REPORT of the PARISH HEALTH MINISTRY TASK FORCE

CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE

September 2001

CONTENTS

1. INFORMATION FOR CHAIRS OF SELECTED FOCUS GROUPS *

2. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS *

3. GROUP MEETINGS *

4. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS *

5. COMMENTS FOR THE LEADERS/RECORDERS *

6. NOTES FOR LEADERS *

7. LETTER OF INVITATION TO CHAIRS OF SELECTED GROUPS *

8. EXAMPLES OF PARISH LEAFLET ANNOUNCEMENTS *

9. WHAT OTHER CHURCHES ARE DOING *

1. INFORMATION FOR CHAIRS OF SELECTED FOCUS GROUPS

WHAT A FOCUS GROUP IS:

Focus groups are carefully planned discussion groups. They are a way to collect information about people’s feelings and thoughts about particular questions.

1. What do you believe are the health concerns and needs of people in our parish?

2. What are your thoughts about the parish exploring ways to assist you with those needs?

Anonymity within the group cannot be guaranteed, but anonymity of reporting the responses outside the group will be protected eg, when reporting to the parish at a later date. We expect that anything said in the group stays in the group.

WHAT A FOCUS GROUP IS NOT:

Focus groups are not intended to develop agreement among the participants. They are not intended to create an agreeable plan or to make decisions about which course of action to take. Later on when the data are examined by the steering committee, we hope a plan of action will emerge.

ROLE OF THE FOCUS GROUP LEADER AND RECORDER?

For each group, two parishioners have volunteered to lead the discussion group and record the results. Their jobs are to create the relaxed atmosphere, to clarify the focus questions, to support group discussion by all who wish to participate, and to record results accurately. The recorder will use a flip chart so the group can ensure accuracy. To assist the recorder, we would like to tape the group session if that is agreeable to everyone in the group.

WHAT OTHER PARISHES ARE DOING

The Christian Church, following the example of Jesus, has historically been a major player in health care and healing ministries until quite recent times. Some people are wondering if it is time for churches to become more involved again. Across Canada, parishes in Anglican and other denominations have already begun active programmes.

Each programme is different and meets the needs of the specific parish. Christ Church Cathedral here in Victoria, for example, has a Health Committee consisting of various health professionals--nurses, doctor, and priest. Their main project to date has been support for family caregivers. They have monthly networking lunches and invite speakers on a variety of topics of interest and assistance to these caregivers. The Committee has also acted as a resource and advocate for particular parishioners who have asked for support with various health situations.

Parish Nursing is another model of church involvement in health and healing. There are three or four Anglican parishes in Greater Victoria who have parish nurse programmes or are in the process of creating them. Our neighbour, First Metropolitan United Church, is also exploring the Parish Nurse option. There is a 3 year Diocesan Task Force On Parish Nursing. Education programmes exist at several Canadian universities.

St.John’s Steering Committee on Parish Health does not know what sort of programme, if any, will be deemed desirable by the congregation. It is the purpose of the focus groups to help answer those questions.

2. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

This chronology details the major steps that were taken. The discussions were begun by a small group of people interested in a Health ministry. On the basis of informal contacts within the parish it became clear that some needs were not being adequately met by existing health or parish services. It was decided to determine how widespread the problems were and whether the church had a role in addressing these needs. Involvement of interested parish members at every stage of the process became the guiding principle of activities and is reflected in the logbook below.

3. GROUP MEETINGS

4. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS

1. What do you believe are the health concerns and needs of people in our parish?

Probes, or re-framing questions to keep things on track

2. What are your thoughts about the parish exploring ways to assist you with those needs?

Probes

5. COMMENTS FOR THE LEADERS/RECORDERS

This is a follow-up to our large group meeting. The steering committee didn't feel you needed another large session given your busy lives.

We will have the following materials available to you as a resource:

1. The Seniors directory of community resources
2. A list of 2 or 3 professional resource people to help you in the event that an unusually pressing situation is brought forth during the discussion. You can feel free to call them as you need.

1. We have sent a letter to the chairs of the various committees explaining the purpose of our activities and including an information sheet to explain the focus group process and to share information about what other parishes are doing in the health field. It is anticipated that they will likely share this sheet with their group members.

2. About a week after they receive the letters, a member of the steering committee will call them to answer questions and further explain the process of focus groups. We will strive for groups of no more than 15 - give and take a few persons. If there are more people who are interested we will form more than one focus group for that population.

3. Once we have heard from the group about its willingness to participate, the leader and recorder who are assigned to the group will be notified. We will also know if they have agreed to have the session tape-recorded. It is at this point that you can feel free to phone the contact person for your committee to arrange a suitable time to do the focus group.

