Resurrection Life Church will host a Community Fitness Faith event June 21st and 22nd at the church, located at 9127 44 1/2 Road in Cadillac.
Revelation Wellness, a non-profit ministry that travels around the country to help people find joy and freedom in their body, mind and soul, hosts events that combine worship and Bible study with “cutting edge” fitness for all levels.
Seven years ago, Laura Ebels Bennett of McBain discovered the program online and attended her first live “Rev on the Road” event in Grand Rapids in 2019. She became a certified instructor in 2020 and has been working to bring a touring team to Cadillac ever since.
“They bring teams from all over the country together and put on an amazing event,” she said. “They want people to have a good time, they want people to move their bodies and connect with their minds and hearts. It’s very liberating.”
Tickets are $45. For more information and to register, visit www.revelationwellness.org/rotr
The wife, mother and business owner calls it a “game changer.”
“This activity changes people from the inside out,” Bennett said. “We all know what the world is about when it comes to health and fitness, but for me personally, the mind, body and soul connection, and faith, is a game changer!”
Now she’s helping plan and promote the June event, which she and her husband, Rich Bennett, will host at Resurrection Life Church.
“I want people in the community to have this experience,” she says. “It’s very liberating. I’ve always been very into sports, but I’ve struggled with body image since I was a little girl. I looked back and wondered why. It continued through middle school and into adulthood when I had kids.”
She first got involved in the ministry through an online 21-day fitness challenge that included a faith portion where she asked herself what was on her heart.
“It was the first time I’d ever experienced the intersection of faith and fitness,” she said. “You train your body before you train your faith. They were always separate. So I was doing everything physically, but my heart was hurting. I was strong and I felt good in my body, but when I looked in the mirror, I felt ugly and damaged. Worthless. Something was wrong.”
Laura found the answer in a program that combined fitness and faith.
“I remember laughing while working out one morning and having so much fun,” she recalled. “I felt filled with joy. Other programs made me feel angry. I was punishing myself. It was so hard. Rev Wellness gave me a new perspective.”
Laura and her husband, Rich Bennett, have four children and are active in schools, the community and the family business, Ebels General Store. Rich is in charge of human resources for about 275 employees. And Laura is taking over the clothing department, a legacy of her grandmother Bernice Ebels. After Bernice passed away in 2017, Laura, who has a degree in social work, took over. Since then, the clothing store has grown to occupy the entire basement of Ebels General Store and includes a coffee bar. A second clothing store is scheduled to open in Reed City in 2022.
