Video: Believer's Breakfast 2010

Here's the  Believer's Breakfast video from May 2010.

Video: Rebuilding After the Fire - A 10 year Celebration

In February of 1998, a fire devastated Gravel Hill United Methodist Church.  Rebuilding took almost two years.  It's been 10 years since the people of Gravel Hill worshipped in the new sanctuary.  Through difficult times, God's people persevered and did not lose faith.  Indeed, God is good.

Video: The 2008 Bazaar

Here is the "summary" of the 2008 Annual Holiday Bazaar for Gravel Hill.

Primary Ethical Princilpes for Healthcare Workers

When we talk about something like parish nursing, ethical principles shouldn't be far behind. Here is a list of ethical principles as described by Ruth Stoll, RN, director of the Parish Nursing and Health Ministry Course at the Samaritan Counseling Center in Lancaster, PA.

1. Beneficence. Do good and prevent harm to any and all aspects of a person. The principle is to act to promote the well-being of individuals wholistically. This includes an assessment of burden in respect to benefit, where a treatment should be considered morally obligatory when the benefits hoped for or obtained are proportionate to the burdens. A treatment would not be morally obligatory, though it still may be employed, if it is of little or no benefit or if the burdens outweigh the benefits. Again, the burdens and benefits must consider the whole person. However, we must remember that we do not determine this, nor does a family; it is the individual that must determine this for himself or herself.

2. Non-Maleficence. Do no harm. This is (or certainly should be) a core directive in every caregiver's practice, and is based on our belief in the dignity and sacredness of human life. Our intent must be never to intend to directly harm or kill another human being.

3. Autonomy. Otherwise known as self-determination. Autonomy is the ethical principle we seem to hear most about. It concerns each person's right to choose their own course of action in accordance with their individual values, life goals, beliefs, etc. Whether we agree with that choice or not, a person's choices should be honored whenever possible. The exercising of autonomy is based on informed consent. Therefore, individuals have a right to information concerning their own health and wellness, including diagnosis and prognosis. It requires that the person comprehends and understands the significance of the benefits and risks proposed for their health care based on their values and beliefs, has the capacity to make a decision, and makes any decisions without coercion, manipulation or undue influence. Informed consent is not a once-and-done discussion, but must be an on-going process.

4. Veracity (honesty). Do not deceive others. Those with whom we work should be given adequate and accurate information about their condition along with possible courses of action. Decisions made to withhold information or mislead individuals are rarely justifiable. This can sometimes be very difficult for parish nurses. In a hospital setting painful honesty is expected. In a parish setting we are expected to be more "caring," plus we usually know the people we are dealing with. We do not want to hurt them or cause them distress, so we can usually find ways to waltz around a problem before confronting it. It is your responsibility and duty to work with people and guide them if need be, so small problems in the present do not become overwhelming problems in the future.

5. Fidelity. Do not betray the trust of others. Honor your promises. Keep confidences.

6. Justice. We don't talk about justice much, but both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament are very heavily weighted in their concern for justice. The importance of justice cannot be overstated and involves three issues:
Equality of Persons - Treat similar cases similarly, without prejudice or discrimination.
Reciprocity - Give to each person what belongs to or is strictly owed that person.
Social Justice - Distribute benefits and burdens equitably in your congregation, your community, and in society as a whole.

7. Professional Integrity. Act within the scope and standards of practice. Do not act contrary to your morals, ethics or conscience. Know scripture and live it out. Be above reproach and do nothing questionable. We are representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ and should act like it. Yes, this can be difficult, but whether we believe we have been called by God to work in this vocation or not, in essence, we have all chosen this path and should live according to its requirements.

Take Time

I managed to wrangle a few days this week to meet my sister and her family up in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Venturing to a place called Chimney Bluffs on Lake Ontario, I experienced a rainy, cool and very breezy day (if you can call a wind tunnel "breezy"). Since I like photography, my trusty Canon was along for the ride.

