Complete Story
 

10/07/2015

Collaborative ministry highlighted on Good Samaritan Hospitals website

Collaboration Makes Us Stronger, Lutheran Saints in Ministry (LSIM)

In 2010, the senior pastor at Abiding Christ Lutheran Church in Fairborn took a much deserved sabbatical. Instead of going to far-away places or back to school, he stayed home! He chose to stay in Ohio and spend equal amounts of time with four local Lutheran churches pastoring, learning, worshipping and collaborating. This was the beginning of Lutheran Saints in Ministry (LSIM).

Many churches have experienced a decrease in membership, especially in small, rural communities. The Lutheran churches in Donnelsville, Fairborn, and West Milton that our pastor spent time with during his sabbatical were no different. They found themselves struggling to maintain full-time pastors and enough resources to keep their congregations robust. But they all saw an opportunity to join together, pool resources and support one another. This idea was enthusiastically supported by the Southern Ohio Synod and a draft constitution was written. The mission of the LSIM as stated in the constitution is:

  • To bring together worshipping people of a common faith to further the work of Jesus Christ.
  • To strengthen our congregations by sharing resources and staff for the common good under the general direction of our Synodical Bishop.
  • To serve the needs and goals of our member congregations.
  • To provide a framework for ongoing cooperative relationships among our member congregations.
  • To provide mutual support between parishes and to maintain a parish presence in each of our local communities.

One of the earliest ideas for sharing staff was to make the Parish Nurse that Abiding Christ already had in place the Parish Nurse for all of the churches in LSIM. Even though the other churches had nurses in their congregations and had members actively performing health ministry team functions, it was decided that LSIM would apply for a grant from the Lutheran Community Foundation to pay the salary for a nurse to function as LSIM’s Parish Nurse. The grant was received and the LSIM Parish Nurse (position) is now five years old! LSIM was granted 501C3 status last year and the task this year is to approve the charter constitution.

It has been very exciting being the Parish Nurse for LSIM. I have offered the same kinds of programs that all Parish Nurses do but to four congregations: blood pressure checks, monthly newsletters, health needs assessments, home and hospital visitation, education, health and spiritual counseling and pastoral support. We have collaborated on our health fair for the past three years and one of our future projects is to standardize all of our first aid kits and meet together to build them. I have learned that every congregation has its own personality and needs and, as a result, I try not to cookie-cutter every program but make it unique to the people. All I have to do is listen and they tell me what they need!

Our long term goals for LSIM Parish Nursing are to increase the number of health-related collaborative events and to support each other’s health ministry teams. There are limitless possibilities when we are a community of believers supporting one another!

Beth Ewing, Parish Nurse
Lutheran Saints In Ministry (LSIM)
Abiding Christ Lutheran Church

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