• Rachel Pannell
Posted in Evangelism, Life in the Church, Vision
By Rachel Pannell
Loving Our Neighbor, the third part in our vision statement, is something I have been encouraged to see our church grow in over the years. The ministries we've offered like Single & Parenting and Divorce Care have had an extraordinary impact on those who've attended. In fact, I heard from a mom just the other day who attended Single & Parenting in the spring of 2012, and she mentioned how much the program had meant to her and what an impact it had on her life.
Similarly, the ministries we partner with and support in the community like Hand of Hope, With Love from Jesus, and Habitat for Humanity have a tremendous impact, and we are blessed to serve them. Some of these ministries might not have reached our purview had it not been for members we appreciate whose passion to serve the needy and evangelize the lost brought the ministry to our doors. In fact, we have many members whose heart for the poor, the suffering, and the lost is an encouragement and an inspiration.
Jim Bastic is one such member, and I was blessed to spend an afternoon with him recently talking about the volunteer work he does with Pastoral Care Services in Duke University Hospital's Emergency Department.
When Jim was asked to start volunteering with Pastoral Care Services, he had no idea if he'd be good at it or even felt "prepared" to do it. In his words, "I just wanted to do it, and let God lead. If you believe the Lord is opening a door for you to serve, then you go do it. From the beginning, I've just asked the Lord to direct me to the people He wants me to interact with. And I pray that every time."
So what exactly does this volunteer position entail?
In a nutshell, the Pastoral Care Services (PCS) volunteers work strictly in the Emergency Department. If no one has specifically requested someone from PCS, then Jim walks around the ER, checking the resuscitation rooms first as those are the people likely to be in dire condition. He observes a while and assesses the situation:
There are such a wide variety of causes for people to be in the ER. It's not always heart or breathing related. Often it's some trauma or violence that's happened to them. Sometimes it's accidents, job injuries, shootings, stabbings. It helps to have some idea, and, also, you never want to get in the medical team's way.
Once he does enter a room, in Jim's words, he is just "showing the love of the Lord to people, showing the needy a little human kindness." It's merely loving your neighbor. He offers a listening ear or cares for basic physical needs. Perhaps they need a blanket, a cool rag, food/water if allowed, or their pillow just needs adjusting. Sometimes he is the distraction while they're getting stitches or some other procedure. Jim mentioned one specific young lady:
[Dee] was in tremendous pain, and I never spoke to her. I just sat with her and eventually put my hand on her doo-rag. I didn't know that term until that night. I gently laid my hand there quietly, for like 20 minutes, until she went to sleep.
There are other times, Jim said, when "you are supporting those who already have a relationship with the Lord. Ministering to them, encouraging them. That level of communication, specific to spiritual life, it's really edifying when it occurs."
Although the group Jim volunteers under is called Pastoral Care Services, the volunteers must use discretion as far as what they share.
The goal is not to witness to the ER patients or their family members. It's not to share your religion with them, and you must be respectful of the people and the various backgrounds and religions that you're likely to encounter in the emergency room atmosphere. You are there to serve, and you don't want to jeopardize the program.
That doesn't mean there aren't opportunities to speak truth, to plant a seed, to answer spiritual questions, and once in awhile even an opportunity to share the gospel.
Once, a young lady called to Jim from the doorway of her room, having recognized the PCS volunteer badge he wears, and she started asking him questions.
For whatever reason, she was really open and wanting to hear and learn. It was really amazing. I went through the whole Gospel with her," Jim said. "I was able to share it all with her and answer her questions and that was good. And that was it. I don't know if she got saved. I just got to share.
Another special story Jim shared was about an elderly patient and her husband, both in their 90's.
From what they said they had been in fairly good health most of their lives. Both had good posture, spoke well, and seemed to be mentally clear. In the case of this couple I asked them if they had a church family, and the woman indicated that they had actually helped start a church decades ago and that the church is still there in Durham, but they haven't been going to church for a long time.
I thought perhaps, in deference to their age, maybe that's why they were not going to church, so I said, "Well one thing you can do is read the Bible. Do you ever read the Bible?"
The wife said, "No. When I read it, it's just confusing to me. I don't understand it."
So I ended up being able to go through a wonderful explanation with them, and during that explanation, one of the things I said was, "The Bible says that if you call upon the name of the Lord, you will be saved." That's in Acts 2:21 and in Romans 10.
We continued to talk, and then later in the conversation the husband suddenly went back to that and he asked me, "So, how do you call upon the name of the Lord?"
It was wonderful that he came back to that. But it was really important to talk first about why you need to call on the name of the Lord. So I backed off about that and went down to the basics:
- who we are in our sinful state
- who God is, and
- how God views sin and sinners.
Then I explained the cross and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, what that means, and how you need to take it up for yourself personally and ask Jesus to forgive you personally.
Their demeanor changed a little bit, and I let them know that I recognized it. I said that at their age it is good to consider these things, to talk and think about these spiritual things. Because, I said, you know what? We're not gonna be here 30 years from now.
It was just wonderful.
Then normal life suddenly went on, medical staff came in, etc. They both thanked me. The conversation was over.
I asked Jim how he felt about that. He said,
Sometimes you just run out of time. But The Lord uses those moments, like a trip to the emergency room, as opportunities to cause people to think about such things.
For me, I know that Scripture says some hoe and some water and some bring in the harvest. I guess I'm more of a waterer, and so be it. I just thank the Lord for the opportunity to share.
And many times I walk out after my volunteer shift with a smile on my face, and I've often told people, "You've blessed me a lot more than I've blessed you."
It's really special. It's really rewarding, and I love it!
For those who are considering an outreach opportunity or who think "I just couldn't do that, I wouldn't know what to say," Jim shared something else very encouraging. Every chance he gets, Jim shares Romans 12:12 with people: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. He shares this particular verse because
it provides an opportunity for me to talk through the different levels of hope, and it touches a lot of people in the hospital context and when you're sharing outside of that context as well.
There is no script; conversations rarely go that way. When God brings an opportunity with someone, you just talk to them.
It's being a friend in the moment to a neighbor in need, loving the neighbor God has brought across your path in your neighborhood, at the park, at work, at the store—wherever that path may be.