Should a Church Be Known for its End of Life Care? What are the Implications? Why should the church be known for its end of life care? By Chaplain Bill Goodrich GodCaresMinistry.com What should people turn to for help in their end of-life crisis? If Christians become a reliable and loving resource, opportunities will present themselves. will need end of life care Our faith should be expressed in deeds of love. 1 John 4:7-12, James 2:17, Matthew 7:12 God wants to Those who are homebound or in long term care facilities cannot go to church, so the church must go to them The People who need end of life care: The The Some of the needs of persons facing the end of life People who are at the end of life need: First and foremost, a caring friend to o To hold their hand and listen to them during this unfamiliar journey Encouragement through Scripture reading and prayer A on their life experiences Assurance of their o And of the salvation of loved ones Help in resolving conflict with others o This may require pastoral or chaplaincy assistance Inspirational stories and devotionals Inspirational songs and music 1 Copyright 2011 www.godcaresministry.com
People who are caring for their dying loved one need: A who will hold their hand and listen during this very challenging journey Assurance of their dying loved one s Help in resolving any with the dying Help for other family members in resolving any conflict with the dying o This may require pastoral or chaplaincy assistance Encouragement through reading and Practical help with most any task you can do; their job Getting started Identify those in your church who are care receivers and caregivers Put an announcement/invitation in the bulletin for caregivers to contact the church so that the church may serve them Send out a survey asking for those willing to volunteer an hour or two during the week. Ask them if they can provide assistance with: Driving Friendly visits Shopping Respite Home repair Yard work Phone calling Card writing Other Practical acts of care: Call to visit, even for just a few minutes. The caregiver may be reluctant to ask for help. Offer it anyways. Plan to stay 10 20 minutes, but be prepared to stay longer Do not make the caregiver feel like you need for during your visit; go as a servant Don t tell them to, call if you need anything. Tell them that. on a certain day to provide whatever help they need Offer to stay with the person for a few hours while the caregiver gets out to shop, visit family/friends, attend church in order to help bring a touch of normality Provide rides to doctor s appointments, shopping, church Bring meals, write encouraging notes, do yard work or home repairs 2 Copyright 2011 www.godcaresministry.com
End of life care must include ministry in long term care homes In the USA, who die in a given year will spend all or part of their last six months in a care home. This averages to over 2,100 people every day of the year. There is usually at least one care home within five miles from your church. (sometimes as many as eight) The US government spends over dollars per year on long term care Health care costs are generally highest at the end of life; a disproportionately large percentage of all Medicare expenditures are incurred during the As world governments seek cost-effective alternatives to reduce end-of-life health care expenses, assisted suicide and euthanasia are Our frail neighbors in care homes may soon face the same as our babies have faced through abortion If we do nothing about this potential threat today, I am concerned that the world will embrace as an answer to our economic challenges B.G. What can the Church do to foster a culture of life? You shall rise up before the grayheaded and, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. Lev. 19:32 NAS Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 NIV While some work to encourage assisted suicide, we can encourage assisted Life by loving our senior neighbors as ourselves and supporting them in efforts to love others in their community. People who are loved and actively loving others want to live. As we value all people through acts of love and encourage them to reach out in love, they will find purpose to live their lives to the fullest. Since 1994 God Cares Ministry has helped hundreds of churches adopt a care home to share the Love & Word of Jesus with the people who live there. It takes only people to form a care team to adopt a care facility and provide significant spiritual support to the residents. We generally see over of the residents we minister to find hope and saving grace in the Lord Jesus Christ 3 Copyright 2011 www.godcaresministry.com
How can our church adopt a care home in our community? 1) Pray, knowing that God about the people in care homes. It is not a matter of whether or not He wants His servants visiting these lonely people, it s a matter of His servants found in Scripture 2) Contact a care home in your community. Make an appointment with the and share your desire to visit people who do not have visitors. 3) Begin visiting and making new friends. We have two basic goals a) Establish with as many residents as we have time to visit on a regular basis. Establishing move us from a ministry to a ministry. b) As our friends are receptive; help them to that He can meet their spiritual needs. 4) Learn from and obtain effective resources from experienced nursing home missionaries. www.godcaresministry.com www.sonshinesociety.org www.boldendeavors.org In the Garden, with Jesus and Friends 4 Copyright 2011 www.godcaresministry.com
WHAT IS A NURSING HOME MINISTRY CARE TEAM? CARE TEAMS are normally made up of four to eight Christians who adopt one nursing home and visit the residents on a regular basis. We seek to establish caring relationships with all residents in the home. Our sincere friendships often result in helping them find hope, peace, and purpose in Jesus. Below are brief descriptions of the five different positions that make up a Nursing Home Ministry Care Team. Sometimes a person will take on more than one of these positions. This is fine, because our goal is to enable each team member to exercise and develop in his/her gifts and skills. The positions are as follows: Team Coordinator: This person keeps the team together by communicating, praying with and for the team members, and coordinating an occasional team fellowship hour to encourage and strengthen the team members. This person is also the one who would maintain any needed records and also be the communication link between the Team Members, the Activities Director, and the Church Leadership. Teacher: This person is responsible to pray for and prepare a message for a church service or Bible study. The message is usually a short devotional but can be a 30-minute Bible-study class that follows a time of worship and praise time. Song Leader: This person is responsible to prepare and lead the group singing. This is usually about twenty minutes long at the beginning of a group service. The song leader can lead using an instrument or special accompanying tapes and hymnals designed for Nursing Home Ministry. Sometimes two or more individuals share this responsibility, some playing instruments while others accompany the primary song leader. Helper: These people are responsible to help the other team members accomplish their tasks. Helpers help bring residents to Church services, assist with turning hymn books pages, take attendance, etc. The helper's role on the Ministry Care Team is VERY IMPORTANT because they help the services to flow smoothly. Many shy people have started out as helpers. After several months of involvement they move into other team positions, and blossom in their gifting. Friendly Visitor: These people are willing to visit room-bound residents. They have a willingness to establish caring friendships by listening to and sharing with residents that are not willing or able to go to the Church services. Through time, Friendly Visitors earn the respect to share God s word and prayer so that resident s draw closer to Jesus. Now you can have the time-proven principles that were used to help hundreds of Christians start or restart a nursing home ministry care team. Based on Biblical principles and practical gardening tips, In the Garden with Jesus and Friends is your first tool for a fruit-bearing outreach. This handbook comes with a video to assist you in recruiting volunteers from your church. Available through God Cares Ministry at a suggested donation of $7.00. 1