International media evangelism ministry It Is Written has partnered with AdventHealth, a faith-based, nonprofit health system, to develop study guides for groups interested in learning about health from a biblical perspective.
“Healthcare is an important ministry of the Adventist Church,” said Ted Hamilton, AdventHealth’s senior vice president and chief mission integration officer. “AdventHealth has the expertise and credibility, and therefore an important calling to collaborate with the church so that together we can make a bigger impact in the delivery of wholeness.”
The CREATION Life Study Guides incorporate AdventHealth’s whole-person health philosophy in a welcoming and easy-to-remember approach based on the CREATION Life framework. The “CREATION” acronym stands for Choice, Rest, Environment, Activity, Trust in God, Interpersonal Relationships, Outlook and Nutrition.
“Many people simply have no idea that the Bible has a lot to say about good health. The way the CREATION Life Study Guides are written and designed provide a wonderful opportunity for sharing faith in a very positive way,” said Pastor John Bradshaw, speaker/director of It Is Written. “The guides draw on the excellence and expertise of AdventHealth, a trusted name in healthcare that commands respect.”
AdventHealth has developed an array of whole-person health materials over the years that have been used by a variety of institutions, congregations and ministries. When AdventHealth got the call for this opportunity, the health system gave It Is Written permission to use its existing CREATION Health Bible Program as the foundation for the new studies. CREATION Health is the former name of the CREATION Life framework, and as materials are rebranded, churches and communities can expect to receive new resources this year.
“I learned about the study guides at an AdventHealth Executive Board meeting,” said Ron Carlson, president of the Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. “I was deeply impressed with them and ordered enough sets to share with all our pastors at our January meeting. They will be placing an order through us soon in order to put them to use in various ways.”
Pastors and ministry leaders expect the guides to be an effective tool for witnessing in a more accessible way. “People care deeply about health and wellness, and the Bible seamlessly dovetails with these subjects,” Bradshaw said. “It’s a gentle yet extremely effective way to build bridges, to offer real, practical help, and to win the confidence of people. The CREATION Life study guides do that. We’re going to see God do great things through this resource.”
The CREATION Life Study Guides are available now at itiswritten.com and in the future through the It Is Written Bible study app. AdventHealth plans to make them available to team members in 2021.
Ingrid Hernández, AdventHealth
