Parish Nursing - 2011 Edition: Stories of Service and Care / Edition 2

by Verna Benner Carson, Harold G Koenig

Overview

The engaging stories in Parish Nursing provide accessible and enjoyable accounts of real parish nurses, both paid and volunteer, who attend to the needs of their congregations in a variety of ways—from home, hospice, and hospital visits to community outreach. This revised edition gathers their stories of hearing and heeding God’s call, of their faith that they are doing the “right thing,” of their joys, sorrows, and challenges, and of their quiet dedication as they offer their time and talents to meet the needs of others.

 

By offering inspiration and encouragement, along with a healthy dose of updated practical advice, this collection will make parish nursing theory come to life. These stories will honor practicing parish nurses, will guide the way for anyone contemplating parish nursing as a career, and will challenge church members and leaders to examine the role that their congregations play in health ministry—especially in meeting the long-term care needs of an aging population.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599473482
Publisher:	Templeton Press
Publication date:	03/15/2011
Edition description:	Second Edition, Revised Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Verna Benner Carson, PhD, is the president of C&V Senior Care Specialists, Inc, a consulting firm that provides clinical training combined with operational and marketing support for two programs she developed: “Becoming an Alzheimer’s Whisperer” and “Road to Wholeness Behavioral Health.” She is also a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric mental health nursing, an associate professor at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she teaches undergraduates the importance of loving the patients that God puts in our care, and the author of eight other books, including Spiritual Caregiving.

Harold G. Koenig, MD, is board certified in general psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and geriatric medicine. He is on the faculty at Duke as professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate professor of medicine. Dr. Koenig is Director of Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health and has published extensively in the fields of mental health, geriatrics, and religion, with over 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and close to 40 books in print or in preparation. He is also a registered nurse.

Read an Excerpt

Parish Nursing

Stories of Service and Care

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By Verna Benner Carson, Harold G. Koenig

Templeton Press

Copyright © 2011 Verna Benner Carson and Harold G. Koenig
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-59947-348-2

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CHAPTER 1

Answering the Call

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Meanwhile, little Samuel was helping the Lord by assisting Eli. Messages from the Lord were very rare in those days, but one night after Eli had gone to bed (he was almost blind with age by now), and Samuel was sleeping in the Temple near the Ark, the Lord called out, "Samuel! Samuel!"

"Yes?" Samuel replied. "What is it?" He jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am. What do you want?" he asked.

"I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go on back to bed." So he did.

Then the Lord called again, "Samuel!" And again Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli.

"Yes?" he asked. "What do you need?"

"No, I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. "Go on back to bed."

Samuel had never had a message from Jehovah before. So now the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli.

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who had spoken to the child. So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if he calls again, say, 'Yes, Lord, I'm listening.' So Samuel went back to bed.

And the Lord came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, I'm listening."

—I Samuel, 3:1–10

Many of us can identify with young Samuel. We hear a voice calling us—a soft, gentle, but persistent voice. We may not immediately recognize the caller. Maybe we are slow to respond. However, there is something very compelling about this voice and over time we may wonder about the caller's message. Like Samuel, we may sense that we just need to listen. There are, however, other times when the caller is asking us to do more than listen—we are called to change—our behavior, our career, our course in life. Responding is sometimes difficult, sometimes not.

Most nurses who become parish or faith community nurses hear this call and make a choice to listen and respond with a resounding "yes" to God's call in their lives. Many walk away from traditional health care, from higher-paying jobs with greater benefits and more clearly defined boundaries. Other nurses continue to straddle two worlds—the world of nursing within a faith community and the world of nursing within the traditional health care system. All are responding to God as Samuel answered: "I am listening."

This chapter recounts the stories of call experienced by newly contacted parish nurses as well as many of those nurses who participated in the first edition of this book. It is the story of how God's call is being heard by nurses beyond the borders of the United States—in distant places, such as Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South Africa. For some nurses, the call is to provide service to an individual faith community; to others, the call is to serve other parish nurses; and to still others, the call has been to organize the ministry to serve a broader community. Each nurse hears and responds to God's call in her/his individual way. Let's listen to the stories of parish nurses, hear their voices, and experience their encounters with God.

