By Martha Deller

mdeller@star-telegram.com

KELLER -- On Feb. 25, Northwood Church in Keller will have a community-wide event that will feature health screenings and a presentation by Phil and Amy Parham, authors of the "90-Day Fitness Challenge."

The event is a culmination in the church's "Losing It" series. For the month of February, Northwood's Sunday services have featured contestants from "The Biggest Loser" talking about the connection between physical and spiritual health. But perhaps of most interest to the congregation will be the results of a four-week weight loss challenge between two teams of its members, including the senior pastor Bob Roberts.The genesis of the event was a Bible study-fitness class at the church taught by personal trainer Laurie Graves, a Northwood member.Roberts said he wanted to spread the message to the community, many of whom also are battling weight issues."It's not just a matter of being overweight," he said. "It's what it does to self image, your health. And it translates to other things, even to a skinny person. What do you have in your life that's creating defeat?"Graves said the pastor took the program up another notch when he offered to weigh himself during worship services.Graves and Josh Fender, another personal trainer, formed two teams of church members to compete for the biggest percentage weight loss for the team as a whole. Each Sunday during the competition, team members are weighing in. Fender is training four men, including the pastor. Graves is training two couples.Graves has spent much of her life in fitness and weight loss after overcoming her own weight issues.In her teens, Graves said she battled anorexia and bulimia before heading in the opposite direction and putting on pounds.By the time her second child was born eight years ago, Graves was 90 pounds overweight and feared that she'd pass the family's predisposition to her 7-year-old and newborn daughters.With the help of two personal trainers, she lost the weight. Three years ago, Graves' became a nationally certified personal trainer and began helping others develop healthier lives. .Two of her clients ended up competing in the "The Biggest Loser" television reality show.Graves incorporated a spiritual element into her programs, teaching a two-hour class at Northwood Church that included both Bible study and fitness.Last week, Graves took Jodi and Kurt Pafford and Dawn and Brad Zieger through a one-hour workout using a stretch strap, boxing gloves, 20-pound rope swings and small weights to tone muscles in every imaginable part of their bodies.Even working out in Graves' open garage, the couples were sweating through their black workout pants and T-shirts emblazoned "Team Graves-- Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself-- Hebrews 12:1."But it was only their second workout night and both couples, in their 30s with 5-year-old children, were excited about the chance to lose the weight they hadn't managed to do on their own.Kurt Pafford, said that, at 5-feet-8 inches tall, he has battled to control his weight most of his life. He said he is now 90 pounds overweight and would like to put a dent on that before he accompanies his church on a mission trip to Vietnam next month.His wife, Jodi, has even farther to go. At 316 pounds she said she never shared her weight with anyone, until she stepped on the scale in church Feb 5 Feand posted it on her blog, jodisjourneytoobedience.blogspot.com, where she is sharing her experience with a much larger audience."It's freeing not to be held down by trying to hide a number," she said. "I want people to have the freedom I have. It's held me down so long."Brad and Dawn Zieger said they knew they needed to get in shape but couldn't manage to do it while they were going to college and working full time while raising their son. When they graduated from University of Texas at Arlington in December, they decided the time was right.The church challenge also has been good for their relationship, they said."It's joined us in a common mission," Brad said.Staff writer Sandra Engelland contributed to this report.Martha Deller, 817-431-2231

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Northwood Church members work at weight loss challenge