Home : The Voice : April 2002  

Louisville's Second Presbyterian
Promotes Health Ministries

Second Church member Marjorie Perrin, at right, asked a young girl at the Presbyterian Community Center Health Fair if she would like to be a nurse when she grew up. "No," the girl replied, "I want to be a singer." But there was plenty to interest her at the Health Fair on March 16, including a dental clinic, popcorn, lunch and balloons. For her grown-up and teenage friends, there were a variety of booths with information about making homes safe from lead poisoning, getting house calls from health practitioners, avoiding sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy. Health care agencies and the University of Louisville partnered with Second Presbyterian Church to make the Health Fair possible.

This was not the first time that Second Church and the Presbyterian Community Center and the University of Louisville had worked together in health ministry efforts. Although everybody seems to give somebody else credit for this partnership, it appears that Marjorie Perrin is a prime catalyst since she is a member of Second Church, has had a distinguished medical career at the University of Louisville, and is a board member of Presbyterian Community Center.

Second Church has offered financial and volunteer support to this inner-city mission since its beginning. Last year, through the Mission Committee, $19,000 was given to ongoing PCC programs. They also completed the remaining portion of a $150,000 commitment to the $4.5 million capital fund to build a new facility for PCC on South Hancock Street. The Mission Committee at Second Church is also proposing a major financial commitment and a major involvement from the congregation for the next five years in what they are calling PROJECT PCC.

Health Ministry at Second Presbyterian in Louisville involves more than the PCC partnership. The congregation itself has opportunities to get healthier with such health-related services as flu vaccinations, blood pressure checks, blood donor drives, as well as educational programs. An unusual program was offered to the congregation on Wednesday evenings in February and March when Dr. Alice Cash was invited to present her "Tuning Your Life" program, which uses music for health and wellness. Dr. Cash said that music is a non-invasive tool that everyone can learn to use to help to energize, relax and heal themselves. The programs at Second were divided into segments covering different ages, stages and medical conditions.

Bill Lytch and Koos Hagg were highly visible volunteers from Second Church at the PCC Health Fair.

Second Church Pastor Steve Lytch, at right, and Susan McKinley, volunteer coordinator.

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