Joe Fluence, physician and Modesto Parkwood church member, has a burning desire in his heart to reach out to his colleagues at work. For years, he had been inviting them to church but was always turned down.
Then Lorraine Thompson, the church’s health and temperance leader, told him about Dr. Hans Diehl, a health educator and founder of the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP®) and Fluence got excited. “I see my colleagues eating bad, living bad, struggling with health issues like diabetes,” he says.
He shared the idea of a health outreach with the church elders and, as a team, they began to pray and plan. On faith, Fluence called Diehl and booked his only available weekend — Jan. 25 and 26, 2008.
The initial idea was to have Diehl’s seminar at the hospital, but the administrator had no interest. Little did Fluence realize that God had a much bigger plan that included a different venue, a partnership with area Adventist churches and a much larger audience.
Needing advice, he called Steve Horton, vice president of ministries for the conference. Horton called Charmaine Daniels. Daniels is the director of Project LifePath in Sonora, Calif. Project LifePath is a pilot church-based, community-wide health evangelism initiative funded by the Camp Meeting Evangelism Offering, the local Consortium of Adventist Physicians and the Sonora church.
Just completing a successful first year, Daniels was eager to help. “There is no better time than now to reach the community with the message of healthy living, and we are doing the very work our Master bids us to do to reach their souls' needs,” she explains.
When the three met together, community-wide possibilities quickly surfaced. With Daniel's expertise and Horton’s support, Fluence agreed to take the expanding idea to the board of elders.
The New Idea
The idea: The Modesto Parkwood church would host a weekend seminar with Dr. Hans Diehl for the community at the prestigious downtown Gallo Center. As a follow-up, Charmaine Daniels would teach a CHIP program at the church.
A bit overwhelmed, Fluence prayed, “Lord, if you want this to happen, you have to make this happen in three months." And He did.
The church leaders enthusiastically agreed. “The vision for a health ministry outreach was too good to keep to ourselves,” says Pastor Ron Rasmussen. Once shared with several area churches, a partnership quickly developed, and a joint planning committee was established.
The “Enhance the Quality of Your Life!” seminar drew more than 300 attendees. Diehl taught how to address killer diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity with simple lifestyle changes.
In addition to lectures, attendees were treated to a pre-paid, heart-healthy fine dining experience at the nearby Galetto Ristorante. The restaurant completely shut-down their regular business to accommodate the seminar participants.
Partnering for Outreach
Coordinated outreaches with the area Adventist churches began almost immediately after the weekend. The Modesto Central church hosted a three-day CHIP leadership training workshop Feb. 21 to 24. Fifty members, sponsored by 22 Adventist churches, attended.
A maxed-out CHIP program beginning Feb. 19 and hosted at the Parkwood church had 80 people with half the participants from the community and a waiting list of 15. “We’re sending the 15 over to Modesto Central for their upcoming CHIP program,” Fluence says.
“This has given us a new vision, a new sense of energy and an opportunity to partner with other congregations,” Rasmussen says. “CHIP is a springboard, the beginning of a strategic process that is drawing our Adventist community together. We’re spending more time praying together and planning together.”
In addition to the health outreaches, there are a variety of seminars and ministries to refer or invite people to in the area Adventist churches, such as seminars on relationships, communication, finance, archeology and prophecy.
Back at work, Fluence can already see results. “The hospital where I work was buzzing after the seminar. Many individuals are already making changes in their lifestyles,” he says. Humbled by the experience, he adds, “I just played a part. I can’t take any credit. I feel like God’s will was done. It was awesome!”
