nursing homes

Just Another Day at Nursing Home!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. John 11:5-6 ESV

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” are the words to a song that practically everybody knows, and here is a Bible verse that starts with a list of some of those folks. The puzzling thing to me here is that Jesus loved them, but it appears He decided to do absolutely nothing to help out. Is that what it feels like in your prayer life sometimes I know that it certainly seems the case for the people in the nursing homes I visit. Each week we come and sing, serve communion and pray, but each week the crowd sits in their wheelchairs, maybe one of them is in the hospital, or another has passed away. “Where is Jesus? “, we might ask. The astonishing, perplexing and confusing answer is that He is right where He was 2,000 years ago that afternoon in Bethany. He is sitting and waiting for the right time to come and tell Martha the most wonderful news of all. “I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe this?” (verses 25-26). Yes, in spite of how it seems and no matter how confusing things appear, Jesus is the resurrection, and the worse things appear, the better will be His coming.

Some people have commented on this blog about how important it is to do nursing home outreach but are unsure of where or how to start. This week’s message gives a pretty accurate glimpse into how this wonderful mixed-up ministry functions. Doors slam. People are wheeled in (and out), the loudspeaker occasionally gives announcements, and the lunch ladies wheel their carts through on their way to residents who can’t get out of their rooms. My prayer is that you will be encouraged to see that through all the craziness, Jesus still reaches out and touches hearts and touches hearts because no matter how long hopes have lain in their graves, Jesus is still the Resurrection and the Life!

Making New Connections

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:20-21

One of the greatest challenges that many people face today is isolation. We as a society find ourselves separated by age, wealth, education and race. Sadly, this kind of segmentation is common even in the church. Our church announcements end up sounding something like this,

“The eyebrows will be meeting in room 112b on Wednesday nights, the feet are having a luncheon at noon on Saturday, and a short-term mission trip for the toes and fingers will be leaving next Sunday afternoon.”

This sort of dissection of the body of Christ seems completely natural to us because that is what we have experienced everywhere else all our lives. And though some of these specialized get-togethers are sometimes helpful, the dangers of isolation and segmentation are nowhere more pronounced than among the elderly who often find themselves in long-term care. And even in long-term care facilities the specialization that drives further isolation has been accelerating over the last ten or fifteen years. For example, those with memory issues are locked in their own ward, others no longer able to walk are placed in a separate wing, and the list goes on. Worst of all is that these people are not only isolated, but they are also usually soon forgotten by family, friends and neighbors, and even by the church. The parts of the body of Christ that God had designed to be connected to them don’t miss them because they are busy meeting with the other toes and fingers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today God is calling the church to do more than hold worship conferences, youth rallies and women’s conventions. God’s heart is to go out into the highways and byways, which includes the long-term care facilities in our community. For those who sense God’s calling, I am making a short book called, “New Frontiers in Nursing Home Ministry,” available for free in its Kindle format all this week.

Laughing and Singing at Nursing Home

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

I used to make videos explaining how to get started in nursing home ministry, how to help them prepare for holidays and other important subjects. But over the last three years, I thought it might be far more helpful to simply show what we do. This week, I delved into my memory banks and pulled out a fun, yet entirely scriptural Sunday school song. Residents at long-term care facilities do love the old hymns, but they also love to laugh, and this song provided both as much Biblical content as any hymn along with an easy to sing, happy and joyful melody. I hope you will be blessed and that you sing Silver and Gold along with my Life Care friends. Have a blessed Saturday everybody and why not try walking, leaping and praising God today?