Online Trainings in the FAN Program will be Available in 2020 to Churches Across the United States!

Future FAN Trainings Online


We are creating an online training of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) program for
church committees. The online training will include 8 self-paced weekly lessons. The lessons are designed to train Pastors, church leaders, and volunteers how to put the FAN Program into place in their church.

FAN online trainings will begin in the Fall of 2020. If you are interested in the FAN online training, please fill out an interest form: FAN Online Training Interest Form.

What is FAN?

The Fairfield Community Coordinating Council and the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) partnered with the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina Columbia to offer "Faith, Activity, and Nutrition," or FAN. Community health advisors have trained churches across the state since 2016 to help them put FAN into place in their congregations.

FAN is a faith-based program that works to create a healthy church environment. FAN is not an exercise program or a cooking class. Instead, FAN helps churches create a healthy church environment for physical activity and healthy eating by training church committees to:

  • Increase opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating in the church setting (tasty, healthy meals & snacks for church events)
  • Create healthy church guidelines (policies)
  • Keep the Pastor engaged and excited about FAN goals, and support the Pastor’s health
  • Get health messages out to church members through familiar church channels (bulletin inserts, announcements, messages in worship service)

This approach allows churches to reach all members of their congregation, and churches might even choose to put some activities in place that can help their larger communities grow in health. It is highly complementary to the UMC’s new Global Ministries initiative, Abundant Health.

Church Spotlights

Over the past three years we have spotlighted 37 churches to showcase the FANtastic work churches are doing in putting the FAN program into place. For these spotlights, USC PRC staff interview the FAN Coordinator and then write a one-page story of their current activities. We hope you enjoy reading about the successes that these churches have had!

  1. White Oak Baptist Church
  2. St John Baptist Church
  3. Bible Light Holiness Church
  4. Mt Moriah Baptist Church
  5. Spiritual Way
  6. Bethel UMC
  7. River of Life
  8. New Hope AME Church
  9. Rock Hill Baptist Church
  10. Brown Chapel Baptist Church
  11. First United Methodist Church
  12. New Life Worship Center-Church of God on Prophecy
  13. St. Mark Baptist
  14. Zion Hopewell Baptist Church
  15. St Luke Baptist Church
  16. Little River Presbyterian
  17. Gordon Memorial

  1. First UMC - Columbia District
  2. Murray - Charleston District
  3. Trinity – Bennettsville
  4. St. Paul – Kingstree
  5. St. John – Rock Hill
  6. Grace UMC – Greenville District
  7. Wesley Chapel UMC – Hartsville District
  8. North Orangeburg UMC-Orangeburg District
  9. Cheraw Charge – Hartsville District
  10. St. John’s (Batesburg) – Greenwood District
  11. Mt. Hebron UMC – Columbia District
  12. Urban Mission – Spartanburg District
  13. St. John’s (Anderson) – Anderson District
  14. Canaan (Ridgeville) - Walterboro District
  15. Surfside - Marion District
  16. St. Andrew's Parish - Charleston District
  17. Philadelphia - Rock Hill District
  18. Wesley - Columbia District
  19. St. Mark - Walterboro District
  20. Asbury/Shiloh - Florence District

Have questions?

We are happy to answer your questions about FAN and future opportunities. Please contact Jessica Stucker, FAN Project Coordinator, by email (jstucker@mailbox.sc.edu) or phone (803-576-5992).

May you “prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” 
III John 1:2 (NKJV)