When Pat Lacks retired from her nursing job four years ago, she was open to God’s direction for her life during her retirement years. However, it didn’t take long for Lacks to find out that her vocational calling was her ministry calling as well.
After her retirement, Lacks soon learned about a parish nurse training class being offered by the Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU). She immediately knew this type of community medical ministry was needed in her area, so she signed up for the class. Soon doors began to open, and she began a parish nursing project in Jackson County with help from her home church, Calvary Baptist Church in Scottsboro.
The goal of the parish nursing training, Lacks said, is for participants to learn more about parish nursing and then to go back to their home churches and communities and work to meet the needs of their area.
The best thing about the Parish Nursing Project is that Christians are “reaching out and caring for people physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually,” Lacks said.
“We are mainly about promoting wellness and disease prevention through classes on those topics,” she said. “We encourage people to take care of themselves because their body is the temple where the Holy Spirit lives.”
Health education
Lacks works with people of all ages and all denominations. In the classes she teaches, Lacks teaches participants about the benefits of good nutrition and exercise. She also works to educate people about the signs and symptoms of two of Alabama’s most serious health problems — heart attacks and strokes — and the importance of getting medical assistance as soon as symptoms appear. A recent class on Alzheimer’s disease attracted more than 50 participants.
“We work with our community and our church to reach out to others,” Lacks said.
Lacks emphasizes that in any medical ministry, volunteers must care for the whole person.
“That’s the way Jesus ministered here on earth,” Lacks said. “He took care of the individual’s physical and mental needs first and then talked about their spiritual needs.”
Many volunteers work with Lacks on various ministry projects in the Scottsboro and Jackson County area. While many of the volunteers do have medical training, it is not always required.
For example, volunteers have helped raise money for the disabled and elderly in the area. They also have helped with a garden to provide fresh vegetables to senior adults in government housing, and they have helped transport local people to out-of-town appointments with specialists not available in their area.
“Hopefully we can continue to grow in our ministry because these are people who often fall through the cracks and may not get help from government programs,” Lacks said. “Faith-based volunteer programs can really make a difference in people’s lives.”
Barbara Owen of Alabama WMU praised Lacks’ work in Jackson County.
“Pat does such a good job there, and it’s such a great experience for the church,” Owen said. “It’s important for people to be aware of their needs and to know that they have an advocate when there is a need.
“Ministries like Pat’s are a wonderful way to help us recognize that our physical health is as important as our spiritual health.”
Owen added that while few churches in Alabama have a real health ministry, it is vital for someone in the church to be prepared when a health emergency arises.
“Nurses can do a lot of things in helping people be aware of their needs.” Owen said.
Not only does Lacks work all across her home county, but she has worked in other Alabama counties, as well as participating in MissionsFest and a missions trip to Venezuela.
“I’ve spent a lot of hours volunteering in the last four years,” Lacks said.
In addition to her volunteer work, Lacks has recently returned to work at Jackson County Hospital part time. But her reasons for doing so are more than financial.
“Our parish nurse program is totally a volunteer effort,” she said. “One of the reasons I returned to work is so that I could keep up my skills to share as a volunteer.
“I thank God I have the time and health to work with this ministry,” Lacks said. “God has opened many doors of opportunity for us, and it has been a blessing.”
The Parish Nurse Project is a partnership between Baptist Health System, the Ida Moffet School of Nursing at Samford University and Alabama WMU.
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