It was a good day. Despite the weather, which provided a rather non-colorized gray sky, I got some good pictures. But after tripping through the stones on the shore, jumping out of the waves to keep my feet dry, struggling up the side of the bluff, fighting the wind, constantly readjusting my hood to keep my ears from freezing off, and having achieved mucho-megabites of photos I can use to try to keep my parish nursing ministry alive, I realized I was missing something.

You see, when I was younger - before I had too much to do and not enough time to do it in - I always had time for God amidst the wonders of his creation. Nature always provided profound moments for me to experience "the Other." Those were the moments that helped me place what I was and who I was in and against the world. Amidst life's pain, confusion and disappointment, it was those moments that helped me experience the profundity of God, to lose myself in him, to worship and to pray. As I made my way off the bluff today, I realized that those moments had become fewer and farther between. Realizing I had missed out on the most important part of my walk, I hesitated and considered stopping to meditate, but the hour was getting late. I wanted to spend more deliberate time with God, but chose not to.

As pastors and parish nurses, we become virtually useless to ourselves and to others without taking time alone with God, because we lose the core of our ministry. It is our relationship with God that we tend to neglect as we get busier, but it is that relationship that led us to our vocation in the first place. Without nurturing our spirits, our attempts to nurture others become a witness of hollow words. We encourage others to do things we no longer do. Of course, we intend to spend time with God, and although that pull to be alone with the Lord increases, our time gets waylaid by the less important things of our lives.

Take time. Take time to experience God's creation. Take time to meditate and to pray. Take time to LISTEN to God. Get rid of your camera, or whatever it is that keeps you from seeking him, so you can experience once again the God who led you into service for him.

Do I love the fact that I got some good pictures today? You bet. But I wish I had more fully experienced God's creation by setting my camera down for a bit and taken the time to abide with him in a more focused manner through his magnificent creation. God still loves me, I know. So thank you, Lord, for your understanding and grace. Goodness! You've made a magnificent world!

What Do You Know About Yourself?

Pick up any woman's magazine these days and there is some sort of self-quiz inside. Though of questionable validity, by simply answering the questions may discover things about yourself you didn't know, like how your favorite color provides insight into your personality, or why your choice of pet characterizes you, to how you and your spouse could have a better sex life. When I see these I wonder why anyone would take them. Certainly I have better things to do...

But once in a while, I take them anyway. Why? Sometimes it's fun. So if you also enjoy an occasional moment to respond to these little questionnaires, why not answer one that tells you something meaningful about yourself?

So here is one that barely borders on meaningful, if that. I certainly won't vouch for its accuracy. Its usefulness may simply be, for the theological neophyte, to open doors of inquisitiveness concerning the history of your own denomination or the Christian church in general. Your results could be:

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan
Emergent/Postmodern
Neo-Orthodox
Roman Catholic
Charismatic/Pentecostal
Classical Liberal
Reformed Evangelical
Modern Liberal
Fundamentalist

If you've never come across these terms but end up being labeled as something you're not familiar with, investigate it, especially if you didn't "score" where you thought you would.

Why? Because although parish nurses advocate medical care, we deal with human beings from a wholeness perspective. If I dropped the medical advocacy issues I deal with on one side of a scale and the emotional/mental health issues on the other side, the emotional/mental side would slam to the ground, launching the medical advocacy side into low earth orbit. Everything that is medically related has emotion and psychological issues interwoven. You cannot address the former without confronting the later.

I absolutely believe that the only way to gain insight into the psychology of any individual is by having first learned about yourself. I'm convinced that without the earnest, detailed and often painful work of self-exploration and analysis, we will forever be blind to the inner workings of another. Though we can never be totally self-aware nor achieve total understanding of another, we are not to throw our hands in the air in defeat without trying. It does mean that for us to even approach a level where we can be useful to others, we must first look at ourselves. Anything that may help us do that could be a useful tool.

