Dying For Company

Dying For Company

July 5, 2017 by Jack Wellman

James said that pure religion is visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction (James 1:27), so how can you begin a nursing home ministry in order to practice “pure religion?”

Reasons for a Ministry

Every ministry that Jesus commanded the church to do is laid down in Scripture; from the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1: to the admonition to care for the poor and to feed the flock. Jesus said His body will be visiting the sick, those in prison, making strangers feel welcomed, and help the poor (Matt 25:34-39), and as Jesus sees it, “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40). What you do doesn’t contribute to your salvation, but it does reveal your faith at work because of your obedience to His commands. James writes, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27).” James’ instruction to keep oneself unspotted or unstained from the world is important because God will not accept any work, no matter how good it is, if it comes from unclean hands with unconfessed sins, so if a person is in a right relationship with God and their fellowship is not broken by unrepentant and ongoing sin, there is more than good enough to begin a nursing ministry and one that can include Bible studies, church services, and visitation, or all three.
Booming Population

At the rate that our nation is aging, the nursing home or attendant care homes will see some of the most explosive growth in history, but tragically, the vast majority of those who are placed there are all too often forgotten, becoming a disenfranchised portion of society that society itself has seemed to distance itself from. The first 7 people I spoke with at the local nursing home said that they have never had any visitors since they’ve been there; no family, no friends, and no visits. There are well over a million and a half people living in nursing homes or assisted care facilities, and this doesn’t count shut-in’s who must depend on home health care, and many of these have never had a visitor outside of their care providers; that is if they can even get one. And these residents are not all elderly. Some are placed there after a debilitating accident or injury that left them unable to care for themselves.

NurshingHomeLadies
Dying for Company

The superintendent of the local nursing home told me that within the first two years of living there, about 1/4th will die. Could some of these residents be dying from loneliness or a lack of companionship? Are people literally dying for company? I believe there is strong correlation between living a long life and having companionship. How many have heard of an elderly couple losing their mate, and then their mate follows not long after? Today, there are over 1.6 million residents in the U.S. in nursing homes and of that, roughly 60% receive no visitors at all. [1] That means, for every 10 residents in a care facility, only 4 in 10 receive regular or at least, occasional visits from family and/or friends. What do all these numbers mean? It means that when people are forced to enter a nursing home due to declining age, inability to care for oneself, by disease or by accident, they are often forgotten by society, which might explain why between 50 to 60 percent of people admitted to care homes die within the first two years. Even worse, the mortality rates are highest in the first six months of entering into a nursing home.
Starting from Scratch

You can start your very own nursing home ministry and I can tell you from experience, fewer things are more rewarding to a believer or for a church. Step one is making an appointment with the nursing home administrator. They will usually give you paperwork for volunteers to fill out. They may even require a background check, but you don’t do anything until you first talk with the administrator. After that, they’ll usually ask you to speak to the Activity Director who plans and schedules daily activities for the residents. Be open to times that she thinks works best for the residents and not what is most convenient for you or the church. Since the residents can’t come to our church, we go to them, and provide them with church services on Sunday at 2:00 PM but also visitation at various times during the week. There is a Bible study on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM. These are only the first steps in beginning such a ministry. I just dove into it with no experience, but today I come early before our regular Wednesday night Bible study and look for new residents and new staff to introduce myself to. I search for and seek out those who are frequently sitting alone. I just love the look of their faces when I come into the facility because their faces light up. They love having someone who cares for them, who talks with them, who spends time listening to them, and who offers to and does pray for them. A large number of nursing home residents love to hear the Bible read to them. Perhaps their most enjoyable part of our visits is just sitting and listening to them. They have so much to share and so many valuable lessons they’ve learned. Such wisdom is found only in years and years of living. I believe it is what Christ would have us do, and if He were here, He Himself would be doing this.
Conclusion

Practicing pure religion includes visiting the orphans, widows, shut-ins, those in hospitals and in Hospice in their affliction or suffering. Why don’t you or your church begin a nursing home ministry, but you can’t learn to swim by just sticking your toe in the water. Start communicating with the administration, see what needs are most urgent, support the staff, pray and visit the residents, and I can promise you that you will get such enjoyment out of this that I cannot even express it. Certainly many residents will also enjoy it but don’t expect everyone to just warm up to you immediately. Familiarity takes time and effort but if you are serious about visiting the orphans, widows, and widowers, then you’ll find yourself practicing pure religion, and this is most certainly pleasing to God the Father (James 1:27), and as Jesus sees it, as you do it unto others, you are actually doing it unto Him (Matt 25:40).
Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is host of Spiritual Fitness and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

1. “Nursing Home Care.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/nursing-home-care.htm (Accessed July 3, 2017).