Senior Care Home Ministry
Dear Ministry Friends,
Although care home facilities across the country have closed their doors, there is still much we can do for our beloved residents! Following is a list of ideas on how you can continue to minister through this present challenge:
I am recently retired and had been praying about where the Lord wanted me to serve Him and His people. I prayed and prayed asking the Lord where He wanted me. I made a list of places in my town that I could serve, and was considering several ministries on my list.
I had never been in nursing home ministry, but there was a couple at my church who do visitation at a nursing home. They sent email invitations to some church members, asking if we wanted to go along with them. One Sunday during communion, I heard the Lord ask me,
Scripture tells us again and again to be defenders, protectors, and providers for the widows and the aged. Our Lord Jesus wants us to honor and care for those who are frail, vulnerable and neglected. It is not His will that any of them should perish. Yet, there are currently over 1.3 million frail seniors hidden behind the walls of America’s nursing homes, many of whom have yet
As we prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of God Cares, I am reflecting on the way God has led me and others to embrace nursing home ministry as a life-long calling.
Back in 1984, when I first started visiting in a nursing home, I attended a Christmas Eve service at my church. A group of about 30 people came before the congregation to sing a carol. This group – known as “God’s Special Children” – were intellectually disabled adults from local group homes. As they waved their wreaths and ornaments, I was troubled at the sight. I could hear others around me saying “Isn’t that beautiful?” and “Praise the Lord!” I thought to myself . . .
The holiday season is a great time to give the gift of your presence to lonely nursing home residents, many of whom have no family or friends to celebrate with. We are seeking volunteers to “adopt a resident” for the Christmas holiday. This is a simple commitment to visit a resident three times. Your three visits would last about 20 minutes each and include . . .
Helen was visibly sad and hopeless in the nursing home when I first met her. She explained that she was forced to move to Ohio and then sent to “this place”. She was a believer in Jesus, but she could not understand why God allowed such disappointment in her life, even after she had tried so hard to be a good mother and a good person. I shared with her how God wanted her to forgive those who “put her in this place” and to trust that He has a good plan for her. She was open to the Scriptures I shared and we both prayed for the Lord’s help.
I promised her that I would return and I am ashamed to say that I simply forgot to go back for over two months. One day while passing that nursing home, I remembered and thought, “Oh my goodness, I forgot all about that lady!”
Sometimes nursing home residents say to me, “I don’t know why God has not taken me home yet…” They feel like they have no value any more. Why is this so?
The announcements have gone out and in a few months the expectant parents will be having a new baby. Friends and relatives are planning to throw them a shower which will provide appropriate clothing, diapers and toys.The room at the end of the hall is becoming an adorable nursery with a comfortable and safe bed, pictures on the walls that will become cherished to that child over the years. A rocker in the corner will be the place where books are read, songs sung and tears wiped away.
This Memorial Day, we want to highlight one of our volunteers, Dale, who volunteers in veterans’ outreaches through his city. Dale also volunteers in 6 nursing homes. Dale says, “People can feel worthless because they find themselves in a nursing home. But I tell them “As long as you’re alive and breathing, God still has a purpose for you. You can tell your neighbors about Jesus, and you can invite them to a service here.”
Nursing home ministry has such room for individual expression! There are as many unique styles of ministry as there are unique abilities and personalities, all sharing the love of Jesus. . .