4. Either immediately or as soon as possible following the meeting ,the leader and recorder should meet to debrief. Howard estimated that this would take about 1 1/2 hours but it may be much shorter. The intent of the debriefing is to verify that you both agree about the main points to be recorded while these are still fresh in your mind

5. The Steering Committee will do the analysis as we go and will seek the help of Howard Brunt in this task.

We have put together the following material for your use.

From our group meeting you should already have copies of:

We have prepared the following additional materials for you

• what is a focus group
• what other parishes are doing in the health area

1. Use the notes of How To Facilitate a Focus Group and Focus Group Instructions to guide your actions.

2. When you begin, review how the meeting will be conducted

1. Check to see if permission to use a tape recorder has been given. If it has, check at the beginning of the session that people still agree with the taping. Explain that it is a way of assisting that the key issues are correctly identified. Reassure the group that once the final report is written, the tapes will be erased.

1. Provide a clear statement of the purpose of the group meeting .

Remind people that we want to hear their stories/ concerns to identify broad issues.

2. Tell people how the group will be conducted (time expectations, nature of discussion, how recording will be done, facilitation methods)
3. State the expectation that anything that is said in the group should stay in the group except as it identifies an issue which will be recorded on the flip chart
4. Reassure the group that names will not be used in the final . Reassure participants that anonymity of persons in reporting the responses outside of the group will be protected.
5. Note that participation is entirely voluntary and that a person may leave at any time or simply not respond to the questions
6. Note to the group that a final report will be made to the congregation, most likely in an open meeting and with notes in the leaflet.
7. Ask for questions about the process before you begin

3. The focus group questions should form the basis of the discussion. Use the probes to clarify any story/example that is given.

Remind people that they should use their own personal definitions of health in answering the questions.

4. Should a personal pressing situation be described during the discussion, invite the person to speak to you afterwards rather than involve the group in the discussion.

1. Use a flip chart and record the key things that come out in the discussion. Clarify with a speaker that you have correctly identified the point(s) made by an individual.

2. Following the session, review the tape and make additions/changes as needed

3. Submit the final sheets to either Jessie or Sara for analysis

7. LETTER OF INVITATION TO CHAIRS OF SELECTED GROUPS

Chair, ----------- Committee

Dear

Many of the stories about Jesus show his concern for healing people, and in earlier centuries the church was often the central health provider in western society. Some of us are wondering if the church should again have a larger role in health and healing. You will have read in the church leaflet that some members of the parish have been discussing a health ministry. Several churches in the Victoria area already have such a program and the diocese has a Diocesan Parish Nursing Task Force. A group has been formed from interested parishioners at St John's to organize our discussions (see the list below). Additional people from the congregation have also volunteered to help us with this task.

In order to determine our direction we need information about the views of the congregation. To obtain this information we would like to hold discussions with various parish groups. We need to know what the parishioners think about their health needs and whether the parish can assist in meeting these needs. There are many definitions of health but we believe that your personal definition of health is the most important one for our discussions.

Your group is one of the church groups that might be very helpful to us. We would like to hold a meeting with interested people in your group. This would involve having someone come for about 45 minutes either at one of your regular meetings in the fall or to a special meeting on a separate occasion for those persons who are interested in the topic. The discussion will center around the following two general questions:

1. What do you believe are the health concerns and needs of people in our parish?

2. What are your thoughts about the parish exploring ways to assist you with those needs?

Two of us will come to hear what your group thinks, and we will put your ideas on a flip chart so you can tell us if we heard you correctly. With your group members' permission, we would also like to use a tape recorder to assist us in this regard. We will not be reporting details about anyone's personal situation, but we would like to get a good feel for whether the church could be of assistance in health matters.

Once we have examined the information from all the groups, our plan is to share the results, both in the leaflet and at a general meeting if appropriate. The parish can then decide if there is a need the parish could meet.

About a week after you receive this letter and before you talk to your group, you will be contacted by one of the steering committee members to discuss your group's participation. This will give you an opportunity to learn more about the process and to have any questions answered before you go to your members. We realize that it is necessary for you to ask your group members for permission before replying to us. To assist in their decision we have included a hand-out with this letter that will help them think about participating.

We hope that you will be able to participate in the examination of health and healing within a Christian context.

Sincerely

Steering Committee on Parish Health, Church of St John the Divine.

Sara Chu

Karen Fast

Carol Godwin

Judith Knoop

Jessie Mantle

Harold Munn

Lois Powell

Tim Stewart

8. EXAMPLES OF PARISH LEAFLET ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dear Friends at St John’s:

During the last ten years there has been keen interest in viewing congregations as Communities of Health and Healing. In an age where chronic illness predominates, improvements in health are seen to depend mainly on lifestyle changes and volunteer caregiving. In the eyes of many, this is more readily accomplished by churches than by hospitals. Many people have not thought of the church as having a health mission. But one author notes that "Congregations promote health through community building, enhancing the meaning of life, nurturing core spiritual values, and sponsoring health-related programs."

