Story Created:
Mar 24, 2008 at 4:07 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Mar 24, 2008 at 4:07 PM EDT
(CBS) — Faith and fitness. That's the mission of a Virginia pastor, emphasizing the importance of being in shape. And church members are shedding pounds.
At Capital Baptist Church in Virginia they're asking a higher power to help tip the scales.
Pastor Steve Reynolds’ mission is to help his congregation lose weight.
"It's about honoring God with your body,” he told his congregation.
This revelation came to Reynolds two years ago when he weighed 340 pounds.
“I was diabetic, I was taking high blood pressure and cholesterol medicine and was digging my grave with a knife and fork,” said Reynolds.
After losing 100 pounds he started a diet and exercise program called Bod-4-God.
Faith-based weight loss programs have gained in popularity. On the Internet or in the bookstore there are countless different programs. Bod-4-God promotes a team approach.
Church members exercise and diet together; they also compete with one another.
Eric Larson is the church's biggest loser — he shed 105 pounds.
"The big thing about Bod-4-God is I was getting a lot of support through my Christian brothers and sisters,” Larson said.
Together Laura Cunningham and her mother Karen lost 110 pounds.
"I was doing it for God and the fact that he says that your body is the temple,” Cunningham said.
"Overall statistics, we have now lost 979.9 pounds,” Reynolds told his congregation.
And the weight loss word is spreading.
Churches in New York, Maryland and North Carolina are now adopting the Bod-4-God program.
