By Editor Bob Terry
Chester was sitting on my far left as I faced the congregation from the pulpit. He sat on that same side pew every Sunday. Chester was a farmer who lived about a mile from the small, country church I served in my first pastorate.
I was about to issue the invitation when Chester made an audible groan and slumped to his right. His head hit the shoulder of the person sitting next to him and then slid down into the lap, knocking a hymnal to the floor. All eyes in that small church turned toward the noise.
Chester’s wife, sitting on the other side of the church, saw her unconscious husband slumped across the pew. She screamed and bolted across the front of the church to where he lay. With one breath, she pleadingly called his name. With the next, she urged those around her to “do something, do something.” Chester had a history of heart problems and everyone feared the worst.
Unfortunately no one knew what to do or how to help. It took a few moments before someone went to a telephone to call an ambulance. It was another 20 minutes before the ambulance arrived.
Chester survived. He had forgotten to take his heart medicine that morning. When the medicine finally got into his system, he responded quickly. Still it was a dangerous and frightening experience. It taught us all that even a church needs to be able to respond to emergency situations.
An experience on a recent Sunday morning again illustrated that point. I was sitting in the choir, my usual place when I am not preaching in an Alabama Baptist church. The pastor had just issued the invitation when one of the choir members slumped in her seat unable to stand. She was unconscious. This time, a physician was nearby. He quickly moved to her side and was joined by two members of the church’s first aid team. One brought an AED (automated external defibrillator) with her.
First aid team members are trained to respond to medical emergencies of all types. Some are medical professionals but their role is first aid. Debbie Moss, minister of health and wellness at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Birmingham, said team members deal with everything from cardiovascular–related issues to strains and sprains.
Most of the incidents are minor — cuts and scrapes, beestings and the like. Some are serious. Moss recalled one stretch during which local Emergency Medical Response Teams were at the church six weeks in a row. She said team members are trained for worst-case scenarios. They are supported by training, communications equipment to allow them to get to the place of need quickly and sufficient medical equipment to help them stabilize an individual and provide basic life support until paramedics arrive.
A large church in another state reports an average of one incident per service necessitating actions by the church’s first aid team. That church’s first aid team even dealt with the death of a member who suffered a heart attack while exercising in the church’s activities center.
But no matter the size, every church needs to be prepared to minister in the midst of medical emergencies. Someone is going to slip and fall. Some child is going to run into something and hurt himself or herself. Someone is going to have a heart, blood pressure or blood sugar problem and need help. It is only a matter of time until every church faces some type of medical emergency.
At the very least, a church should have a basic first aid kit available and someone who is trained in basic first aid treatment. From that small first step, churches can become proactive and form first aid teams to function at every church service.
Certainly Alabama Baptist churches want to make sure they are doing everything they can reasonably do to take care of their church members and visitors. That includes having medical resources available when needs arise.
Moss pointed out that having the first aid team available raises the comfort level of all church members. Members know that if an emergency arises, then there will be someone there who knows what to do and how to do it. That sense of security enables older adults, especially, to participate in church activities without fear of what might happen.
Having a first aid team also means that during those precious minutes before a paramedic can get to the person in need, trained volunteers are there providing basic life support. That can be a critical advantage in a serious medical emergency.
For example, the American Heart Association says early treatment with an AED can increase the survival rate of a sudden cardiac arrest victim tenfold. Because of this, some expect AEDs to become as commonplace in churches and businesses as fire extinguishers.
First aid teams do not increase the church’s liability exposure either. A representative for Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., a company that insures more than 30,000 churches nationwide, said churches and individuals that perform medical services in emergency situations are covered by the church’s general liability insurance in most cases. Still, checking with a church’s insurance agent would be wise.
First aid teams are not commonplace in Alabama Baptist churches but they should be. The need is there. Equipment is available. Training is accessible. All that awaits is the decision of the church to do all that it can for the people it serves.
A first aid team would have been helpful when Chester lost consciousness. One was helpful to the lady in the choir. A first aid team would be helpful in your church the next time someone is hurt or has a medical emergency.
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