Hospital visitation: an important ministry for elders

Members in the hospital need pastoral visits, but not always from the pastor. Local lay elders can have a vital hospital ministry. The fol lowing guidelines will be helpful.

1. Turn gossip into a gift. Assign members who always seem to know everything that goes on the responsibility of notifying the pastor or head elder when a member is hospitalized.

2. Go immediately. Hospital stays are getting shorter and shorter, and people feel neglected and even rejected if some one representing the church doesn't visit.

3. Check at the nurses' station as a courtesy to the caregivers. You might learn something about the patient's illness and ensure that a visit is not out of order. This is especially important in an obstetrics ward, where special rules may apply.

4. Befriend others in the room. They may be longing for spiritual encouragement.

5. Don't wake the patient. Finding rest is difficult in a hospital. Write a sentence or two on a card and leave it by the bed.

6. Don't sit or lean on the bed. This can bring serious discomfort to a sore body. Instead, offer a lingering hand shake as you begin your visit. It shows you care.

7. Be cautious in asking about illness. The patient may be facing immediate surgery or a serious diagnosis, such as malignancy. The direction of your visit and its length should follow the particular need of the situation. It is better to get your information at the nurses' station, but the nurse might not be available or willing to tell you. So you might ask the patient: "Are you in for something serious?" or "How are you feeling?" You could also say with a reassuring smile: "Tell me what's been happening with you." You'll learn what ever the person wants to share about the illness.

8. Be sensitive to anxiety. Some patients suppose that good Christians should not suffer fear or worry. They simulate a courage and bravado that they don't genuinely feel. If you sense this happening, gently encourage them to air their negative feelings so you can bring relief.

9. Be positive. Bring in a little sunshine. Keep in mind, though, that the hospital is not a place for boisterous frivolity.

10. Listen much. Don't talk too much, but enough to assure patients that you have heard and understood them. Your mere presence says a lot.

11. Share a text if appropriate. Carry a pocket Bible. Suggested scriptures are in the shaded box below.

12. Be brief. Leave almost immediately if the patient is in pain. In other cases, a 5- to 10-minute visit is usually adequate.

13. Pray. Take the patient's hand and pray specifically for the needs ex pressed. Pray a special prayer with new mothers, asking God to bless their babies.

14. Leave soon after prayer, while its aura prevails. The blessing of the Lord will remain with the patient, and the results of your visit may prove to be eternal.