Harry Burns, pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Lancaster, S.C., is in the business of saving souls, a job he’s held for the past eight years.

He is also in the business of saving waistlines, one church at a time.
Burns is a health educator for Presbyterian Hospital/Novant Health and conducts free workshops at churches. His territory includes all of Mecklenburg County’s English-speaking congregations.

In this role, Burns addresses emotional, physical and spiritual areas of health care. Additionally, he serves as a board-certified chaplain, and chairs the committee for Volunteer Chaplaincy. In short, he works with churches to educate parishioners on how to change habits and live more wholesome healthy lives.

I recently spoke with Burns on his passion for the work he does and the connection between health and spirituality, among other things. Answers have been edited for brevity.

Q. What can churches do to become healthier in 2011?
In 2011, churches need to know that health care involves more than high blood pressure and that it requires more than having a health fair every two years. The first thing the church must do is get education on a consistent basis. Every month, some health issue must be discussed among the (church) body. Meal preparation must be corrected, with eating the right foods at church functions and at home. Practice makes perfect. We need to stop doing what we traditionally have done for the last 200 years. And a need assessments needs to be done for youth and adult populations. All this is included in the training I do.

Q. Why is the connection between churches and wellness important?
The church is one of the last institutions where people feel safe gathering and sharing information. The  body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We must worship Him in truth and in Spirit. The Lord states that he wishes that we prosper in health, even as our soul prospers. Most persons in the church do not take care of the emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of their lives. We must not just build education wings, but also provide education to the (church) Body and community.

Q. Are there differences between how African-American, Caucasian and Latino congregations approach their health?
There are differences on how many races of people approach health care. Much of it comes from tradition. Some of it comes from lack of knowledge and information. However, I find a lot of the differences have to do with access to care and the affordability of minorities to eat healthy and receive the medical care others receive.

Q. Why are you passionate about health and wellness?
Because this is part of the calling that God has placed in front of me. My mother died of a major stroke, and my father also had a stroke before he died. My brother has had cancer and other health issues. My wife suffers from MS and multiple health issues. I have worked with persons dying form HIV-AIDS for over 20 years. As a chaplain and a pastor, I feel compelled to educate everyone assigned to me.

As our conversation closed, Burns ended with these final thoughts:

“There's no better time than now for people to take advantage of all the benefits coming with healthcare reform. If not now, when? And if not us, who? We all have challenges. However, there is nothing impossible with God.”

Interested in partnering with Burns to conduct free training at your church? Contact him weekdays at 704-384-1238 or via email: hlburns@novanthealth.org. Training typically runs five hours and all training materials are provided free.

In health and wellness.
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Sondra E. Z. Hines is an adjunct professor of health and wellness and is certified to teach group fitness and Zumba. Email: sondraezhines@yahoo.com.

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