Religion & Culture | Antibiotics: pearls and perils - Church group offers free health talks

The Church of the Ascension in Mona Heights, St Andrew, will focus on the dangers of abusing antibiotics during its 'Fifth Wednesday Health Talks', this week.

Dr Alison Nicholson is scheduled to address the dangers surrounding the abuse of antibiotics, with Dr Audrie McNab slated to speak about antibiotic resistance and animals.

The Wednesday Talk is part of the health and wellness mission spearheaded by Dr Angela Scott, a member of the church, which has celebrated 50 years of existence with a medical clinic open on four Wednesdays each month.

The clinic is free to the public and is staffed by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and administrators providing voluntary service.

According to the church, the clinic and its overall mission are in synchrony with the Worldwide Anglican Communion and its thrust towards more practical application of Jesus Christ's principles of life and living.

In 1984, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) declared four Marks of Mission, reflecting Jesus's life and work.

By 1990, with increasing appreciation of the need for environmental protection and conservation of the earth's resources, the fifth Mark was added by the ACC.

The five Marks of Mission:

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.

2. To teach, baptise, and nurture new believers.

3. To respond to human need by loving service.

4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society.

5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

"We are working to realise the third Mark of Mission," said the church in a release.

"This addresses how we should respond to human need by loving service. This should be "manifested through the specific and relevant actions of loving collective and /or individual mission, and ministry of empowering service in response to human needs in the wider community towards dignified, self-sustaining living."