongest CHIP activity in North America.

CHIP is an acronym that stands for Coronary Health Improvement Project. The Adventist CHIP Association is an international, non-profit and volunteer-driven organization whose mission is, “To inspire, equip and support local Seventh-day Adventist churches to develop CHIP programs that model the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”

Attendees at the Vancouver summit heard many presentations and testimonies of the successes of the program. One of the presenters, Don Mackintosh, shared how CHIP has revolutionized his ministry in his Three Angels Church in Wichita, Kan. Mackintosh conducted a health evangelism seminar with Dr. Hans Diehl in Norway two summers ago, and can be seen as a regular host of health programs on 3ABN. He is enthusiastic about CHIP and is actively spreading the word.

During the summit meeting, Diehl, developer of CHIP, introduced Connie and Keith Thebarge, who attended a CHIP event 13 years ago in Ottawa, Canada. Because of her physical condition at that time, she was acutely suicidal and was dependent upon a daily regimen of 27 prescription pills and 68 units of insulin. Once she began to understand and practice the CHIP lifestyle, she recovered her health and found reasons for living. Her diabetes and angina are gone, and so are her needles and almost all of her pills. Today she is a powerful ambassador for CHIP.

Diehl also introduced Ken Morrison, who (with his wife Robin) has been commissioned by Lifestyle Medicine Institute to develop an exciting program to bring CHIP to children. The CHIP-for-Kids program will cover the adult material in a style adapted for children.

Because CHIP is a grassroots, nonprofit organization, the entire operation is dependent upon volunteer workers. Those in the administration of the Adventist CHIP Association work long and hard with no pay. Two of those dedicated workers are the directors of CHIP, Harold Burden and Dena Guthrie. During the summit they received special recognition from the organization for their outstanding commitment to the success of the ministry.

To find out more about CHIP or to find the next CHIP program nearest you, check out Adventist CHIP Online at www.sdachip.org.