Alive and Active is a team-building physical event with a unique emphasis on discipleship, movement and life skills. On Sunday, Oct. 9, members of the Bellevue Church participated in their first Alive and Active event, linking exercise, spiritual growth and daily living.
Adaptable to all ages and fitness levels, the program began with introducing the concept and then participating in a brief warm-up and calisthenics session. Next they broke into groups and rotated through a series of classes on varying topics, including Scripture memorization, how to fall without getting hurt and basic preventive crisis strategies.
The groups were then given the opportunity to apply their learning via a challenging assignment. The culminating challenge saw groups carrying a collection of lumber up a steep hill with unexpected handicaps, as well as added challenges and life lessons shared along the way. Once at the top, they were reminded of the importance of working together, maintaining memorials of God’s work in their lives and keeping a constant line of communication with God.
The response of the event’s finishers was overwhelmingly positive, as the participants reveled in the sense of accomplishment and overcoming they all experienced. Founder and director Richard Hammen says, “The best way to move is through learning, and the best way to learn is through movement. People are better able to learn when they are actively exerting their physical capacities in the process. In the same manner, they are more motivated to exercise when they are simultaneously learning. This is especially true when the learning involves matters of infinite value.” Alive and Active hopes to continue to grow in scope and impact with future events in the works.
