KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church in Jamaica is throwing its support behind the Health Ministry’s ‘Jamaica Moves’ programme, and will formally endorse the initiative on January 8, 2019.

According to President of the Jamaica Union Conference of SDAs, Pastor Everett Brown, the church’s mission is to use its resources to help persons spiritually, and to do so in “whatever [way] we can to benefit mankind”, hence its supporting the health project, which was initiated by Portfolio Minster, Dr Christopher Tufton.

Brown, who was addressing the recent Central Jamaica Conference of SDAs 2018 camp meeting and lay institute in St Catherine, said with Jamaica Moves enlightening individuals on healthy lifestyles, “as a church, we ought to support them on this venture”.

He said, to this end, the church will undertake a series of islandwide engagements during 2019, all of which are geared towards promoting healthy eating, and exercise.

Key among these will be two major projects, one of which is slated for Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay on February 2, and the other at the SDA’s Good Samaritan Inn in Kingston on February 3.

Over 200 of the church’s world leaders, headed by global President, Pastor Ted Wilson, who will be in Jamaica for a strategic leadership conference, will participate in a number of the community projects.

“We want our members to use their resources to address people’s needs within the community. We believe that a healthy person will be a more productive individual, and we want to encourage healthy lifestyles. [As such], we fully endorse [Jamaica Moves] and want to use our resources to support this process,” Brown stated.