Congregatonal health ministries offering wholeness_111504

Posted: 11/12/04

Congregatonal health ministries offering wholeness

By Penny McCulloch

For Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–During a fellowship supper in Beaumont, a nurse takes the blood pressure of a 42-year-old man. His blood pressure is high enough to cause a stroke.

But because his condition is detected in time, the young man worships and serves God disease-free, his blood pressure well under control.

In another part of town, another nurse visits a widow who has been identified as “homebound.” She discovers the woman is not homebound; she is embarrassed because her son has AIDS, so she doesn't go to church anymore.

The nurse mobilizes the congregation to deliver food, provide sitters and help with other needs. Because of the church's congregational health ministries program, the man dies peacefully, knowing he is loved by his church family. His mother returns to active membership, also knowing she is loved and not judged.

David Cross, a chaplain at Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital in Beaumont, shared these stories as part of a presentation on congregational health ministries during a breakout session at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in San Antonio.

Congregational health ministries encourage church members to monitor and take responsibility for their health by focusing on prevention, assessment, education and advocacy, Cross said, noting they promote holistic wellness.

The ministries provide registered nurses who serve as referrals and resources within the faith community, he said. Their roles are designed to meet the needs of the particular group or congregation.

More than 3,000 congregational nurses practice in the United States, Cross said. The majority are college-prepared and have been in nursing more than 10 years. They practice in churches of every denomination in rural, urban and suburban settings.

Some examples of congregational health ministries include blood pressure screening, stop-smoking programs, transportation of the elderly and disabled to medical and dental visits, grief or other health-related support groups, health education, exercise programs, flu shots, weight-loss programs, telephone buddies, caregiver support groups and health fairs.

“Wouldn't it be better to prevent health problems than to be at the other end of the continuum?” Cross said.

“Wouldn't it be better to listen to a widow's grief instead of visiting her after it has eroded into a depression? Or to comfort a newly diagnosed diabetic instead of missing her on Sunday because she is at home, confused about how to handle her new life changes?”

For more information about congregational health ministries, call (409) 212-5648, or write Becky Seymour, Chaplaincy Department Congregational Health Ministries Coordinator, Carl T. Hinote Building, 3450 Stagg Dr., Beaumont 77701. She also can be reached at rebekah.seymour@mhbh.org.