17 February 2022 | Maruševec, Croatia [Marjanca Hari with tedNEWS]
Over sixty health professionals and lay leaders from across the Adriatic Union Conference (AUC) attended a workshop on Lifestyle Coaching from 4 to 6 February 2022. The 15-hour training, held at the Adventist Secondary School in Maruševec, Croatia, aimed at empowering health promoters to share lifestyle golden nuggets at work and in their daily lives.
Dr Katia Garcia Reinert, Health Ministries associate director at General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, delivered the workshop. “I was deeply inspired by the enthusiasm of the leaders who attended the workshop,” commented Reinert. “Their plans to incorporate coaching skills in their ministry and outreach were fresh and innovative. I have no doubt God will use their newly gained skills to share hope and healing across the AUC, especially among those struggling to make lasting behavioural changes in their lives.”
The attendees learnt Bible-based lifestyle principles and discovered four gifts that mirror God’s concern for humanity and empower individuals to make positive lifestyle changes: the gift of perspective, the gift of presence, the gift of clarity, and the gift of support.
Participants had the opportunity to engage in open discussions to explore how to apply the knowledge acquired during the training to their daily routines. “The workshop was a great opportunity to come together after two years of restrictions and enjoy the professional and thought-provoking lectures presented by Dr Reinert,” said Marjanca Hari, AUC Health Ministry director. “Reinert encouraged everybody to reflectively consider how to respond to these difficult and challenging times… attendees were extremely happy to learn how to become greater blessings in their communities.”
