Benton Street Baptist Church

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

The Roles of the Parish Nurse

Health advocacy
Counseling
Education
Resource referral

The spiritual dimension is central to Parish Nursing Ministry. Spiritual health is fundamental to well-being as it affects one's entire being. In service to the Lord Jesus Christ our Parish Nurse works to establish helping relationships that are professional and spiritually focused. Under the Godly leadership of our Senior Pastor and the other Pastors and Elders, Parish Nursing is developing to meet the unique needs of individuals and families at Benton Street Baptist Church. The goal is to assist members and others to stay well, and to create a feeling of deeper caring throughout our church family.

The Parish Nurse and Benton's Health Cabinet develop programs for wellness & disease prevention. Everyone is welcome to participate in:

Monthly 'Health and Wellness' Sessions - the 3rd Thursday monthly, 1:30-3 PM. Sessions are varied and may include presentations from The Arthritis Society, The Heart and Stroke Association, The Diabetes Association, a Christian Counselor, a music therapist, and others.
An annual Health Fair is held. Check the bulletin board in the hallway for details.
Blood Pressure Screening offered to all who attend 'Fifty- Plus' meeting at 10AM the second Thursday monthly - including lunch.
The Parish Nursing Bulletin Board is changed monthly. It provides another health related resource with a 'holistic' focus.

Tri-annually, the Health Newsletter "Bent.on.health" is prepared for all who wish to have it.

Our Parish nurse encourages, supports and coordinates the Benton visitation team as they regularly visit hospitalized and homebound members and adherents, (seniors and others). Professional knowledge and experiences allow the nurse to assist people to make important community connections, and to receive services required from skillful community resource persons. This is a compassionate ministry of care and a special opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ in a caring vital way.

What Does The Parish Nurse Do?

Assess clients' needs and develop collaboratively with individuals a reasonable plan of care that will empower them to become more active partners in managing their personal health care resources.
Visit in hospital, home, Retirement residences, Nursing Homes to assess, advocate for, support, and encourage in the Lord.
Support visiting team members who share with members and others to relieve isolation, care for one another - practically, and spiritually, sharing God's word and praying with members, who are lonely, unwell, or facing significant individual and family stress.
Develop programs to educate and support individuals and family re health and wellness and disease prevention and screening for BP
Health counsel, discuss/explain/teach regarding medications, lab tests, pre surgery regimens, post surgery directives or other treatments that may be unclear to persons.
Assist directly/arrange transfers to medical/legal/other appointments
Listen to people's physical or emotional fears, or joys
Comfort the sorrowing and lonely
Provide spiritual encouragement and prayer support
Promote health and safety for persons of all ages
Support links with community health care providers and connection with needed community services
Orient and coordinate volunteers associated with the ministry.

Using Jesus as the model, Parish Nurses use their professional skills, and knowledge, spiritual gifts and abilities, to facilitate and promote congregational and community wholeness and health.

Every person is sacred, and is treated with loving respect and dignity. All programs that are or may be developed seek to build on and strengthen capacities of individuals, families, & the congregation to care for one another in light of their relationship with God, the community of faith, and the broader society.

God's Word

Foundation for Parish Nursing Ministry

'Strengthen weak hands. Help the tottering to stand, and strengthen feeble knees.' - Job 4:3(b)

'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.' - II Corinthians 1:3-6