Monday, November 24, 2014

Run For God

For this week's blog, I want to share with you an article written by Connie Risch, one of our members and a participant in the Run For God ministry here at Epiphany.

Run for God, a Couch to 5K journey

On November 9th, at 1:00 pm, 7 Epiphany disciples met in the Far Hills parking lot wearing our Run for God shirts.  Destination, the VA for a 5K (well, technically it was only 3 miles) run.  The weather was fabulous; especially considering it was early November.  We were so blessed to be among friends as our 12 week journey was on its final leg.

12 weeks prior, our group of 10 began meeting at the Austin Campus.  The weather was hot and the road from couch potato to 5K seemed like a long and impossible journey, especially since some of us had a “severe allergy” to exercise.  Throughout the 12 week course we inspired each other in so many different ways.

The first part of a Run for God program is the Bible study.  As a leader, I felt that I was not properly equipped to do this job.  The best part is that I didn’t need to have all the answers.  We explored the lessons together and learned from each other.  There was a bible verse to explore before each of the workouts each week which gave us more time to reflect on our relationship with the Lord.

The second part of a Run for God program is the runner’s education.  We were blessed to have two fabulous mentors in our group.  The shared their vast knowledge with us each week.  Topics included proper gear, injury prevention, proper nutrition, and runner’s educate.  They were also our running coaches because…

The final part of a Run for God program is the running.  The program starts out slow with the first weeks workout consisting of running 1 minute at a time (a feet I thought was going to kill me).  As we progressed the workouts pushed us to new depths with the final goal being the 5K.  Our mentors were there to keep us on track during that first run of the week, and be our cheerleaders.  Believe it or not, they were beginners themselves too.

The best part of a Run for God program is the friendships built, the accountability to do better, and the encouragement to step outside your comfort zone.  It’s hard to spend 12 weeks with a group of people without getting to know them.  We were able to hold each other accountable for our goals, both spiritual and physical.  Although I was not able to run the entire 5K, I still received encouragement for every step forward I was able to make.

This is our 2nd Run for God session and I am learning and improving each time.  I look forward to our next session and hope you will consider joining us.  No matter where you are in your spiritual and physical journey, you will find this to be a very rewarding program.


I must mention that there were 10 people in our group.  1 was unable to run because of an injury, and 2 members did their 5K on November 8th.  I am proud of each and every one of us!

from left to right:
Julie Thomas, Angie Day, Caroline Kennebeck, Zach Auman (front), 
Connie Risch, John Deitrich (back), Kathy Whited 

Thank you, Connie, for sharing!

Peace,
Pastor Charlie




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