The first story of call is an incredibly powerful story as it is told by Shazhad Gill, a parish nurse in Pakistan. His call is nothing less than a series of miraculous occurrences as God breaks through to him with the offer and means to first become a nurse and then a parish nurse. Reading this story will prompt a WOW reaction!

It was June or July of 1997—I do not remember exactly. I had passed my matriculation examination and I was thinking about seeking admission to college. I knew that the tuition was beyond my ability to pay and I was sitting alone in a field, thinking about my future. I came to the conclusion that the best I could do to support my family was to work in a factory. While I was thinking about how I would earn money, I saw a man coming toward me, wearing black pants and a blue shirt; he was tall and young, about twenty-eight to thirty years old. He asked me, "Are you a Christian?" "Yes," I replied. He said, "I heard you passed your matriculation examinations with an A+." I told him that was true. He then asked me, "Do you want to become a nurse?" At that time I was very aware of nursing; many of my female relatives were nurses. At that time, in my culture only women became nurses and at that time, nurses were not held in high esteem. Without a second thought, I answered, "Yes, I would like to become a nurse." This man asked me to take him to my home, which I did. I introduced him to my mother and father and while I went to the market to bring something back for our guest, he spoke with my parents. When I returned, they all seemed so happy. A few weeks later a letter arrived from a Christian missionary hospital in Quetta, advising me that I needed to take a written test and be interviewed. The test and interview took place in the Christian Hospital in Taxilla, near Islamabad, Pakistan. My father and I traveled to this place and I took the examination, along with many other candidates, all of whom were from well-to-do families. My sense was that they were all better educated than I was. I thought that I had no chance of being accepted into the nursing program. A month later I was interacting with my friends in our church compound—it was evening when the postman came and gave me a brown envelope with the name of the Christian Hospital in Quetta. I was so excited—I had been accepted into the nursing program! I immediately rushed into the church to pray and say, "Thank you God!" I then went home to tell my family the wonderful news. They were all so happy—all of our neighbors came to share in our joy! On March 20, 1998, I reached the Mission Hospital in Quetta where many missionaries from the UK and the USA came to teach us. I remained there until September 2001. During those 2½ years, I saw very little of my family; I don't know who paid for my education. No one ever asked me for tuition payments and all my needs were met. Without hesitation I have to say that those days were golden days for me and I am so thankful to God. I have also received training in drug abuse prevention. Currently, I work in a government hospital in Islamabad.

I learned about parish nursing and wanted to become such a nurse. Why? I believe nursing is a profession that deals with human beings in times of suffering. The first male nurse was Adam, who cared for his wife, Eve, when she gave birth to the first baby of the world. My Lord and Leader, Jesus Christ, took a bowl of water and a piece of cloth and washed the feet of His disciples—just the way nurses do during morning care for patients. Today nurses need to care for the church, the body of Christ. I believe that when nurses care for the church they are caring for Jesus Christ. I believe that God's plan is for parish nurses to care for individuals, for the church and for nations. The role of the parish nurse is not to minister to a single community but to heal all nations. I call this the advanced role of parish nurses. Just as hospital nurses care for sick people, parish nurses care for sick nations!

In early April of 2009 I was blessed to attend a course on parish nursing that was sponsored by the Nurses Christian Fellowship of Pakistan. Within a week of taking this course I spoke to three pastors about parish nursing and one of those pastors was very interested. I used everything to convince the pastor—prayer, information I had learned at the course, and a commitment to help improve the health of the congregation. He allowed me to speak to the church management. I was given permission to begin my practice but on one condition—that I supply everything that I need. The church could only give me space. I began by taking blood pressures. On June 4, 2009, the pastor invited me to share a cup of tea and he introduced me to thirty church members as the parish nurse. I was given the opportunity to introduce parish nursing to the congregation. The reception was very good—the congregation liked the idea of having a parish nurse.

