Page 29 - PC Issue 14 Summer 2020

Connection
NEWS
Community Pancake Dinner in Almonte
presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2020
By Claire Marson, St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Almonte, Ont.
The Community Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at St. Paul’s Angli- can Church in Almonte, Ont., on Feb. 25, 2020, was a huge effort by many people around the region with one goal—to help the most vulnerable in our little town.
Thanks to the generosity of the parishioners of Almonte’s Commu- nity Presbyterian Church, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Hillside Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Baptist Church, along with the Lions Club and the Civitan Club (not to mention Paddye Mann Clothing in Pakenham, Ont.), the Community Pancake Dinner
Fundraiser was a huge success! Be- fore even one pancake was served, over $500 had already been raised for the Lanark County Food Bank. But that was just the beginning.
When Shrove Tuesday rolled around, a bevy of volunteers leapt into action, equipped with the amaz- ing gluten-free pancake batter do- nated by Jodie Bowen from the Heart & Soul Cafe in Dunrobin, Ont., and maple syrup from several local pro- ducers. The ovens were fired up at Stonebridge Haven in Pakenham and three men were tasked with cooking the pancakes. Then, for almost the full two hours of service, a trio of octogenarians served stacks of pan- cakes along with maple syrup, 400
sausages and baked beans. With people lining up outside, we opened the church so they had somewhere warm to wait.
At the end of the day, over 200 people were fed. We delivered loaded plates to all the residents at Lanark County Interval House in Carleton Place, Ont., as well as to some peo- ple in Pakenham. When the dust set- tled and the last dishes were washed, tired but happy volunteers counted the take from ticket sales and added up the few receipts for things that had to be purchased (almost eve- rything was donated). Altogether, $1,458.38 was raised, all going to the Food Bank! What an amazing day and an amazing community.
By Laura Van Loon, RN, Parish Nurse/Pastoral Care Nurse, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Saskatoon, Sask.
Being called by God in 2011 to serve as a parish nurse for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Saskatoon, Sask., opened my eyes to a way of serving the Lord that I had not imag- ined. This opportunity came about when our current moderator, the Rev. Amanda Currie, suggested to Session that we add a Youth Minis- try and Parish Nurse Ministry to the staff complement.
As a registered nurse in various capacities of work since 1970, I realized that the care and healing within the context of my life’s vo- cation had prepared me for parish nursing. Serving the body, mind and soul of those whom the Lord leads me to assess and assist gives me joy and thankfulness. Parish nurses care and help in many ways, but they need the training and skill set to carry out the services they pro- vide. There is prayer, ongoing theo- logical reflection and discernment involved. There is understanding of being called by the Lord, and an af- firmation of the call that comes in an instant or with time, thought and contemplation.
What exactly is parish nursing? Parish nursing is a service of minis- try by a registered nurse with unique and specialized knowledge, who is called to ministry and affirmed by a faith community, thus validating the nurse’s call to promote health, healing and wholeness. The Inter- Church Health Ministry educational program, which is offered through the Lutheran Seminary at the Uni- versity of Saskatchewan, is rooted in the vision of Christ as Healer. The Candidates must fulfill the require- ments of core learned competen- cies as developed by the Canadian Association for Parish Nursing Min- istry, a specialized branch within the Canadian Nurses Association.
I serve within the Pastoral Care Committee at St. Andrew’s, which developed the following mission statement in 2011:
“St. Andrew’s Pastoral Care Com- mittee is committed to share the love of God by accompanying individuals on their journey to wholeness in mind, body and spirit by ministering through prayer, service, education, caring and suppor t.”
The chair or convener oversees my position. I have fulfilled all re-
Laura Van Loon, Parish Nurse at St. An- drew’s Presbyterian Church in Saska- toon. CREDIT: AMANDA KIRKPATRICK, RELISH PHOTOGRAPHY.
quirements and professional status as a registered nurse within Sas- katchewan. In this ministry, I work with the Rev. Rober to DeSandoli and the staff to help integrate faith and health in the wellness continuum. The Volunteer Committee includes the minister and myself in ex-officio capacity. My many roles include teaching; health counselling; provid- ing community resources and refer- rals; being present at the bedside in health care facilities; praying in per- son, on the phone, or through tech- nology and the printed word.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Pastoral Care Committee in- creased their phoning ministry, ini- tiated a new walking group through a virtual journey, continued our card ministry and expanded the prayer shawl ministry. We have recognized all St. Andrew’s health care work- ers, including doctors, nurses, per- sonal care workers, a registrar and a physiotherapist by labelling prayer shawls with their name and a heart. Each prayer shawl is dropped off on the person’s porch: a never-before- heard-of porch ministry instigated in times of crisis that continues to open doors through our care of weaving faith, religion and health.
More information is available by con- tacting Laura Van Loon, Pastoral Care Nurse, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 436 Spadina Cres. E., Saska- toon, Sask., S7K 3G6 or by phoning the church at 306-242-0525.
PRESBYTERIAN
29
Opening the Door to Parish Nursing
Helping Where It’s Needed Most
By the Rev. Barry Carr, Community Presbyterian Church in Almonte, Ont.
We at Almonte’s Community Presby- terian Church have recently devoted our fundraising and outreach effor ts to provide assistance for those most af- fected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its socio-economic impacts.
In the early days of the business shutdown, ordered in response to the outbreak, members of the congrega- tion were worried about those who would be out of work and losing most of their family income as a result. Sev- eral members made themselves avail- able to help with groceries or phar- macy errands. Our Pastoral Care team contacted as many of our members and adherents as possible to ensure families and folks felt heard and sup- por ted. From those check-ins came the idea to establish a Special As- sistance Fund. Those financially able contributed a substantial amount of
money to the fund, allowing us to help many people significantly affected by the shutdown.
We also offered financial suppor t to the Lanark County Food Bank, which was experiencing food shor tages and increased demand for services. Altogether, Community Presbyterian Church has been able to offer over $2,000 in assistance for those strug- gling the most and we are still work- ing to help and support people how- ever we can as the weeks stretch into months.
When both of the local long-term care facilities—Almonte Country Hav- en and Stonebridge Manor in Carleton Place—had an outbreak of COVID-19, we par tnered with Home Hospice North Lanark to arrange food deliver- ies for staff working to care for those ill with the virus.
Like many congregations, we be- gan doing online worship services, which has grown from being sim-
ply audio-only services to including music and video as well. This may sound ordinary for some, but for us in a small-town congregation in East- ern Ontario, sharing our worship with friends and family around the globe is a big leap forward.