Nursing Home Ministry

Would You Do It For One?

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40

I had just left the small prayer meeting we were having at the nursing home and small was the word of the day. Our tiny meeting had gotten even tinier and that afternoon as the elevator door closed behind me I was ready to give up. Then I heard a voice: no not an audible voice, but still a clear impression of a six-word question – “Would you do it for one?”

See in this day of the mega church, international worship conferences and YouTube videos with millions of views, it is easy to lose sight of individual people. But our God, who watches sparrows and counts the hairs on our heads never forgets a single one. He remembers a woman named Mary who stayed in her room for months at her nursing home because of Covid cases on her floor. He watches over Marcos, who is still confined to his bed and without a visitor for the last 18 months. He listens to the prayers of a nurse named Helen as she cares for them, day after day, and month after month. God knows, God sees, God cares and to Him they are all precious. He gave His life on the cross so He could reach out and touch them all – and He does that one person at a time. Would you be a servant to them for Jesus? It is never too late to begin!

To learn more about nursing home ministry you might find my newly revised book a useful place to start. Would You Do It For One? not only tells the story of how I got started , but also gives easy practical ways to get involved in your own community. If you have an interest in nursing home ministry and would like other resources, we also have a free weekly newsletter written by a small group of us. This morning I am so excited to be going out to two different homes to sing and be included in a special Father’s Day presentation. God bless and have a good week-end everybody!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520108710

Singing With Virginia

/ pastorpete51 / 9 Comments

O Sing unto to the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 96:1 KJV

I have been praying for God to open doors at the long-term care facilities I visit, but I wasn’t prepared to see them swing open quite so wide. Today seemed like just any another Thursday morning at the West Wing which is the memory care portion of one facility I visit. I got there at my usual time and found about a dozen folks seated in the TV area by the nurse’s station. They seemed happy to see me as we started singing “Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man who stilled the waters!” As the chorus rang out I noticed behind them a lady named Virginia who was pacing aimlessly back and forth hunched over her walker. I paid little attention to her until she suddenly turned towards us and shuffled in our direction. Being concerned that she might fall, one of the nurses jumped up and gently redirected her back to the hall. But just a minute later Virginia was back and this time walked right up to me and stood quietly for a moment, then reached out her finger and touched the strings of my guitar.

Curious to see what she would do; I assured the nurse that it was fine and I watched to see what she would do next.  I had not been able to see Virginia’s face because she was so completely bent over her walker but on the next hymn she looked up at me and began to sing. Her face lit up with a smile as she stood next to me and our voices joined together, “Jesus – Jesus – Jesus – Sweetest name I know. Hears the every longing of my heart – Keeps me singing as I go!” Oh yes doors began opening today but the doors that swung open wide were not the ones I expected, they were ones to my heart and hers. God sent Virginia to remind me that everyone in all the earth needs to sing for you!

Chosen to Serve Tables

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, Acts 6:3-4 ESV

If you hadn’t read the beginning of this chapter you might think that these guys were being selected to be missionaries, teachers of theology or pastors of large churches. But in fact, they were picked to serve food at the tables of widows. They were in charge of a first century “Meals on wheels”!  We rarely stop to think that ministry is so mundane and unspiritual. But the early church considered feeding widows and supplying the needs of the poor as the front-line duties of the leadership. When these so-called “unspiritual duties” were neglected by the apostles, the entire church began to complain. Notice they didn’t complain about the lack of sermons or the rarity of miracles. They got mad because no one went to feed the elderly widows. The church felt that the most important ministry was to act as the family to the widow and as mothers and fathers for orphans.

When we are ready to help with for the most needed ministry in our local church, we just might be amazed to see what happens next!

Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem…Acts 6:7