nursing homes

Happy Day at the Nursing Home!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24 NKJV

Those who only observe nursing home ministry from a distance, may think that we pass our time as in the words of the hymn, “Softly and tenderly,” And yes, that would be accurate for that small part of each service when we slow down and come humbly into God’s presence. But were we to plan the entire song service with only the slow and hushed hymns, half our residents would be sound asleep! So, here is one of our opening songs at Friday’s church service at Life Care. We sang a Sunday school song about a happy day, when I am “livin’ it for my Lord!” I do hope you will listen carefully for their voices and ask yourself if God might be calling you to also consider volunteering for nursing home ministry in your own community. After all, it’s a happy day when, “I’m living each day on the promises in God’s word!”

It's a happy day, and I thank God for the weather
It's a happy day, when I'm livin' it for my Lord
It's a happy day, and things are gonna get better
When I'm livin' each day on the promises in God's word!

BUT
It's a grumpy day and I don't like the weather
It's a grumpy day, when I'm livin' it for myself
It's a grumpy day
And nothin's gettin' any better
Cause I'm livin' today
With my Bible on the shelf

BUT
It's a happy day, when I'm livin' it for my Lord
It's a happy day, when I'm livin' it for my Lord
It's a happy day, and things are gonna get better
When I'm livin' each day on the promises in God's word!

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.