Calling the Flock To God, Away From the Fridge

Baptists have the highest rates of obesity -- 30 percent, according to a Purdue University study using information from a national survey that gathers data on lifestyle issues. That compares with 17 percent of Catholics and 1 percent or less for non-Christians -- Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

The study's co-author, Purdue sociology professor Kenneth Ferraro, said the reasons for the higher incidence of obesity among Baptists aren't clear. But he speculates that many Baptists' traditional eschewal of alcohol and tobacco might translate into higher food consumption than in other denominations.

Or, as his article says: "Baptists may find food one of the few available sources of earthly pleasure."

For Reynolds, 49, the pastor of Capital Baptist, the study's results ring true. "I can see that," he said. He wonders whether high-fat church suppers among many close-knit Baptist religious communities and the Southern food beloved by many Baptists also contribute to the problem.

Whatever the issue, Reynolds said, "it's not talked about."

He is determined to change that in his church. And he started with himself.

Fourteen months ago, he faced the fact that, after a lifetime of worshiping at the altar of greasy Southern cooking, he was morbidly obese -- 100 pounds overweight -- and diabetic.

"My belly was god," he recalled.

Reynolds said he asked the Lord for help. He answered, Reynolds said, by bringing him to a passage in Matthew 16: "If any man wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

"God just burned that into my heart," Reynolds told worshipers on a recent Sunday in the drawl of his native Lynchburg, Va.

He started denying himself -- forgoing his favorite treats, such as Southern cooking and late-night bowls of ice cream -- and started walking on a treadmill and lifting weights. God responded: After losing 70 pounds, Reynolds hopes to shake off an additional 30.

And he is leading a 22-week blitz to help others achieve a "Bod for God."

The church sent out 25,000 fliers advertising the program to Fairfax County residents and advertised on five local radio stations. Reynolds designed a four-week sermon series and is organizing program participants into groups of 12 (like Jesus's disciples) to meet weekly to support one another.

On the stage at Capital Baptist's auditorium on a recent Sunday, a "Bod4GOD" poster hung over the baptismal pool. As worshipers entered, video screens flashed ads for Christian-themed exercise classes called Body & Soul.

A chef was scheduled to take the stage for a low-fat cooking demonstration yesterday, between the hymns and the sermon.

Among the more than 200 who jammed the church's gym for an introductory luncheon after the worship services earlier this month was Sylviana Nica, 28, a Falls Church office worker. It was her first visit to Capital Baptist, and she came after hearing radio ads for Bod4God. She has struggled for years to lose weight and live healthier and, as a Christian, she said, the religious slant of the program appealed to her.

"I've been praying for this," she said.

Mary Knisley drove 85 miles from her home in Cross Junction, Va., where she works for a missionary organization, to sign up.

"For me, the Bible is in first place in my life," said Knisley, 58, who, like Reynolds, wants to lose 100 pounds. "Because of that, this is a natural thing for me to use the word of God."