This encouraging email came in today regarding nursing home ministry. Many folks have a desire to reach out to those who cannot get out to church or other community events, yet often we hear that folks don't know where to start or whether this type of ministry would be profitable. Below read the experiences of the Hughes family in Rockland, Maine. The Hughes family attend Lakeview Presbyterian Church in Rockland, Maine. The Knox Center, mentioned within, is a long term care facility in Rockland.
We hope this in depth look at the details of nursing home ministry, complete with tips of some things to be sure to do and other things to avoid, is welcome here at Equipped Ambassadors. We are so thankful for many others like the Hughes family, who labor in the name of Christ.
If you have an equipping and encouraging story about the proclamation of the Gospel and related ministry, feel free to send us a description or story and we may feature it here on the blog. The body of Christ is made up of such diverse people with various talents, gifts, and abilities, yet one united body given to the glorification of our blessed Savior. What a privilege it is to serve alongside other saints for the glory of God.
EAC
Good morning!
In regard to your query today about nursing home ministry...Our family has been involved with a monthly outreach at the Knox Center for the past 13 years. We took up the charge at the request of our Session at Lakeview OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church), having had a natural connection with the Knox from the time that my dad was a resident there. On the first Sunday of every month, we lead an afternoon worship service which includes the reading of scripture, prayer, a brief Gospel devotional message, and the singing of hymns. John leads the service and Sean and I help out with the musical side of things. Another church deacon regularly comes with us to assist.
We have found that these residents are longing for spiritual food and for reminders of the grace and encouragement for their souls that is found only in Jesus Christ. John leads them in a chronological study of one book of the Bible, always pointing them to the gospel, encouraging them to embrace Jesus Christ, or reminding them of the hope that they have in Him. Right now we're starting in the gospel of Mark, having just finished the gospel of John, a study that took at least two years for us to complete.
We minister to residents at all levels of care, including the dementia patients. It always amazes us that those who have lost their short-term cognitive abilities still hold onto the familiar hymns and scripture passages that they learned in their youth, quoting John 14 or Psalm 23 with us from memory, or remembering ALL of the verses to all of the hymns! Even when natural mental capacity is failing, God's Spirit continues to minister to their souls through the truth of His incomparable and changeless Word.
Because we are there every month, we have come to know many of the residents by name, and a little bit about their lives. For anyone involved in nursing home ministry, I would say that this consistency is very important. If I had my "druthers", I would want to have a "Knox Team" of perhaps half a dozen church members to lead the service every month, so that the residents see the same faces and we can build relationships with them even more effectively than we do now. Many of these residents are at the Knox for several years, and we always feel as though we have lost a friend when one of them passes. There have been several occasions when we have sent our condolences to surviving family members, because we have such sweet memories of our time with their mum or dad, around the Word of God.
It is important to touch the residents, to hold their hands and pray with them, to get down on "wheelchair level" so that you can look them in the eye. Staying for a few minutes after the service to work on a jigsaw puzzle together or ask about their children and grandchildren can open up more opportunities to share the love of Christ with them. Having our whole family involved in the ministry has been important, too, as the residents have been able to watch Sean grow up before their eyes. It gives them a connection with an intact family, something that they lost when they moved into the facility.
While not every resident attends each service, we have a core of "regulars" who look forward to our coming, and sometimes we have visiting family members join us for the service as well. Since our service is on Sunday, the Knox is often functioning on a short weekend staff, and it takes extra planning and motivation for the CNAs to get their residents fed, toileted and ready for the service at 2:00 p.m. Therefore, I always try to remember to thank the staff before we leave, knowing that their involvement can either make or break the success of our ministry. They hear what goes on in our services, and they know that we're there in the name of Christ, so a word of encouragement to the staff can speak volumes as to the validity of our Gospel witness.
Our church also has an ongoing ministry at Bartlett Woods one Sunday afternoon every month. The physical needs of the residents there are not as acute, but the spiritual hunger is still very evident. Our pastor leads that service, helped by his family and several other church members. That outreach began because one of our own members was a resident there and was finding it difficult to get out to services at our church. She passed away about five years ago, but the outreach has continued on.
Sorry my message is so lengthy. I hope that there is some information here which you'll find helpful. We love our friends at the Knox and pray that God will continue to bring eternal fruit from the seeds that have been planted there.
Have a blessed day,
Pam
Pam