Does that mean this little quiz linked to above is useful. Well...maybe not this one, unless you take it a bit further. However, in the future I will post a few tools that may help you to discover how fascinating it is to help people deal with their inner beings after first examining your own. If it takes simple, little questionnaires to start that process, so be it. I know we are all worth it - both you and the people you care for. God created - and he said that it was good!

Legal Issues in Health Ministries - Part 3

Here is Part 3 of the legal information provided by Barbara G. Graybill, Esq., of Schutjer Bogar LLC, located in Harrisburg, PA. I've reprinted the information directly below so I don't get in trouble.

The information herein reflects the views of the author. The information should be construed as general guidelines and not interpreted as legal advice. The materials should serve as a general reference to facilitate more thorough research and analysis with the assistance of a competent professional who would have an opportunity to consider the facts of any particular situation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. All materials herein, other than the statutory and regulatory provisions, are copyrighted but may be reproduced as long as authorship is properly acknowledged.

My own notes are in italics. They may or may not be as accurate as the information provided by Barbara.

FOR THE RECORD: LEGAL ISSUES OF HEALTH MINISTRY – Part 3

GUIDELINES FOR BEING LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE AS A HEALTH MINISTRY PARTICIPANT
1. Understand the scope of your responsibilities. Negotiate and educate your parish supervisor and boards regarding what you can and can't do. If you are a parish nurse, it does not mean that you function as a "free" home nurse to every member of the community but this misconception widely persists. Education of your congregation is extremely important.

2. Put it in writing. You should have a written job description which identifies your major goals and objectives; who is your "supervisor" and what reporting and accountability standards are being implemented; how you will report time; how you will keep case notes; who owns case notes; a description of your required reporting requirements; the number of hours expected; and the opportunities you will have to educate the parish on your role. Make sure you have notes when there could be obvious legalities involved, such as gun shot wounds, child abuse, elder abuse, etc.

3. Know the chain of command in your parish; have a good grasp of the guiding rules, practices, and cultural backgrounds. Use your denominational guidance. If you aren't sure if your denomination or church has them, investigate (example - The United Methodist Church has a Book of Discipline, which contains Social Principles. These can serve as guidance in certain situations.)

4. Avoid the appearance of impropriety. Many times, two are better than one, expecially in certain instances. For example, it is best to have another person around when you are placing an individual's narcotics in a med box for him to take, to avoid possible accusations of stealing medications.)

5. Do not take gifts or money directly from parishioners. Notify your supervisor of any attempts to give you money or other items. A gift given with the full knowledge of your supervisor may be okay, but don't accept "gifts in the dark." A good policy among all church employees is to not accept gifts or to report all gifts through your church channels.

6. Network and educate yourself. Realize that you may often run into conflicts; i.e., the wife who may be responding angrily to her sick husband because she is exhausted—and because she is exhausted, she is abusive or neglectful of her husband's needs; a wife being abused by her husband, an elder in the church; a teenager being sexually active with an older member of the church; an unwanted pregnancy; admission of pedophilia, alternate lifestyles against which your church may take a moral stand, etc. Plan for conflicts and think through them before you encounter them so you are prepared.

7. Educate the parish about your responsibilities and the information and referral services you provide.

8. Know your liability carrier and the situations you are required to report to them. BE SURE THERE IS LIABILITY COVERAGE. There are situations where, even if nothing "happens," it is best to report an insident. One example is: You take a blood pressure Sunday morning during your routine blood pressure screening and later you find they were admitted to the hospital. Though you followed protocol, it might be best to report the incident to your insurance company. Check with them to find out what incidents they want reported.

9. Plan your office space to avoid compromising situations.

10. Plan your filing process to protect confidentiality.

11. Individuals who assume this role are often nurturers who want to "fix things." Realize what your role is—your obligation to the welfare of your parishioners equally — and realize that you can't be the one to fix things.  Realize that you can refer out.