Health Ministry
The Parish Nurse is a registered nurse who is licensed to practice in Oregon after taking the Basic Preparation Course for Parish Nurses. The ministry rises from the needs of the congregation and the nurse works with a health ministry committee to promote the health and wellness of the congregation. The American Nurses Association recognizes Parish Nursing as a specialized practice of professional nursing that “focuses on the intentional care of the spirit as part of the process of promoting wholistic health and preventing illness in the faith community”. The wholeness God intends for us encompasses the mind, the body and the spirit.
The first Parish Nurse at First Christian Church was commissioned to service in June 2007. In conjunction with the Parish Nurse there is a Health Ministry Council. Many of the members have health professional backgrounds as nurses, physicians, mental health professionals, pharmacists, and church staff.
