About this project

Forest Hills Mennonite Church
100 Quarry Rd
Leola, PA 17540
Contact: Cal Yoder, calyoder@foresthillschurch.org

Forest Hills Mennonite Church identified current local healthcare resources within the congregation, including spiritual resources, the Parish Nurse program, Caring Fund that responds to needs of members and a Compassion Fund that responds to need to those outside the congregation, the MMA Sharing Grants Fund and the Pastoral Care team.

The congregation asked the question: “Isn’t Medicare a system that is working? Could we not expand Medicare to cover all persons?”

Forest Hills is assessing the congregation for people without health insurance and considering how to partner with them.

It also encouraged its constituents to create durable powers of attorney.

The congregation took note of the healthcare resources (pastor, internist, two dentists, nurse) within the congregation and made health screening materials and education available to the poor and uninsured in the community. Northern Virginia Mennonite Church continues to assess how the congregation can organize projects to reach out to the community.

This congregation has a strong sense that the study requires a response. It organized a task force to lead the congregation in the next steps of a process to assess the needs of the congregation and consider the possibility of a parish nurse program.

Tabor Mennonite Church
891 Chisholm Trail
Newton KS 67114
Karen Andres, associate pastor, kandres@tabormennonite.org

Organizing a Congregational-based Healthcare Ministry
Tabor Mennonite Church reviewed the steps in establishing a congregation-based healthcare ministry. Its effort started with one person volunteering her services. A group was later formed interested in healthcare ministry. This group surveyed the congregation to assess healthcare needs and the members available to provide services including counseling. They also provide educational opportunities on health issues for the congregation and community.

End-of-life Issues, Cremation vs. Burial, Columbarium
Bethel College Mennonite Church conducted a discussion of end-of-life issues including funeral pre-planning, financial and legal issues. They discussed the issue of cremation versus burial and started using the columbarium in their church yard.
Health Cabinet Organized A Health Cabinet was organized to provide services, such as respite care for care-givers of homebound people, information on the new drug prescription plan and supportive care for transportation.

Center for Healing and Hope
Goshen, Indiana
www.chhgoshen.org/contactus.shtml
Contact: Dale Wentworf (via link above)
(574) 537-1186

The Center for Healing and Hope provides access to basic health services for uninsured and minority groups. It is ecumenical and staffed with volunteers.

Golden Sun
Phoenix, Arizona area
Contact: Leroy WIllems
Leroy.w@cox.net
(623) 910-9647 cell
(623) 215-2509 home

Golden Sun provides housing for disabled people and has connections with the state to provide support services and Mennonite Mission Network, which provides volunteers who live with the residents. Golden Sun will open its second house in February.

Hope Within Ministries
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Contact: Beth Good
Beth.good@hopewithin.org
(717) 653-6728
(717) 669 4123

Hope Within Ministries serves the uninsured in a multiple-county area. It is an ecumenical organization and has paid and volunteer staff.

Compassion Fund
Park View Church
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Contact: Mamie Mellinger
MELLINGM@emu.edu
(540) 432-4317

The Compassion Fund at Park View Church serves seniors with assisted living and has endowed funding.

Shalom Health Ministries
Shalom Mennonite Church
Newton, Kansas
Contact: Paul Fransen, M.D.
Plf64ns@yahoo.com
(316) 283-8223

Shalom Health Ministries is three years old and offers congregation-based health services to members. It works under the pastoral care committee with volunteer nurses. It also includes an active wellness education program.

Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Healthy Pastor Program
Contact: Arthur Kennel, M.D., 507-288-0984, akennel@millcomm.com.

Development: A two-pronged concern fueled the development of this approach to access to healthcare for pastors. One concern was that the level of awareness of the importance of physical and mental health be raised among our pastors and congregations. Secondly, there was speculation that some pastors might lack the resources to have preventive health assessment and counseling. It was also observed that while conference bodies do much to assess the fit of a potential pastor for a congregation, little was done to assess the physical and emotional health of a potential pastoral leader. Yet both spiritual and physical health is essential to a successful pastoral ministry.

From these needs identified, there was a desire to remove the financial barriers to access to healthcare for pastors. Already there are physicians who provide health care to their pastors at reduced rates or free-of-charge. There are pastors who have a good program of health maintenance by their personal physician, which is to be encouraged. This program however, is an effort to remove any financial deterrents that may exist.

While there are willing physicians able to provide these services, the utilization has not been as high as hoped. In talking with conference officials and pastors about potential reasons for the smaller utilization, concerns about confidentiality of the health information was raised. Other comments made by some of the pastors were that they had already obtained their physicals at their own expense from other providers. Others mentioned that they had neglected obtaining their physical. More work in trying to enhance the utilization of the program is being pursued.

Services: On a pilot basis, Mennonite Medical Association members in the Central Plains Conference offer free annual physicals to pastors. Follow-up lab or x-rays needed beyond the scope of what the physician’s office can offer is the responsibility of the pastor.

To augment the utilization of this program and enhance its convenience, a physician located where the meeting was held, completed the physicals at the time of the conference’s annual meeting. The responsibility for providing the physical rotates based on the conference location.