I feel such delight to be in this role. I have faith in God and I believe He has called me to serve the church community through my profession. Simply put, I am so happy to be a parish nurse and to be responding to God's call.

Carole Kornelis, a parish nurse in Washington State, participated in the first edition of this book. When asked about her experience of God's call, she said:

My call to parish nursing back in 1997 has not changed. In fact, I feel stronger than ever that parish nursing is essential to church/community ministry. I truly believe in a wholistic approach to wellness and have seen the need to assist church members in identifying their need for God's presence as essential when they request healing and peace. I do my work on a personal spiritual basis. I embrace change and am excited to see health ministry continue to grow in our country, knowing that God's love becomes tangible through the caring hands and hearts of parish nurses and community ministers ... and thus healthier congregations and community members. We need to provide a faith picture of God doing miraculous things! We are called to be obedient to God and to prayer. My prayer is that God meets the deepest needs of healing and wholeness and enables people to experience the abundant life that God promises in scripture.

Michalene King, PhD, RN, the parish nurse coordinator for Wintersville, Ohio, parish families, always knew she wanted to be a nurse. As an adult she also wanted to serve her church community but was unsure how to do this until she heard about parish nursing.

I initially discovered parish nursing at the Urban Mission, an outreach of the Methodist church in Steubenville, Ohio. I went there with my community nursing students and started to volunteer with the parish nurse there. After working for a while, I talked with my pastor, who told me that another nurse was also interested in developing a parish nurse practice in our faith community. I contacted her and we began to develop a plan to start a parish nursing practice. This was the spring of 1997—we did not start the ministry until 1999.

The call of Donna Kremer, MDiv, RN, a Wellstar congregational nurse in Marietta, Georgia, took her from nursing to seminary before focusing on health ministry as a parish nurse.

I have been a nurse (BSN) for over thirty-five years, and have long considered nursing my ministry. In 1994, when my oldest child entered college, I experienced a longing to continue my education. After several months of frustrating inquiries into various graduate specialties—both nursing and non-nursing—a "chance" encounter with a motivational speaker led me to pursue seminary. I say "chance" because I now recognize the fingerprints of God all over this life-changing experience. Two weeks later I was enrolled in seminary.

Over the next six years, I struggled to discern the meaning of my call to seminary and whether or not I wanted to change my self-identification from a nurse to a minister. Although I took numerous Pastoral Care courses and an independent study in Congregational Health Ministry, it was not until I completed an extended unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) with the urban homeless that I experienced my "epiphany"—the real answer was not "either/or" but "both/and." I then began to articulate my vision for health ministry and earnestly explore opportunities to actualize my calling.

At the same time, I was contemplating transferring my church membership and discussed with the senior pastor how my gifts could best be used in ministry at the new church. To my surprise, he suggested establishing a health ministry. He championed the cause; the leadership and the congregation enthusiastically embraced the ministry.

The reward of establishing relationships through health ministry with members of this congregation continues to be my greatest joy. Health ministry has provided entry into true spiritual intimacy with these wonderful folks.

Elizabeth Pokorney describes an immediate sense of call after reading her church's bulletin.

I was at St. Margaret Mary's Church, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for Mass, when I opened the bulletin and noticed an insert announcing the start of a parish nursing program in the parish. I had heard about parish nursing about eight years before this and always thought I would like to learn more about it. Well, I feel I was "shoved by the dove" after reading the bulletin insert and called for more information. As we know, all in God's time. Working as a home care and hospice nurse helped me in my endeavor to be a parish nurse.

Sonja Simpson had assisted another parish nurse at a large church where Sonja was a member. She felt drawn to the personal interactions with church members. When Sonja relocated to Arizona with her husband, she became involved in wholistic nursing and spiritual growth. Parish nursing seemed like a natural fit. She asked her minister if she could be the parish nurse and he agreed. This began her wonderful journey that has continued for over ten years. Sonja currently ministers as a parish/faith community nurse in Nebraska, where she serves two different congregations. Sonja believes that, through parish nursing, God affords her the opportunity to practice the true art of nursing.

