Nursing Home Ministry

He Giveth

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

If anyone knows about weakness, it is the residents of nursing home and assisted living facilities. Our weekly conversations and prayer requests are filled with the news of some dear one in the hospital again, or recovering from a fall, or mourning the passing of a roommate. Maybe that is why they identify so well with this wonderful old hymn. When Annie Johnson Flint composed the lyrics, she was suffering from a severe form of arthritis which she began to experience in her early twenties and worsened throughout her life. Yet in spite of Annie’s suffering, her struggles lead her to trust more and more deeply on the grace and power of God and to write for us these timeless words:

"When we've reached the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving has only begun
His love has no limit
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundaries
Known unto men
So out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again!"

Where are you this morning: not geographically, but spiritually and emotionally? Have the difficulties in your life driven you to despair, loneliness, isolation and confusion? Have you, as Annie Johnson Flint did, reached the end of your hoarded resources? The healing news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that His suffering in our place on the cross, qualifies and empowers Him and only Him, to become the source of hope and salvation for us. No matter how far from God we feel at this very moment, the Bible tells us that, “By HIs wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). And from those fatal wounds of our dear Savior, flowed the blood that bought and redeemed us. Today, right at this very moment, if we will humbly come to Him in faith and repentance, He will receive us, fill us, and give us His unmeasurable grace, limitless love and mighty mercy. What a hope we have because of He gave His life for lost sheep, lost children, and lost sinners just like you and me!

Don’t Give Up!

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 
Galatians 6:9 ESV

Returning to Life Care Center, to sing for the folks yesterday was a wonderful experience. It was also an amazing blessing to know that this year, in my absence several other people stepped in to keep the services going. It reminded me of lessons that I had taught but rarely experienced that nursing home ministry must not be a solo effort. Instead, as a church we are supposed to be “Team Jesus” and His work, and His message should be advanced even when one teammate has to sit on the bench for a while.

Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say, but mustering a team, has not been a quick process. Connecting our nursing home outreach to the leadership in our churches is essential if we are to make any serious progress. Years ago, we attended a large church that took nursing home ministry so seriously that they put together four or five teams of us and sent us all around our city to conduct services during Sunday School hour.

Sadly, that experience was not what we have seen elsewhere. Over the years, I have found that few churches are interested in investing time and resources in nursing home ministry. But if this is also your situation, don’t give up on your church. It will take a concerted effort, without getting discouraged or bitter to attract the leadership’s attention. Remember that they may already be overwhelmed with so many other tasks that it is hard for them to see the importance of serving nursing home residents. Yet in the Bible it is clear that God cares especially for widows and orphans, and He calls you and me to care for them. There is no one simple formula, no recipe or secret key, to getting more people involved, just be lovingly persistent. Don’t faint, because as you keep serving with all your heart, God has promised that there is a wonderful harvest of souls, precious to Jesus, who are just waiting to be reached within nursing homes and assisted living facilities all over our nation!

Making Melody at Nursing Home

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments 
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody 
in your heart to the Lord - Ephesians 5:19 KJV

Singing is so important that it is one of the few things we do on earth that we will also do in heaven. The key in helping seniors to sing, is finding ways, for everyone to make melody in their heart to Jesus. So, the best songs to choose are the ones that everyone can sing, because there must always be a “We” in worship. Here are three ideas that have helped me along the way.

First, remember that the voices of senior saints are not what they were when they were younger. But if George Beverly Shea and Burl Ives could record music into their 80’s and 90’s; there certainly is a way we can help seniors to participate. To begin with, the key we are playing the songs in makes a huge difference. Hymns were often written for much younger voices or for choirs to sing. Though those original keys were nice they are not sacrosanct. There is certainly nothing wrong with singing “Holy-Holy-Holy” in a key that is low enough for someone besides the cherubim and seraphim to join in!

Secondly, not only are our people’s voices changing, but their ears have also grown older. I happen to have an exceptionally loud voice (ask my wife!) and because of that I rarely use a microphone. But if you have a sound system available, please use it! If there is no microphone available, consider moving closer to your listeners. With my guitar I can walk back and forth in the room, and turn directly towards people, so that they can hear the notes, and hearing helps them to keep up with where we are at in the lyrics.

Finally remember that pacing and rhythm matter. In a nursing home meeting, even on a great day, most people only have energy to focus for about thirty minutes. Some have medications that make them sleepy, or aches and pains that make it difficult to stay put for long. The last thing we want to do is incorporate so many slow and gentle hymns, that half our audience falls asleep! I usually start out with familiar and easy songs such as “Just a Closer Walk”, so that as many people as possible join in. Then we usually pick up the pace a bit, with as many joyful songs as I have the energy for. Even Sunday school songs like, “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength” or “I’ve Got the Joy-Joy-Joy” work well. Just because they are older, doesn’t mean our friends won’t enjoy some fun and laughter. They will have plenty of problems to greet them after they leave our service. Of course, the idea is not just to sing fast songs, rather to give a variety. It is a good idea to slow down near the end of the service, for songs such as “The Old Rugged Cross”, “How Great Thou Art” or “In the Garden.” Now they are ready to focus, to pray and to allow God to speak His melody into their hearts. If you have any questions, would like to make a comment, or share your own experiences, please do. Someone may need to hear what you have to say!