August 2010 Give us each day our daily bread. Luke 11:3
Now that the July 4 BBQ and church camp S’mores are behind us (maybe literally not far behind us), here is a reminder for us to be careful of our selves. The spring 2010 issue of Duke Divinity School's Divinity Magazine contains an interesting report about clergy health (p. 4). Research from a United Methodist Church (UMC) Clergy Health Initiative suggests that UMC clergy in North Carolina suffer from more chronic diseases than the general population.
Statistics gathered in 2008, when 95 percent of United Methodist clergy participated in a health survey, were compared with statistics for people with similar characteristics. Researchers discovered that nearly 40 percent of UMC pastors aged 35-64 qualify as obese, a rate that's 10 percent higher than other North Carolinians in the same demographic subset.
Not surprisingly, reports of diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, angina, and asthma were also significantly higher.
High rates of obesity and chronic disease among the clergy are not limited to Methodists, of course. I suspect that rates among Baptists would be even higher: The old jokes about Baptist preachers and their love affair with fried chicken are not without foundation.
Having been a pastor in SC, not far from the NC line, I know how good the barbecue was that the Methodist churches could prepare. I used to joke with my interfaith clergy colleagues that I thought the UMC pastors had to pass a course in BBQ before they were assigned a church in SC. (You will note that I spelled it barbecue. That is accurate by the understandings about this cholesterolated delicacy which has nothing to do with beef or tomatoes.)
MMBB, many of our health insurance providers, AARP, and many other sources continually remind us to be careful. Stewardship of our bodies is the responsibility of each of us. It helps to have a spouse who is a partner in this care. Would it not be a help if our church suppers and fund raising meals and products also took these diet issues seriously? If our church nurseries can be peanut-free, cannot our dinners also have less sodium, sugar and fat?
Let’s poke each other’s soft bellies and encourage care for God’s best servants.
Jamie
P.S. Millions of people move from one county to another each year. If you would like to see from where people are coming to your county or where their destinations are if moving away, go to the map link below. Click once on a county to see the comings and goings: black lines indicate net inward movement; red lines, net outward movement. http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/migration-moving-wealthy-interactive-counties-map.html.
August 2010
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