The Church of St John the Divine already offers many programs which can be seen to impact on people’s health. Some of these are : Pastoral Care; Family Life Ministry; Emergency Food Service; Parish Education; and the Healing Ministry. Other programs which may less obviously impact health would be: many of our outreach programs under the umbrella of Social Justice (for example: Project North); the Street Ministry (for example Night Shelter); liturgical programs (for example Memorials which help in dealing with grief, Compline services).

The idea of a nurse enhancing the health services of a congregation today is less than ten years old but stems from an ancient tradition. For the general public, nurses embody whole-person health care and the parish nursing movement is one of the most rapidly growing services within the broader health care field. Training programs in clinical and academic settings are evident all across Canada. Increasingly, faith communities are seeking to include a parish nurse in their staffing.

It seems timely that St John’s begin to explore whether this role should be included in our services. We invite you to read the attached article . If you are interested in sharing in some discussions about the feasibility of having a parish nurse in our St John’s community ,we invite you to a meeting on November 18, 1999 at 5:00 pm at the church . Please let Catherine McKenzie know if you can attend.

Yours in Christ

Sara Chu, Jessie Mantle, and Harold Munn

AN OPEN MEETING

PARISH NURSING AT ST JOHN’S

IS THERE A NEED?

January 23^rd, 2000 at 1:30 PM in the Lounge

During the last ten years there has been keen interest in viewing congregations as Communities of Health and Healing. In recent decades, many people have not thought of the church as having a health mission. But one author notes that "Congregations promote health through community building, enhancing the meaning of life, nurturing core spiritual values, and sponsoring health-related programs." . As the population ages and chronic illness predominates, improvements in health are seen to depend mainly on lifestyle changes and volunteer caregiving rather than on technological interventions. In the eyes of many, this is more readily accomplished by churches than by hospitals. Within the local Victoria area we are feeling the effects of restructuring the hospital and community health care system as well as an increasing number of seniors who are concerned about the health services.

Currently there are 5 churches in our diocese that have parish nurses on staff. A Diocesan Parish Nursing Taskforce has just completed the first year of a 3-year mandate. It serves the diocese by promoting the concept of parish nursing and providing resources to churches interested in starting a program.

Nature of the Service

Parish nursing is viewed as a ministry. It supports the existing health care services by filling in the gaps. The overall principle of parish nursing is to integrate faith and health. A registered nurse specially trained in parish nursing would work with the clergy and pastoral staff as well as congregation members to create a parish community of health and healing.

In practice, the range of services offered by a parish nurse is varied. It may include but is not limited to any of the following:

1. Home / hospital visiting
2. Healing services
3. Health education resource
4. Identifying both health needs and health resources in the congregation
5. Listening and prayer

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC, PLEASE JOIN US AT THE OPEN MEETING TO DISCUSS IF ST JOHN’S PARISH SHOULD CONSIDER HAVING A PARISH NURSE AND IF SO, HOW MIGHT WE GO ABOUT IT?

ALL INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION ARE INVITED TO ATTEND

If you have questions, feel free to contact Jessie Mantle (595-8638) or Sara Chu (595-0363)

The following material comes from our various contacts and meetings with people from other churches and from Lynda Miller, Chair of the Diocesan Task Force on Parish Nursing. It is by no means an exhaustive review but provides some information about health ministry in some of our neighboring parishes and other areas of the country.

Christ Church Cathedral

Sara Chu was in contact with one of the members of their Parish Health Team. They have developed a mission statement and other basic ground rules. In January ,2000 their team included a retired priest, 4 nurses, a health care recipient and a physician available for advice. A major focus for the team is caregiver luncheons, usually in mid-week, combined with the midweek Eucharist. There is usually a speaker on some topic of interest such as living wills and legal guardianship and end of life issues. There has been at least one instance where a member of committee acted as an advocate for a parishioner by attending a family conference.

First Metropolitan United Church

Early in 2000 a small group at this church prepared a simple survey of three questions which was given to parishioners following a morning service. About 60 needs were identified in the health field. The first task was to develop and train a Visiting Group. In July, 2001 they advertised and hired a Health and Wellness Coordinator. This person is a paid half-time appointment. It is planned that this person will act as an advocate and support for those who are ill as well as those who are caregivers for others. Home visiting will be a part of the ministry as will supervising volunteers and coordinating Health Education Forums.

North Shore Alliance Church, Vancouver

Carol Woodyard has been a parish nurse at this church since spring, 1999. She has a 22 hour/week paid position.

St Peter's Lakehill

This church has a parish nurse, Norah Fisher, paid by an honorarium

In December 1999 we learned of other work. At this time other parishes who have a parish nurse are: St Michael and All Angels, Chemainus/Crofton; St James, Nanaimo; All Saints, Ladner; First Baptist, Duncan; Brentwood Chapel, Sidney. The Church of Our Lord in Victoria and St Andrew's Sidney are actively involved in this area.