Yvonne Stock, RN, MS, a parish nurse from Omaha, Nebraska, shares her experience of call—not to a specific faith community but to many communities.

I became interested in exploring parish nursing while doing my daily prayers shortly before leaving for a mission trip to Israel. I was older, but still not "old" in my opinion—approaching seventy—and I asked the Lord where He wanted me to serve. Just before leaving, I visited my home church and talked to the leaders about setting up a parish nurse program and the benefits for the congregation. The pastor said he would send me an e-mail and let me know his decision about having a parish nurse while I was in Israel, but I received none. I returned on a nineteen-hour flight from the mission trip and prayed en route about whether to go to the second day of the parish nurse class the next morning; after all, I had no commitment to serve in my church. After praying, I got up and went regardless of whether I had a parish nurse position or not. I would wait for the Lord for to determine my placement. I graduated in the spring of 2006 from the parish nursing course I had started in 2005. (I missed the first day of class because I was returning from Israel and had to complete that day with the next class.)

My home church still has not asked anyone to become their parish nurse. They have, however, used materials developed by my current employer, CHAMPS (Center for Healthy Aging, Ministries, Programs and Services). Instead of one church, the Lord had something else in mind. I applied for and was hired in the position of parish nurse with CHAMPS.

CHAMPS focuses on healthy aging and sets as its goal to support what older adults identify as important in their spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and financial lives. CHAMPS is designed to be a reproducible model and we work with other churches to assist them in developing their own unique approach to serving the needs of their congregation and community as they age. In the initial partnership phase, CHAMPS has been working with St. Paul's Lutheran, Faith Westwood United Methodist, and St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church. Our reach is expanding to include at least fifty other congregations located in the Omaha, Nebraska, area.

Ruth Syre, MSN, RN, FCN, wears two hats. She serves as the parish nurse to a small congregation of about fifty members as well as the congregational health coordinator within the Pastoral Care Department of Centra Health System in Lynchburg, Virginia. Ruth describes her coordinator role as being a "parish nurse for parish nurses." She describes her call in this way:

I first heard of parish nursing from a Catholic friend in the late '80s. It left my personal radar for a while, and then resurfaced in 1997. I began reading everything I could about it and corresponding with an educator elsewhere in the state. I told my church family and my own family that this made so much sense to me in a new job with a coworker who just "happened" to be on the planning committee for a new parish nursing course. I was able to be one of the charter students in the Virginia Parish Nurse Education Program in 1998, and have never regretted it for a moment.

Helen Vaughn, FCN, a faith community nurse in New Zealand, shares her experience of call.

Several years ago I read an article in the New Zealand nursing journal, Kai Tiaki. I really liked the idea of parish nursing and mentioned it to one or two people. However, personal circumstances prevented me from pursuing it at that time. I did make contact with the New Zealand Faith Community Nurse Association (NZFCNA) and received information from them. About three years ago, I saw that the national conference was to be held in a nearby city, so I decided to attend and find out more. I was convinced that this was the way to go. As I prayed about it, things fell into place. Parish nursing was not a natural role for me, as most of my nursing life has been as a preoperative nurse. So I had to be really sure that this was what God wanted me to do. I have been practicing in the role for a year and I love it!

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Parish Nursing by Verna Benner Carson, Harold G. Koenig. Copyright © 2011 Verna Benner Carson and Harold G. Koenig. Excerpted by permission of Templeton Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction 3

1 Answering the Call 9

2 Called to Serve: Ministry of Presence, Word, and Action 32

3 The Journey of the Parish Nurse within the Church 55

4 The Journey into the Community 80

5 Preparation for the Journey 103

6 Foundation and Models of Parish Nursing 139

7 Establishing a Faith Community/Parish Nurse Program 154

8 Looking to the Future: The Next Generation of Parish Nursing 166

Notes 185

Index 193