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Butler Creek Health Center

Lew Keith

The first time I heard the phrase “medical missionary work” I was puzzled. In my mind it was hard to join the word “medical” with “missionary.” But when at the end of a difficult pregnancy my wife gave birth to a stillborn son, I found great comfort in friends who understood the delicate science of ministering to both body and soul. Through that personal crisis, my wife and I became acquainted with Seventh-day Adventists. Later we joined the church, and for the last two decades we’ve been actively involved in health ministry. This year we joined ASI. It’s a blessing to work with dedicated Christian business professionals to share Christ in the home, the school, the lifestyle center, and the marketplace.

Sixteen years ago we started a home lifestyle center two hours southwest of Nashville. Over the years the ministry has grown into a health center, missionary training school, canvassing program, and farm. The Butler Creek Health Center is a nonprofit corporation following Jesus’ model of medical ministry. As guests adopt a healthy lifestyle, they see evidence that God’s plan works as cholesterol levels drops, blood sugars become normal, and blood pressures normalize. Moreover, they receive the unexpected blessing of peace of mind and spiritual renewal.

Success in any line of health education is the sure result of following principles found in the Bible and true science. Butler Creek is located in the foothills of rural southern Tennessee; the sights and sounds of country living, along with simple remedies, are employed as effective agents in the restoration of health. In this setting, guests quickly see improvement.

Our comprehensive approach to healthful living includes the “practical” side of life: exercising in God’s creation, lectures on nutrition and physiology, hands-on cooking classes, understanding Biblical problem solving, and instruction on hydrotherapy, charcoal, and other natural remedies.