Roving chaplain meets spiritual needs at three Amarillo senior facilities

AMARILLO—A decision to share the wealth—spiritually speaking—has made a dramatic impact on three Amarillo nursing homes.

A few years ago, Tim Holloway, president and chief executive officer of Baptist Community Services and High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation, realized if nothing changed, most of the many people in retirement and nursing homes in Amarillo would not have a chaplain to meet their spiritual needs.

He also knew the reason why—money.

While Baptist Community Services had a chaplain at its Park Central retirement facility, The Arbors—a sister facility that primarily serves Medicaid-supported residents—lacked a chaplain.

“Their margin is so thin, especially if they are a Medicaid home, and most of them are, that they are not going to spend money on a chaplain,” Holloway ex-plained.

At that point, Holloway said, God inspired him to fund a chaplain through the High Plains Foundation that would serve three nursing homes—The Arbors and two other nursing homes in Amarillo.

While the idea was generous, it was a little harder to implement. The two competing nursing homes couldn’t believe that it wasn’t a ploy to steal either patients or staff.

“We saw a group of people who were either underserved or not served at all,” said Alan Williamson, director of pastoral services at Park Central. “It’s kind of like we’re sending out missionaries. We don’t charge them a dime. It was a no-lose situation for them once they got by the trust factor.”

Chaplain Bryan Cooper (left) talks with resident Hartense Brittian at Georgia Manor Nursing Home in Amarillo. (PHOTO/Michael Schumacher)

Ultimately, Bryan Cooper began his ministry as the roving chaplain at The Arbors, The Heritage Convalescent Center and Georgia Manor Nursing Home.

On average, he spends a day at each facility and another day doing paperwork.

The work comes naturally to him, Cooper said. “My great-great grandfather was a circuit-riding preacher.”

He provides a Sunday service for each facility, as well as a mid-week Bible study for residents, but just as importantly, he said, for staff. In addition, he does whatever is needed.

“Sometimes it’s pastoral counseling. Sometimes it’s helping staff by pushing a wheelchair. I’ve conducted several funerals, and sometimes my job is playing dominoes.

“It’s all about relationships, because the more they trust you, the more they open up,” Cooper said. And those relationships include not only the residents, but also the staff and the families of residents during times of crisis.

“What’s fun is that you work with a lot of different kinds of people. Some are people of faith, and some are not.”

And some of those people who are not become people of faith. He described Harold, a cowboy who had once been alcoholic and was estranged from his family. Through their relationship, Harold made a profession of faith in Christ. Harold was transported to a pool with a wheelchair lift, and he was baptized.

“It was an exciting, exciting event,” Cooper said.

He enjoys his chaplain’s role immensely, he said.

“It gives you a chance to not only be a pastor, but to be a friend,” Cooper explained.

And a pastor-friend is just what many of the residents need.

“It not so much out of sight, out of mind, but there is so much going on for most pastors, that they get to the nursing homes sporadically if at all. They are ‘the forgotten,’” he said.

While he has a facility he concentrates on each day, he spends a great deal of time traveling from place to place as emergencies dictate. It’s also not unusual to be called to a hospital two or three times in a day.

“I feel grateful to be a part of these people’s lives. To make sure these people have a chance to know Christ before they die is so important,” Cooper said. But he’s also on the receiving end of blessing.

“I told them, ‘I feel I have received so much more from you than I have given,’” he said.

Administrators at the facilities where Cooper serves recognize the effects of his ministry.

“His being here has made a lot of difference,” said Robert Smith, administrator at The Arbors. “My whole career, I’ve never been in a facility that had a chaplain, and it makes a tremendous difference. It’s good to be able to call on him to comfort families that are having to make decisions on end-of-life issues.”

Cooper’s ministry to staff offers added benefit, Smith said.

“He counsels me as well as many others on the staff to keep us up and able to do our jobs. He works with staff as much as he does the residents of the building,” he explained.

Christine Hart, social worker at The Heritage, agreed. “Bryan’s being here benefits everyone—staff and residents. We now have a Sunday service, which we didn’t have before and that’s nice for our residents. Also, all our staff feel comfortable talking to him,” she said.

Holloway hopes that’s just the beginning. He looks forward to a time when another chaplain can be brought on to serve three more facilities.

“My personal goal is to put a chaplain in every nursing home in Amarillo and then the Panhandle,” he said.

He would like to see the trend carry on across the state.

“This would be a wonderful project for churches to combine resources to fund a chaplain. They wouldn’t even have to be all Baptist churches, because the people they would be serving wouldn’t all be Baptists,” Holloway explained.

While the ministry would mean an investment of resources, it would be worth it, he insisted.

“Some of these people were stalwarts in their churches for 30, 40 maybe even more than 50 years in their churches, but for many, 30 days after they enter the nursing home, they’re forgotten,” he said.