For the second consecutive year, Health Summit West has been held at Gladstone Park Conference Center, Gladstone, Ore. Sponsored by the North American Division (NAD) health ministries department, the summit’s purpose is “to prepare our church members to do ministry in their community, church, and in their home,” says David White, coordinator of the event.

Begun four years ago, Health Summit originally took place only in Florida. In 2004, the NAD experimented by adding a Health Summit on the West Coast. And plans are underway to establish Health Summit North in Canada during the summer of 2006.

Attendance at the Gladstone event was fairly low the first year, but this year the original attendance more than quadrupled as more than 400 registered. Factors for increased attendance, according to White, include consistent location, Neil Nedley, M.D.’s workshop, more word-of-mouth recommendations, and better marketing efforts.

Nedley presented his popular depression recovery program to more than 150 listeners. In addition, seminars covering topics such as fitness, whole foods cooking, financial health, and grief recovery were also available. And this year a class focusing on diabetes and obesity was offered in Spanish.

“I believe that a well-trained health professional can use his or her skills to relieve suffering and reach the unreached,” says DeWitt Williams, M.D., North American Division health ministries director. “The health message is the entering wedge that breaks down prejudice and prepares the soil for the seeds of truth.”