Calvary Memorial United Church

Health and Wellness Ministry

The dream of having a health-focused ministry at Calvary to complement its teaching and preaching ministries dates back to the 1970s. Although the time never seemed right to embark on such an ambitious undertaking, the dream lived on.

Forty years later as the people of Zion faced the reality of closing their beloved church, they proposed designating a significant portion of their Legacy Fund to creating a Parish Nurse ministry and chose to establish it at Calvary. The time was now right and work began in earnest to make the dream a reality.

With the hiring of Calvary’s first Parish Nurse, Gerti Emslie, the Health and Wellness Committee became a Team working with her towards the goal of responding to the healing ministry of Jesus by being committed to nourishing, sustaining, and supporting the physical, emotional and spiritual health of both the congregation and the wider community. Most of the ministry work to date has been to members of the Calvary congregation; however, the desire to serve the wider community is still the dream of some people folks who see the needs in our neighbourhood. of

In the time Gertie and the Health and Wellness team have been together they have initiated several new services and activities for the benefit of the folks of Calvary. Gertie has made many contacts with folks seeking her help and advice. Her work involves everything for providing information about services available in the community to accompanying some to medical appointments. She enjoys meeting with folks in their homes. In addition she holds a drop-in session every Wednesday morning for people who just want to chat.The team also has been busy with monthly dinners that have provided not only delicious, inexpensive meals but also informative presentations on health topics of interest. With the dinners there develops a warm sense of fellowship that comes from sharing a meal with folks you might never have met otherwise. During the dinners, with the help of volunteer nurses, Gerti also provides a blood pressure clinic.

Four Sundays a year are designated "Souper Sundays" when an amazing variety of soups are served after the service and made available to take home. The bulletin or the website will tell you the date of the next soup day.

Gerti retired in November 2023 and will be greatly missed.

However, in early December Sally White began her ministry as Calvary's Faith Community Nurse and the Calvary people look forward to welcoming her.

GREETINGS FROM GERTI

Greetings from Gertie:

My Role as Your Faith Community Nurse

I am so excited to be here as YOUR Faith Community Nurse and want you to know how it works. A Faith Community Nurse uses a holistic approach to health care by encompassing the body, mind and spirit in the following ways:

advocates to walk alongside, encourage and strengthen your whole being
educates to teach you about aspects of health, wellness and daily living
negotiates and refers to community and healthcare services you are entitled to
provides spiritual care and comfort to guide you through your life journey.

I am available to meet with you at your home or you can see me at my church office. If you prefer, we can just talk on the phone or correspond by email ...... the choice is yours.

I look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns or even just to say hello.

Take good care and be well,

Gerti Emslie, RN

Faith Community Nurse

Gerti Emslie

Faith Community Nurse

A Change of Title

The Parish Nursing Interest Group (PNIG) is part of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO). On December 21, 2018 the RNAO Board of Directors approved a proposed name change from Parish Community Nursing Interest Group to Faith Community Nursing Interest Group.

The term "Parish" has a strong affiliation with the Catholic denomination and many Parish Nurses wanted the name to be more inclusive of all denominations and faiths. The vote to change the name was 95.5% in favour of using the term Faith Community Nurse to replace Parish Nurse.

I will be taking on the title of Faith Community Nurse, but my email will remain the same.

Gerti Emslie