When members of the Pasadena Church of God in Pasadena, California, gather for a prayer meeting, there are no doughnuts or danishes to be found on the refreshment table. When children in the church's Sunday school learn a Bible verse, they no longer get a piece of candy as a reward.

Instead, the church serves up health-conscious fare like fruits and vegetables, granola bars and juice.

The change is part of the Body & Soul program, an American Cancer Society initiative that enlists African-American churches in the quest for cancer prevention through better nutrition. The program helps congregations develop strategies that encourage members to eat more fruits and vegetables and generally adopt a healthier lifestyle.

"Church is so vital in the African-American community," says Glovioelle Rowland, PhD, the church's assistant pastor. "We deal with education and civil rights, now we're dealing with the body and nutritional health."

Rowland's church was one of the first to participate in Body & Soul when it was launched as a pilot program three years ago. The congregation of 250 had seen many premature deaths from diseases linked to an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle, she says. Church leaders also were aware of statistics showing that African-Americans have higher rates of cancer incidence and death than other racial or ethnic groups.

Recent American Cancer Society estimates found that death rates from cancer are almost 30% higher in African-Americans than in non-Hispanic whites. African-Americans are also more likely than whites to be diagnosed with cancer that has advanced, making it more difficult to treat. African-Americans also have higher rates of heart disease and diabetes, two other conditions that can be influenced by diet and exercise.

"Our church had already seen the connection between the health of our body and spiritual health," Rowland says. "We wanted to commit to our health in the same way we committed to our faith."

Participating in Body & Soul does take a strong commitment from church leaders and parishioners, says Mae Ng, cancer control manager in the American Cancer Society's California Division. The church must agree to sponsor at least three church-wide activities that promote better nutrition, implement some kind of policy change to further the program's goals, and enlist the help of the pastor in promoting the program.

Each church selects a planning committee responsible for organizing events. "The planning committee can vary what they do depending on the resources of the church," Ng says.

So a church with a chef in the congregation might offer a cooking class that focuses on getting more fruits and vegetables into each meal. Another congregation might decide to replace the soft drinks in their vending machines with bottled water or juices. Some churches have included physical fitness in their programs, forming walking clubs and gospel aerobics classes.

"It depends on the church itself and what they feel their congregation is interested in," Ng says.

Rowland says Body & Soul has brought significant benefits to her church. Some members lost weight or improved their physical mobility. Awareness about good nutrition and healthy lifestyles has also increased.

"There began to be a buzz in the congregation and people began to feel comfortable talking about their health issues," Rowland recalls.

That newfound confidence has opened the door to other important cancer prevention and early detection programs. Rowland's church now helps sponsor prostate cancer screenings for low-income men in the community, and participates in Tell a Friend, an ACS program to promote mammograms, and Relay for Life, an annual celebration of cancer survivors and ACS fundraising event.

Rowland's church has brought other area churches into the Body & Soul program, too.

"We're making a transformation," she says. "Our goal was to model what it means to be a health-conscious church and engage in healthy lifestyles. At every level of our church we promote healthy eating."