Hair, Health, and the Value of Community

Ephesians 4 lays out the purpose of spiritual leadership, including these 2 verses, 15 & 16:
15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

That's a powerful passage that communicates the heart of God - He desires to see the body of Christ, the church of which He, Jesus, is the head, growing together to better reflect His love.  We are called into community with our fellow believers, and we can recognize the giftedness in others, the potential that all of us have to be used of God.  And, He builds us up in His love - when one member of the body is down, we can pick that person up and encourage him or her in the Lord.  We recognize that we are not alone, that we have each other, and as Christ's love flows, we can be strengthened in our walk with Him.

+++++

In Hebrews 10, we see a passage that can illustrate for us the value of worship and works in partnership with one another as Christian believers:
23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.24And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

It's a hairy proposition - literally!

Across the world and even in your local church, men are beginning to change their appearance during this month - call it a ritual of preparing for winter, or perhaps sprouting facial hair for one of two charitable efforts, but moustaches and beards will become more apparent for the next few weeks.

Welcome to Movember - it's a global effort that calls attention to men's health issues, including prostate cancer.  From 30 Mo Bros in Australia in 2003 to over 4 million last year, this effort has raised an estimated $559 million, according to the U.S. Movember website.  The overall event is sponsored by the Movember Foundation.

And, there's another effort to encourage the lack of shaving during this month - it's called, plainly enough, No Shave November, which began in 2009 and now partners with the American Cancer Society.

In the United Kingdom, churches are joining the Movember challenge.  The Evangelical Alliance website has a story, which reports that last year, churches raised £30,000 (that's over $47,000 in USD) for the Holy Mo Challenge and it states that, "it's hoped even more follicly spectacular displays will be seen in pulpits, congregations and parishes this year."

Last year, the Mary's Hairies team from St Mary's Anglican Church, Nantwich, won the prestigious title of raising the most sponsorship during the month.

John Marshall of Carrickfergus Vineyard Church, Northern Ireland, received support during his treatment for cancer from charities funded by Movember and so joined his own Holy Mo team in last year.  He said, "I am so thankful for the support I received during my cancer treatment and recovery and for the awareness that Movember and the Holy Mo Challenge bring to a disease which is often not spoken about."

He added, "The opportunity to talk openly about it in our churches and wider communities can help to transform and save other lives just like mine."

Laura Mair, head of corporate engagement at Movember says: "It was an incredible achievement to generate such support and finance in the first year of a new Challenge and we're excited to see even more impressive clerical follicles this year."

So, is there a spiritual take-away or two?  But, of course.  For one thing, I was inspired by the churches who are taking this challenge and using it as a catalyst to call attention to men's health issues.  The church, the body of Christ, can be a powerful voice regarding health, in general, and if we're speaking about the importance of taking care of our bodies, which are created by God and described as the temple of the Holy Spirit, that can be a good thing - and it doesn't hurt to have a little fun along the way!

These efforts - Movember and No Shave November - are conversation starters that result in tangible actions.  I recall several conversations at church yesterday about an increase of facial hair that I had observed.  The growth on my upper lip had not begun to be revealed very much, but by the end of this week, I would imagine that my facial appearance will have been slightly altered.  We can be sensitized to look for ways in which we can engage others in a meaningful cause.  These are great examples.

And, finally, we can be reminded that we can accomplish great things when we partner together. The challenge in the U.K. is drawing in church groups in a consolidated and a friendly, competitive effort.  We can accomplish great tasks in partnership with one another and the Holy Spirit.