Nursing Home Ministry

Remembering Jesus in Memory Care – He Touched Me

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Through the song, “He Touched Me,” Bill Gaither also touched a place in hearts all over the world. Since it was written in 1960, those words, “He touched me and made me whole,” have been translated into scores of languages, because no matter our culture, language, or race, we all share the longing to be touched. In his ministry on earth one of those moments is captured in the first chapter of Mark:

“And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, ‘If you will, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 
Mark 1:40-41 ESV

The leper, who could not legally come into contact with any other human being not only longed to be healed, but also needed the acceptance and assurance that the simple touch of Jesus gave him. In memory care facilities, where residents live in locked units, there is often no one who touches them who isn’t paid to do so. Days or even weeks may pass without a single friendly hug, kiss on the forehead, or even a handshake. When we visit people whose abilities to communicate are limited and who are often forgotten by family and friends, few things will communicate the love of Christ better than a simple touch. Just as He did for that leper, Jesus is willing to reach out and touch them. But today the hands of Jesus to give that healing touch belong to you and me.

Remembering Jesus in Memory Care – Part One

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And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them say, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 23:19 ESV

While we sing, she keeps her eyes closed, though a tiny bit of a smile forms on her lips. The lady to her right is soundly asleep, with her head slumped forward, but the man on her right sings softly along, “Jesus Loves Me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so…”

 About halfway through the dozen songs that we sing that day, in the memory care unit, she looks up and begins joining in. Then, after I close in prayer, she is delighted when I offer her my hand saying, “Good morning, Kate! God bless you! I’ll be back next week, Lord willing and….,” then I pause to let her fill in the words: Kate smiles and chimes in, “And the crick don’t rise!”

The greatest loss in memory care wards, is more than the memory of the residents. The deepest issue is that most of them are forgotten by everyone else. But Jesus remembers them, and He calls some of us to follow HIm into memory care ministry, I know there are difficult days, and times when it looks pointless. Maybe you might ask God if there isn’t some easier job that He could send you to do. What about the hungry children in Africa, the local crisis pregnancy center, or medical missions to South America? While each of those ministries matters to God, He has chosen to place you and I in a place where less volunteers go than to some of the poorest mission fields on earth. Jesus’ plan is for us to reach out in His name, and it all begins just as His ministry did when He called His disciples by name and today He asks us to remember the names of each person that He sends us to!

There is a Fountain

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We often hold the hymn writers in such high esteem that we forget that these giants of faith had feet of clay. Though being trained under the ministry of John Newton, William Cowper spent long periods of his life struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. Those dark places are not what God wants for us, but it was from the depths of despair HIs words sprung:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains 
Lose all their guilty stains 
Lose all their guilty stains 
Lose all their guilty stains!

This week we opened the service at Discovery Villages with “There is a Fountain,” and talked about the dying thief who was promised paradise, in verse two of Cowper’s hymn. After we finished, I imagined a conversation between the thief and Abraham, with Abraham asking, “How long did you know Jesus?” and the thief answering, “About five minutes!” Just like that thief, our salvation doesn’t depend on the length of our walk with God or the number of things we have done in His name. Everything we will ever need we have only in one thing – the Cross of Christ! So, when we get to heaven, there will be no finger pointing! No shame! No more guilty stains! May you each have a blessed week. If you are considering volunteering at a nursing home in your community, remember that we have Mother’s Day right around the corner. Why not buy some inexpensive cards or even make your own and then pass them out to the ladies there. Your small act of kindness will be a blessing far beyond anything you can imagine!