Parish nurses minister to body and spirit By Christine Kumar
UMCONNECTION STAFF Should United Methodist churches focus on both body and soul? The answer is a clear 'yes,' said Ellie Booth, a parish nurse from La Vale UMC. 'It is a ministry, taking care of folks in a spiritual way as well as the physical.'  Parish nursing got its start when the Rev. Granger Westberg, a Lutheran minister, began the ministry in the early 1970s. He believed the church is the only human institution that interacts with individuals from birth through death. The presence of a parish nurse through all of life's stages offered an opportunity for an intentional health ministry. What is a parish nurse? He or she is a registered nurse (RN) who has had training in holistic ministry. The international Parish Nurse Resource Center in St. Louis, Mo., defines it as, 'a health promotion, disease prevention ministry based on the care of the whole person.' The organization believes that persons can feel a sense of well-being, even when they are sick, and that a spiritual dimension is vital to the parish nurse practice. In the Baltimore-Washington Conference, parish nursing takes many forms. A number of local churches have one or more parish nurses. Huntingtown UMC has six volunteer parish nurses. Some are retired and others work full time. The church has a parish nurse on duty every Sunday morning during fellowship times to talk to people about health concerns. Parish nurses do not use invasive practices such as blood drawing, medical treatments, maintenance of intravenous products or administration of flu shots or medications. The church held a health fair in September. People who were screened for hearing found they needed more comprehensive testing. MAKE THE CONNECTION
The ministry of parish nursing in relatively new in the church. If you or your congregation would like to begin this type of ministry, visit www.parishnurses.org for more information. | 'Several people, young and old, found out they had high blood pressure,' said parish nurse Marcia Monnett. Otterbein UMC in Hagerstown started its parish nurse ministry in 1999. Today, it has nine volunteer parish nurses. Blood pressure screenings and health related presentations are done Sunday mornings between and after worship services. 'The parish nurse in our county is supported by Washington County hospital,' said Wendy Zimmerman, a registered nurse and parish nurse coordinator. The hospital employed Zimmerman to help start and sustain a parish nursing program in different congregations, including Rehobeth UMC in Williamsport, Emmanuel and St. Andrews UMCs in Hagerstown, Bethel UMC in Chewsville and Hancock UMC. 'We don't just conduct blood pressure screenings,' said Booth. The 'health cabinet' at La Vale meets regularly to talk about wellness for church members and others. La Vale UMC also recently hosted a neighborhood wellness event that addressed health issues from dental hygiene to emotional wellness. The event featured entertainment, massage therapy and state troopers talking about drug prevention. The church promoted calcium awareness by having ice cream one Sunday. Otterbein UMC hosts a 'Spring Fling' carnival in its parking lot every year. Praise music echoes in the background, fire trucks are on display and children are given free toothbrushes, toothpaste and packs of sugar free gum. The Missions Committee and more than 100 volunteers support this event. The average attendance is 300 to 400 people, most of which are high-risk children who benefit from health and wellness activities. So what does a parish nurse do? 'Reclaiming the holistic focus of Christ's life and ministry with the purposeful integration of mind, body and spirit,' said Otterbein's Zimmerman. 'This is the bottom line of what parish nurses are striving to do. | 
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