In a spiritual and physical rut and want to get moving again after the winter blahs?

A new ministry by Jeff and Kelly Larrimore can help you do just that.

Called “The Run for God,” it’s a 12-week blend of Bible study, prayer and exercise capped by a fundraising 5K race around Triad Baptist’s campus to benefit missions.

Don’t let the name mislead you, Jeff says. This is a program for beginning runners or walkers, too. Beginning Thursday, March 26, participants will meet at 7 p.m. each Thursday for 15 minutes of devotions and 30 minutes of walking or running.

The sessions will continue through June 11, with the race on June 20, which will be open to the community. Entry fees will go to support missions.

To sign up, or for more information, email tbcrunforgod@gmail.com or call the Larrimores at 336-407-7842.

“There will be people of all ages and fitness levels, but the important thing is to go at a pace that you feel comfortable with,” Jeff says. “For some people it may be a Walk for God. The important thing is to encourage people to go to the highest level they can.

“Everyone is so busy these days, and the first things we seem to skip is our time with God and time to take care of our health,” Kelly adds. “You have to purposely spend time with God and set a time to exercise or it just won’t happen. Our goal is that everyone involved in the program will make Bible study and exercise a priority in their lives.

“By adding these two disciplines to your daily routine, we feel confident that you’ll grow stronger in your walk with God and will improve your overall spiritual and physical health.”

Jeff and Kelly now regularly run together and have their own exercise routines but it wasn’t always that way.

It took encouragement from co-workers at Wake Forest University where she works as an office manager and program administrator for Kelly to start running in 2010.

“I always admired people who were dedicated and exercised regularly, and wanted to add it to my own life so I started off slow and began running around my neighborhood and as I grew stronger, I added more distance,” she says, noting that she now sleeps better, eats heathlier, feels stronger, and better manages stress.

A ministry is born

The couple got the idea to bring the Run for God concept to Triad after Kelly won a contest on WBFJ-FM to participate in another church’s Run for God 5K in Clemmons.

“River Oaks Community Church began their Run for God program four years ago, and it has grown by leaps and bounds, so we decided it might be something we’d like to bring to Triad,” says Jeff, who works as a controller for a plastics company. “Kelly and I run regularly and wanted to share this passion with others as a ministry through the church.”

There are several Run for God efforts across the nation. All are offshoots of the ministry created by Mitchell Hollis of Varnell, Georgia, whose run in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta in 2007 marked a turning point in his own spiritual life and health.

Hollis’s successful finish in the race sparked the Run for God ministry in 2010 and the stick figure runner, logo and T-shirt that made it easy for him to share his faith simply by answering questions about his T-shirt when people saw him run.

“The Run for God Program is a way to reach out to the members and community to spread the Gospel first,” Jeff explains, “but also to challenge people to set spiritual and physical goals as we relate the discipline it takes to grow spiritually to the challenge it takes to run and exercise regularly.”

The Run for God ministry is open to anyone.

While there are no fees, participants are encouraged to add two additional workouts during the week to stay on track with the program, whether it’s walking or running at a park, neighborhood or fitness center, or gym.

As with any exercise program, Jeff says participants should check first with their doctors if they have any concerns before beginning the Run for God program.

The Larrimores are excited to see what God will do with the ministry, and have already seen the impact on their own lives.

“We both have a set time of devotion and prayer each day,” Jeff says. “Kelly does it in the mornings when she first wakes up, and I do it during my lunch hour. I spend my running time praying as it helps pass the time and gives me a time alone with God. I work out in the mornings at a local gym before work by running, cycling in a spin class, and doing strength training.

“We both are volunteers in the Life Support Counseling Ministry and believe we’ll bring that same spirit of encouraging and lifting up others to this ministry too,” Jeff says. “That’s so important because you need encouragement to start and keep at it, which is the biggest challenge anyone faces trying to make a change when life is already so hectic.

“It’s our desire is to offer support and encouragement to others on their journey to better health.”