Health Matters & Pastoral Care
A Report: Transforming Ministry, Health and Community
By Nan Slavin, RN
June 21 through June 25 I attended the 17th Annual National Conference and Exhibition of the Health Ministries Association in Durham, North Carolina. This year’s conference title was “Faithful Leadership: Transforming Ministry, Health, and Community.” I traveled with two Health Ministers from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chula Vista, and another Faith Community Nurse from Christ Lutheran Church in Pacific Beach.
The evening we arrived we attended a reception hosted by the Theology and Medicine Department of Duke Divinity School, at their refectory. Following this, we attended “worship and celebration in song”. This was held at Goodson Chapel on the Duke campus, a beautiful worship space that had copious windows, allowing the brilliant greenery just outside, along with the soulful music, to enhance our worship experience.
The Thursday, June 22 pre-conference session was hosted by Duke Divinity School faculty and guests. This day-long session, “Formation, Flourishing, and Friendship with God,” included the topics “Scriptural Embodiment: The Body and the Bible,” “Health and Liturgical Practices,” and many more. Although many well-known and respected speakers were presented, I was most thrilled to see and hear Harold Koenig, MD who writes extensively on the subject of evidence supporting the impact of faith on health. That evening, Bishop Will Willimon gave the keynote address on the topic of “Nurturing the Health of God’s People”.
In the conference days that followed, each time slot gave the opportunity to attend various presentations on a wide array of topics. It was difficult to choose which sessions to attend. There were so many interesting possibilities! I chose those sessions that most closely related to my specific role here at the cathedral, and those on topics about which I needed to know more. In my role as Cathedral Nurse, I have been asked to assist parishioners and community members with obtaining cost-free or affordable medication, so the first session I attended addressed identification of resources to help persons obtain and pay for medications.
Other sessions I attended addressed the process of grant thinking and ways to financially support a health ministry, addressing patient and family disappointments with a health-care experience, and the role of the Faith Community Nurse as a first responder for parishioners exhibiting signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I also attended the Faith Community Nurse Networking Meeting.
In addition to the formal education provided, I learned so much from others attending, in informal conversations and debates. I was able to share stories and strategies from the cathedral that could benefit others’ ministries. And maybe best of all, I became friends with my travel companions. These are relationships that will lead to ongoing mutual support and sharing in health ministry.
