Second Lady participates in GEC health walk

More than 20,000 members from the Accra and Tema presbyteries of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC) on Saturday participated in the maiden National Health Walk held in Accra.

The health walk was to meet and promote the physical welfare of its members in the development of the church and to donate blood to stock the depleting reserves of the National Blood Banks.

The event, which started from the Black Star Square, through La to Osu back to the Black Star Square, saw Mrs Matilda Amissaah-Arthur participating as the guest of honour.

Reverend Dr Edem Tettey (Retired), the Moderator of GEC, speaking after the walk thanked the wife of the Vice President and her team for participating in the church's maiden health walk.

"Your Excellence, the GEC very much appreciates you for your commitment and diverse support that the church enjoyed over the periods," he added.

He expressed the hope that the existing relationship between the church and the second lady would be cemented for their mutual benefits.

Rev Tettey said often, the church concentrates its efforts on meeting only the spiritual needs of its members at the expense of the physical.

The Moderator said this results in some imbalance and therefore behooves the church to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of its members to grow and develop the mission and the country at large.

"We believe that, today’s health walk is one of the numerous activities that the church could engage in so as to promote the physical welfare of its members," he said.

He said bad eating habits, smoking, drinking and above all lack of exercise are among numerous others could be attributed to the current sudden and premature deaths "flooding" the society.

He said leadership of the church is of the view that the health walk 2015 would lay a very solid foundation for subsequent ones and is determined to make the event an annual event, which would be used to address topical issues of the years.

He said subsequent years, the various presbyteries of the church would be encouraged to identify pertinent challenges within their jurisdiction to address.

Rev Tettey said another critical area the church would venture into is to provide health screening to both members and the communities as part of its corporate social responsibility.

He entreated members not to abandon the culture of exercising but rather do their best to embark on recommended regular exercises to be in sound health always.