Pastoral/Health Ministry

Health Ministry provides hope and Christ’s love to those in need of healing in body, mind or spirit.   The Faith Community Nurse is the initial contact for parishioners with health or Social Service needs.  Problem/need assessment and intervention can occur over the phone, by appointment at the church or during a home, hospital or nursing home visit.  Our Faith Community Nurse is educated to incorporate nursing and medical concepts with theology so that care is focused on healing the body, mind and soul.

 Health Ministry is composed of many different ministries working independently toward health and wholeness in body, mind and spirit for our parishioners and the greater community.    The health ministries are as follows:

Blood Drive – occurs two times a year, one during the spring and the other at the beginning of summer. Call the parish office to sign up for a donation time.

Seniors Social Group - group of retired and semi-retired persons who get together at least once a month for lunch and often times an outing.  We have gone to Washington DC, Baltimore and Annapolis to name a few.  The members create the schedule for the year.  Check out the most recent schedule on the St Francis website at instrumentofpeace.org. New members always Welcome!  Literature helpful to senior citizens can be found on the bookshelf in the gathering space.

 Prayer Team – has about 14 people who take turns getting prayer requests out of the basket in front of the church (to the left of the alter), from the prayer telephone line at the church and the prayer request link on this website.  Once the requests are picked up, the prayer team member distributes the requests among the 14 members.  Each member than prays for the requests given each day for at least 7 days.  Prayer has been found to be a powerful tool in healing. New members are most welcome!

Blood Pressure Screening Team – has about 15-20 people who take blood pressures after masses once a month.  All of the people on this team have professional training in taking blood pressures.  They have all been trained as health care professionals in one way or another.  We take about 15 blood pressures a month, but would like to screen many more people.  The table set up for taking blood pressures also has a lot of educational material about high blood pressure and heart and blood vessel health.  The faith community nurse reviews the blood pressure readings and calls people who have elevated blood pressures to encourage them to follow up with their doctor. Come on in and roll up your sleeve to LIVE!

Postal Ministry – has about 4 volunteers.  Some of these volunteers make cards and another volunteer signs and mails the cards to people who have had someone in their family die, experiencing a bad illness or going through a really hard time.  We send about 25-30 cards each month.

Prison Ministry – has 20-25 volunteers.  We go, 2 ministers each week and provide a communion service and some fellowship for imprisoned men. The prison we visit is a medium security prison for men. We also have ministers who run a bible study on Saturday 3p - 5p for the men.  We always go in with at least 2 ministers at a time.  We provide a Christmas service as well.  The ministers in this group go into the prison about every 6-8 weeks. NEW MINISTERS ARE NEEDED.

Meals that Heal – is a program that provides meals to parishioners who are having a difficult time due to illness or crisis.  There is a parishioner who coordinates this program.  We have about 30-40 volunteers willing to make meals for others as needed.  We always find out about special diet needs, allergies and likes before setting up meal delivery.  We will deliver to a parishioner about 2-3 times a week as needed. NEW TEAM MEMBERS ARE WELCOME!

Bereavement Hospitality Ministry – provides set-up, management and clean-up for receptions held at St Francis after funerals, at family request.  Volunteers needed.

Pastoral Visitors – visit people who are not able to get to church on their own either due to injuries, illness or aging.  We visit 2 large assisted living homes for senior citizens and 6 smaller privately owned assisted living homes located in our surrounding neighborhoods.  We visit people either on a regular basis or as needed.  Also some ministers visit hospitalized people at Howard County General Hospital. There are about 20 people in this ministry.  Most of the people we visit are elderly.  We bring communion and a sense of belonging to our faith community at St Francis. NEW MINISTERS ARE WELCOME!

Caring for Christ  - offers transportation, running errand/shopping, respite companion service (no skilled care), prayer shawls to the sick.  TEAM MEMBERS ARE NEEDED. Ministry is in beginning stages.  Please contact the faith community nurse for more information.

Lifeline – is a cancer support group that is facilitated by the faith community nurse.  The group meets once a month at a neighboring church.  There are about 8-12 people who come at any one meeting.  Lots of information is shared among the group.  Lots of written information is also available to anyone who comes to the group.  All people are welcome.  Meetings are the 3nd Tuesday of the month 7:30p.

Bereavement Support Group – support group for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one. All are welcome.  Meetings are the 4th Tuesday of the month 7:30p.  Written resources are available. 

Medical Equipment Loan Program – where parishioners can borrow wheelchairs, walkers, canes, potty chairs, shower chairs, crutches and other medical items.  All items are donations to St Francis.  The faith community nurse tries to keep all the equipment in workable order.  People must sign out equipment at the parish office and let the office know when it is returned.  All donations go through the faith community nurse.  

AED Program – is coordinated by the faith community nurse.  The AED program means that our church is registered with Maryland Emergency Medical Services System as a location with an Automated External Defibrillator.  This is used to help get someone’s heart started again after a heart attack.  People must be trained in CPR and the use of the AED before they can provide this service.  We now have the whole St Francis staff trained and several other parishioners.  Training will be ongoing.  Training is offered by the faith community nurse.

 “Potty Training” (Health Information in the Restrooms) – each month the faith community nurse writes or finds health information which is posted in the men’s and women’s bathrooms.  Next time you go to the bathroom at St. Francis look for this!

Faith Community Nurse Services – are available to all parishioners.  These services include consultation on health issues, education, health care advocacy, and health related referrals.  The faith community nurse at St Francis is a Registered Nurse who focuses on health including the entire individual/family in body, mind, and spirit.  A variety of literature and resources are available through the Faith Community Nurse.

Tracey Eberhardt, MS, RN – Faith Community Nurse  410-792-0470 Ext. 214