Wholeness is Key to Improved Health

By Bishop Preston W. Williams II

One of my greatest interests has always been the psychological and spiritual components as they relate to health and sickness. I believe that the spiritual and psychological can bring about a physical sickness in many cases. It is the subject of a workshop topic that I have presented for a number of years.

Many have gotten sick after their spiritual life has been altered. There are mood swings and other responses. When the spiritual, physical and psychological come together in balance, the body benefits.

The environment that one lives in impacts the psychological, spiritual and physical life of a person. We need to look at the environment, air, water and earth. I refer to them as the ABC’s of life.

There needs to be a wholeness

It is our goal to address health in the Seventh Episcopal District to work toward a healthier district utilizing the Health Commission. We want to decrease diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer and other health disparities by at least 30 percent in the next four years in our congregations and communities.

Prayer and belief will put one in a more spiritual realm. Where there is greater spirituality, there are fewer physical and psychological problems. We have begun some workshops already to address depression, and we will continue these workshops across the state.

We will raise the level of spirituality in four years, and because of that, we believe that it will lessen the degree of illness. I do believe that when the spiritual man is whole, there will be less sickness. God has fully prepared humans with a care package from heaven known as the Holy Spirit. The spirit of God was given to the church, not unto the world, but unto the church.

Jesus said, to His disciples, “I go to my Father and pray unto Him that He will give unto you a comforter”. It is within that realm, that all power emanates from the Father through the Holy Ghost to the church of our Lord and Savior. The church is chartered throughout the world. The A.M.E. Church is just one group of the flock that is part of a greater one.

Church Commitment Statewide

We will spend our effort to address a number of issues. We will look at childhood obesity through the Health Commission and YPD Department. We will look at providing an assisted living facility. The Son’s of Allen will work with the Health Commission to provide resources and education for men’s health statewide. We must address the poverty areas to have an impact on the health of our people. The component will work together to help make a change in the health outcome of our people in the state of South Carolina.

I encourage the Health Commission team statewide, and I am in full support of this work. The Health-e-AME Program has been doing an excellent job statewide, and we will be working to expand that work. The Health-e-AME’s Physical-e- Fit program has been attending annual conferences across the state to encourage healthy lifestyle changes and to recruit churches to be trained to implement a physical activity program in their churches to help congregations live a healthier life. I participate in physical activity regularly by walking and by using my stationary bicycle. I want to thank each one for their time and commitment to this work.

Bishop Preston W. Williams II of the Seventh Episcopal District, South Carolina and Mother Williams.