Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Ministry Encourages
During my ministerial training, I interned as a chaplain at a nursing home. I was shocked to learn that many longtime residents of the home received no visitors. Jesus listed visiting the sick as one of those charitable actions that we can specifically do as unto Him. He said when we visit those who are ill, He counts it as if we were visiting Him (Matthew 25:36, 40).
Two people from our congregation at Copper Hill United Methodist Church, JoAnne Jones and Dong Loomis have been visiting folks at the Meadowbrook healthcare facility just outside Granby, CT. JoAnne plays her Celtic harp for the residents who want to hear it, and the two ladies also offer to read Scripture and pray with those who desire it. In coordination with the recreation director, their focus is especially on the “butterfly list”: those who do not leave their rooms often, or are nearing the end of their lives. These people are often the ones avoided by others because normal conversation may be difficult due to their condition.
In these pictures taken by Dong, JoAnne plays her harp for residents during a recent visit. 