Combining spiritual health and physical health is a beautiful thing. That was the message gospel artist Brian Courtney Wilson delivered Saturday to an overflow crowd at the Yolanda Adams Health and Wellness Tour.

Wilson, who performed some of his hits including “All I Need,” “Already Here,” and “Just Love,” said spiritual health and physical health should go hand in hand.

“When you’re in the gospel community, you talk about spiritual health a lot, and sometimes we forsake our physical health in that regard, but to combine the two is something God wants to see happen,” he said.

A first-time member on the annual tour, Wilson joked about having to cut back on one of the foods he loves -- chicken wings. He said he stays in shape, in part, by playing basketball a couple of times a week.

The purpose of the tour is to inspire communities – especially African American communities – to adopt healthier lifestyles. This year’s event was held at the Bette Rae Recreation Center in west Charlotte.

The tour is sponsored by Lowe’s Companies Inc. and the Novartis pharmaceutical company. In addition to live gospel performances, attendees were treated to free health screenings for cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, HIV, blood pressure and more.

Wilson likened the event to a church gathering.

“People come in, they want to hear the truth,” he said. “And the truth should convict them to make better choices for their lives. Hopefully, when people come into a tour like this and see the ways that they can improve health and wellness in their own life, hopefully they will make better decisions.”

The Yolanda Adams tour is in its second year. Adams, whose nationally syndicated radio gospel show is broadcast on Praise 100.9, also has written a book, “Points of Power.”

For some who attended the event, the message of healthier living stuck a personal note: “I think besides being a Christian, it’s important to be healthy because you want to live longer for your family,” said a woman who gave the first name Stacy. “My dad died at a young age of lung cancer, and I feel he could have taken better care of himself.”

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