The one great objective in all branches of the work of God is the salvation of souls. To this end all sanitarium activities and programs should bend, and upon the chaplain of the institution rests a heavy responsibility for keeping " first things first." To just the degree that physicians, managers, nurses, and general helpers maintain the true vision of God's ideal in the work and influence of the medical institution, and co-operate for the carrying out of that ideal, will the stamp of heaven be placed upon the efforts put forth.
Patients who come to the sanitarium, although they cannot fail to recognize that our institutions do not begin to compare with the medical institutions of the world, should intuitively become conscious of the fact that " God is in this place," and forthwith experience a feeling of safety, rest, and quietness, which will do much in laying the foundation for restoration to health.
As a means to this end, it is a good plan to place in the hands of each patient as he registers at the desk, a printed announcement concerning the spiritual activities of the institution and an invitation to participate in these services. A card which serves to good purpose [size 3 x 41/2 inches, printed on tinted stock] reads as follows:
We Welcome You To..............
As you become a member of our family, we desire to do everything possible for your comfort and benefit while you are here.
The Chaplain wishes to offer his services in the way of spiritual consultation, Bible study, or prayer, at any time, and to all who may desire it; and especially invites you to the daily Morning Worship in the parlor immediately following breakfast.
(Name)..............................................
Chaplain.
Office: Room No. .........
Telephone:.......................
In our sanitariums far too little thought and consideration is given to the morning worship hour. During the brief period thus allotted, every possible cog in the machinery of the institution should pause. Emergencies may arise which, of course, demand attention, but it should be the rule that doctors, business managers, dietitians, and heads of treatment rooms should attend morning worship.
Not infrequently doctors, dietitians, and head nurses are on their rounds during the worship period, and patients are sometimes required to take special treatments during this time. Not only are these influential officers of the institution absent from the morning worship themselves, but they hinder patients who would attend or who desire to listen-in over the radio and share in the spiritual blessing afforded by the occasion.
The stream cannot rise higher than its source, and very soon, the patients come to the conclusion that the institution is about the same as any other, and the spiritual activities which it maintains are designed for only a few. Hence there is a lowering of the divine standard set for the institution, and consequent failure to measure up to the opportunities for ministering to the spiritual needs of the patients.
The plan of placing cards bearing Scripture portions on the trays sent to patients' rooms each morning, and using them as " place cards " in the dining room, has decided merit. That the patients appreciate these cards is evidenced by their use of them. Often the cards are sent to friends, and at other times they are placed in the patient's scrapbook.
When the patient leaves the sanitarium, an invitation is extended to call at the chaplain's office, where he is given the privilege of selecting •books from the " Busy Men's Library " to take home with him. A year's subscription to Present Truth is provided for every patient who registers at the sanitarium, and a weekly copy of the Signs of the Times is placed in patients' rooms. Tracts on a variety of subjects are handed out in appropriate time and manner. This program of continuous literature seed sowing is not without results.
The patients who leave the institution should not pass beyond the range of thought and attention, but should receive an occasional letter making inquiry concerning spiritual and physical welfare, and offering to send literature on any subject desired. The chaplain feels well repaid for such follow-up interest when he receives a message from a former patient such as this:
" I like Loma Linda! One cannot but recognize the religion which is not made intrusive, but forms a wholesome, helpful atmosphere, and quietly permeates the lives of your doctors,
Pip nurses, and employees. This gives one faith, too, in the scientific knowledge which prevails throughout the institution, so that he is willing to trust the lives of relatives and friends to your care."
Let us never forget that all institution workers, whether sanitarium, college, or publishing house, are a united working force in the closing drama of earth's history, and must ever have all plans and policies tend toward making " first things first."
Loma Linda, Calif.
