A Splendid Playground For Fitness And Fellowship

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

A few years ago I experienced fitness on a level I had never seen before. It cast a vision of what I believe can be a standard practice for exercise, wellness and true social networking in every community. It should be an initiative spawned by churches everywhere. Since the “church” in its simplest form is in fact “you” (not a building or organization)--- I hope you’ll catch the vision.

I was fortunate to travel to China and discover a culture much different from mine. On a Sunday evening after arriving to my hotel in Guangzhou, a major city, I decided to take a twenty-minute run through Liuhua Lake Park, a charming city park across the street. It was quiet. I had the sidewalks and trails practically all to myself. Knowing I would have a busy day, I decided I would wake early Monday morning and do another solo run.

I was up and at the park before 6 a.m. Only this time the scene was very different. People were running everywhere on the now congested paths. These runners and walkers were just the first people I encountered.

Around every bend I discovered something new. There was an outdoor pool full of people swimming laps and children taking lessons. A small plaza had been converted into a field of ping-pong tables. On the pristine banks of one lake was one of many groups doing Taiji Quan, a traditional form of Chinese shadow boxing with gentle and slow actions. With the daylight I could see the permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment --- now all fully in use. People played badminton, young people were lifting weights and I even found a group of seniors playing hakisak. To finish, there was a tea house in the park to strengthen internal health with fine herbal teas.

I ran further and faster than I had planned trying to keep pace with my racing curiosity for what I would find next. The park I discovered is nothing short of a splendid playground for a few thousand people to congregate daily and start a new day of life with a unified sense of fellowship and inner worship.

I haven’t yet found a park here in the United States with that number of people committed to being active so early in the morning but I hope it exists somewhere. What I really want to find are people of faith that will have enough gumption and guts to start such an initiative at their local park and lead their community to a new understanding of devotion.

The people where you live need to see a good example and then develop a devotion to rise early for the purpose of seeking wisdom, health, peace, fellowship, joy and God --- the very essence of life. The model of community wellness and fellowship at your park may include some of the traditions practiced in China, but I believe it will have some very different elements.

The physical exercises might include Frisbee, basketball, dancing, skateboarding, bootcamp exercises, pet walking and much more. They will be the activities popular in your community. Beyond that imagine pockets of people gathering in your park for early morning prayer, Bible or book reading, praise and worship. As a public park those wouldn’t be the only kinds of groups to gather. Yet consider the impact on a community when people participate in a daily celebration of life where your faith is woven into the tapestry. Think of starting your day with others in a commitment to making life new every morning.

Don’t just read this magazine and appreciate the “nice ideas”. Get engaged. Do something more than you have done up to now. To bring this vision to life in your community doesn’t cost money or require special permits to get started. Go take a nice long quite walk in your park. Wear a pedometer and you can measure the benefit of your exercise. However, with each step, think about all the people in your community that are thirsty for hope, seeking compassion and in need of a healthy purpose for their life. How will you get active?

Train strong in Christ,

-Brad Bloom