A guide to holding a congregational health fair

"Health Ministry in Action" at the 214th General Assembly Health Risk Assessment. Photo by Pat Gleich

This resource has been developed as a guide to conducting a health fair. Each health fair will be different based on the needs of the congregation/community, supporting agencies and financial and volunteer resources. While this may seem a complicated process, you may find reading through the suggestions helpful as you gear your health fair toward the particular needs of your congregation.

The church has been active in promoting spiritual, mental and physical health for centuries. When we speak of "holistic healing" involving the mind, body and spirit; who better than the church can seek to integrate all these dimensions through a health ministry.

Congregations should be actively involved in issues of health. A health fair is an ideal event for this purpose. It can be set up in such a way that it will be both entertaining and educational to help people become more aware of their own health issues and therefore promote a better quality of life. If you have health care professionals in your congregation, it is advisable to solicit their assistance in this type of project.

Each of the steps in this process is important as you work for a successful and organized event. As you begin to work with your committee you may want to make a copy of the steps of this process for each member. This guide encourages using a "step" system including:

• Discernment
• Assessment
• Planning
• Implementation
• Evaluation and follow-up
• Legal issues concerning screenings
• Sample release form
• Committee / sub-committee suggested duties and responsibility areas
• Resources