By Gustav Skogens<\/p>\n
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (February 10, 2009) \u2013 After spending weeks by her dying mother\u2019s bed, Mary Gardeen of the First Covenant Church felt called to become a nurse.
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\nHer mother suffered from cancer, but even though she died at age 44, \u201cI found her strength in her living faith in Christ,\u201d Gardeen says. \u201cNursing to me was always a calling, a way to serve Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
She earned her nursing degree fin 1972 from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota. Feeling God calling her to foreign missions, she then served more than 20 years doing medical mission work in Ecuador together with her husband. \u201cWe always conceived of our missionary ministry as ministering for people\u2019s whole person \u2013 both physically and spiritually,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n
After returning to the U.S. in 2000, she sought to continue this kind of practice. She came across parish nursing and found it inspiring. After completing her Basic Parish Nurse Preparation Course at Concordia College Moorhead, in 2001 she began her parish nurse ministry at First Covenant together with Carolynn Lundgren.<\/p>\n
Parish nursing began with the late Lutheran Pastor Granger Westberg\u2019s vision. He wanted to combine the strengths of medicine and faith into a more complete healthcare approach, one that heals both body and soul. In 1984, he structured the early deaconess model of caring for the sick as a ministry of the church, transitioning it into its contemporary form of parish nursing.<\/p>\n
He outlined seven primary roles of the parish nurse:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Integrator of faith and health
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Health counselor
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Health educator
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Coordinator and educator of volunteers
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Developer of support groups
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Referral source and liaison to community resources
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Health advocate<\/p>\n
\u201cParish nursing is a ministry of promoting spiritual and physical health,\u201d Gardeen says. \u201cWe serve Christ through nursing.\u201d What started with six nurses working with six congregations in Park Ridge, Illinois, has now grown to an international movement with about 12,000 nurses working in the U.S.<\/p>\n
The parish nurse functions as a connector between health and faith that concentrates more on relationship building than hands-on treatment. The focus is on wellness and preventative care.<\/p>\n
Most parish nurses are volunteers. They are based in their local church and work closely with their congregation to promote both the physical and spiritual wellness of the members. Moreover, they help members cut health care costs.<\/p>\n
In accordance with the sixth primary role, they also reach out to their community. For example, they arrange blood drives, diabetes awareness days, seminars on the risks of alcohol, or as in the case of First Covenant, cooperate with their local county hospital. There, the parish nurses give guidance and comfort to help patients and their families get through health crises. \u201cWe are highly savored,\u201d she says. \u201cThe health care system really likes us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gardeen remembers a very special day about a year ago. In the same day, she and Lundgren visited the oldest member of their congregation for the last time, but also saw the youngest member for the first time. The old woman had lived for more than a century and lay dying. She said she longed to be united with Jesus. The two parish nurses stayed with her, comforted her and prayed together with a family member for her safe and easy passing. She died the following day.<\/p>\n
After saying their farewells, they drove across town to welcome a newborn into this world. Again, they prayed, but this time for all that is to come. Also, they gave the parents practical advice about diapering, nursing, parenting and siblings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the last book was on the final page, this book was just opening with pages fresh and unbent,\u201d Gardeen recalls in an article she wrote for Imprints, a publication of the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. \u201cWe were grateful that our hands and heart formed a kind of bridge that day, because of the parish nurse ministry of our church.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is the individual church that decides if they want to start a parish nurse ministry, and there are many reasons to consider doing it:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Churches are not only centers of worship, but also centers for volunteering and important social bonding.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0In rural communities, there might be a lack of accessibility to health care. Nurses can act quickly and easily reach out to those in need.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0The health care system has become so complex that people need guidance to find what services are available.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Assist elders and others special groups to understand and manage their special health needs.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0People with struggling economy tend to cut back on dental and health care cost first. Parish nurses can provide complementary services they can no longer afford.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0People want to become more aware and responsible of their own health status.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0There\u2019s rarely only one side to illness. The church can help individuals understand all factors – physical, emotional and spiritual, – behind their health problems.<\/p>\n
According to Westberg\u2019s book The Parish Nurse<\/em> (1990), after deciding to start a parish nursing ministry, there are several steps the church should take to develop it properly. First and foremost, they should ensure everyone is updated with the program. The church leaders should learn all there is to know about congregational health models, keep a close dialogue with the pastor and minister, and then inform the congregation.<\/p>\n Thereafter, a health cabinet consisting of from four to seven persons should be formed who can identify the specific health needs of the congregation and function as a support team for the nurse or nurses. They should also connect with a local hospital or care agency.<\/p>\n The final step is to select a person with the proper qualifications to become a parish nurse and then ensure his or her continuous medical, scientific and ethics education.<\/p>\n To become a parish nurse, one must have several years of nursing experience, hold a current state license, complete a special basic training course, and reflect an understanding and commitment to the healing mission of Jesus.<\/p>\n Today, parish nurses are operating internationally in 14 countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and New Zeland. The plan is to expand even more in the future.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to learn more about parish nursing ministries.<\/p>\n