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In a unique community outreach initiative, an East Belfast church is offering free health advice to members of their local community. Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, situated at the Beersbridge Road/Cyprus Avenue junction, launch a Community Health Day next Wednesday, 17th January, 2001, from 10am to 4pm.
The Health Information Day is being organised by Bloomfield Community Initiatives, a part of Bloomfield Church, of which Assistant Minister, Rev Mervyn Gibson is the chair. He comments, "Some people may thnk it odd that a church should organise a Health Information Day. But as Christians we are concerned with body mind and soul, so we like to do more than preach on a Sunday! Our Health Information Day is planned so that members of the local community can see that we really care for them and seek to meet their physical as well as spiritual needs."
Various health agencies will be on hand to freely dispense information and advice to local members of the community, including the South and East Trust, the Chest Heart and Stroke Association, along with chiropodists, dieticians and the Pregnancy Advice Centre.
Many of the invited agencies will be of particular interest to the local church Mother and Toddler Group, who meet the same morning. It is also hoped that the elderly neighbours living near the church will benefit from the advice day.
Mervyn continues, "In East Belfast there are some serious health concerns, and local surgeries say that cases of heart disease for example, are higher here than the national average. As a church community we need to be pro-active about these issues as we extend Christian love into our surrounding streets."
Issued by Martin McNeely, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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