What is Parish nursing? Parish nurses are registered nurses who initiate a health care ministry in a church setting to assist congregational members and their families in their physical, emotional and spiritual well being. At the same time, parish nurses use their medical skill as a means of reaching out to the non-Christians in the community. Their work is very similar to the work of a caring pastor but with the added dimension of knowledge in the medical field. Parish nursing focuses on health promotion and spiritual care generally not hands-on nursing. It is different from community nursing because it keeps body and soul together by clearly linking personal faith and health.

How did I come into parish nursing ministry?

Two years ago, Pastor Dan Wat approached me and asked if I would consider parish nursing. He was not the first one to talk about this. Incidentally, two of my previous co-workers had both mentioned to me about it and felt that I was a suitable candidate for such a ministry. I started to prayed and waited on the Lord for His guidance and wanted to make sure that it was His calling for me to go into this ministry. I kept a spiritual journal for this purpose. After two months, I attended an annual Canadian Parish Nursing conference from which I gained more insight into parish nursing. This ministry was embraced by the Congregation as indicated unanimous vote.

How does the parish nurse keep body, mind and spirit together by integrating faith and health?

The basic concepts underlying the role of a nurse working in a church setting includes serving as a health educator, personal health counselor, advocate, teacher of volunteers, co-ordinator of support groups, liaison between individuals, church and community resources, and also a personal evangelist.

Besides, the parish nurse works closely with the Health committee in promoting wholistic health. The Health and Wellness Committee of SCCEFC has been established for one year with health professionals and others who have some interest in the relationship of faith and health. The Health Committee has the following responsibilities: educating members about wholistic health, assessing congregation needs, and supporting the parish nursing in the healing ministry. We are indeed thankful that God has given us this vision and faithful brothers and sisters who are committed in this ministry. It has always been my hope that we can move from a traditional “sickness model?into a “wellness model? Each one of us should accept more responsibility and be a good steward of our own health for because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19) and we are to take good care of it. (Eph. 5:29)