First Called to Care Conference Both a Success and a Blessing

Before Saturday’s Called to Care: Integrating Faith in Caregiving Conference even ended, some of the methods and measures spoken about were being implemented in our community. The first person that left the conference did so early at a 2:15. He got up and walked right out (much to the disconcertion of the speaker, Dr. Michael Barry). But that’s only part of the story. The attendee hadn’t left the event because he’d wanted to, the Rev. Robert Cole, R.N. left the event early because his shift at the surgical ward at St. Francis hospital started at three and he was due there. “I know Robert well enough to know that he will internalize and utilize the things he’s learned in today’s conference as soon as an opportunity to do so presents itself,” said Tracy Dickerson, one of the event organizers. “I can see him at the side of a patient right now asking: ‘If your heart could talk to me right now, what would it say?’ just as Dr. Barry suggested…That’s just how Robert operates (no pun intended),” she quipped, “…he jumps right on a good idea.”

Good ideas abounded at the Called to Care: Integrating Faith in Caregiving Conference that was offered by Healthy C.H.U.R.C.H. Ministries on November 14th at Eastpoint Community Church in Newark. Two nationally known authors/speakers, Verna Benner Carson, R.N., PhD. and the Rev. Michael Barry, D.Min. spoke to an audience of doctors, nurses, hospice chaplains, social workers, and pastors about the importance of incorporating spiritual nurture in medical caregiving. The conference was the brainchild of Compassionate Care Hospice nurse Tracy Dickerson and a colleague Valerie George, who is the community Liaison for Comfort Keepers. Dickerson, who is also in her final year of seminary at Northpark Theological seminary, had met Verna Carson at a Nursing Christian Fellowship retreat several years before, and has had a longstanding professional friendship with Barry for a number of years. Until Saturday, however, Carson and Barry had never met, despite the fact that the co-author of Carson’s book Spiritual Caregiving as well as several of her other books, Dr. Harold Koenig, had written the introduction to Dr. Barry’s first book A Reason for Hope. Aware that they both also had a passion for the concept of forgiveness and how it impacts health and wellbeing, Dickerson had been wanting for some time to get the two together. The meeting of these two great contributors to the field of spirituality and health exceeded her expectations. Both had wonderful information to impart to the audience and their talks dovetailed beautifully, as if they’d know one another for years.

One of the goals of the conference was the exchange of helpful ideas and information with regard to the intersection of faith and health, but another key objective was that the medical and spiritual communities would begin to network and dialogue. “There is a real need in the community,” says Dickerson “for there to be conversation between these two groups who both hold peoples’ lives in their hands.” That goal was achieved, as well- Rev. Grant Hasty, M.S.W. a chaplain at Compassionate Care Hospice and Director of Red Lion Christian Counseling led worship with Dr. James Ley, and Infectious Disease doctor. With Hasty on the guitar and Ley on the keyboard, the group sang several sacred songs that addressed the topic of caregiving prior to the two lecture sessions. Although this was certainly a departure from the usual at a professional conference, the attendees all agreed that the addition of this time of worship through music created an appropriately reverent atmosphere. Hasty and Ley’s performance was heartwarming and they performed flawlessly. “No one could believe that they had just met an hour before they performed, at 9 a.m. that morning,” said George, who went on to explain that their busy schedules had precluded them from meeting until that morning. “But you would never have known it,” Dickerson chimed in “and the most wonderful thing is that they want to perform together again! It was a fantastic achievement on many levels- it made my point in a very literal sense, proving that medicine and ministry can ‘make beautiful music’ together, and that when they do- people are truly blessed.”