Health Ministries
The church accepts its responsibility to make Christ known to the world and believes this includes a moral obligation to preserve human dignity by obtaining
optimal levels of physical, mental, and spiritual health. In addition to ministering to those who are ill, this responsibility extends to the prevention
of disease through effective health education and leadership in promoting optimum health, free of tobacco, alcohol, other drugs, and unclean foods.
Where possible, members shall be encouraged to follow a primarily vegetarian diet.
For efficient program planning and implementation the Horley church elected a Health Ministries leader. She is health-oriented
and interested in promoting the church's standards in healthful living among the members and in the community through church-operated health ministry programs.
The leader is able to screen programs and information that are representative of the ideals and philosophy of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and to integrate
them into an effective spiritual-physical witness(source-text:Church Manual 2005).
The Health Ministries leadership provides for the following:
(i). Outlines, plans, and budgets, in consultation with the pastor, the church Health Ministries Council,
and the church board, programs for the year that will emphasize total health and temperance for the church and the community.
(ii). Promotes an ongoing witness in the community concerning the destructive effects of tobacco, alcohol,
and other health-destroying drugs and substances.
(iii). Fosters good relationships with community health and temperance organizations.
(iv). Encourages the study of the biblical principles and the Spirit of Prophecy counsels on health and temperance.
(v). Encourages the application of the principles of healthful living among church members.
(vi). Arranges for and promote the holding of health and temperance education programs for the church
and the community it serves, in close cooperation with the conference/mission/field Health Ministries director.
(source-text:Church Manual 2005).
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