Changing Times

Yesterday we were ministering at Fairview Manor, a beautiful nursing home facility just on the outskirts of Erie, Pennsylvania. The attendance was sizeable, and the people joyfully participated in the singing of gospel songs they have been familiar with most of their lives. When I preached from John 4 on Jesus meeting the woman at the well, the people were listening very attentively as I emphasized how that the fact that Jesus "must needs go through Samaria" is a parallel to how He meets each one of us at the time and place of our greatest need. Although no one responded to the invitation for salvation, I felt comfortable that the gospel message of God's love and grace was presented carefully. Many years ago, one man said this: "Personal evangelism is simply presenting Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit...and leaving the results to God!" There have been a number of times over the years where we have learned later on that someone has gone back to their room, thinking about what they've heard in our service, and trusted Christ on their own. We have to be very careful that we are not guilty of trying to "manipulate" people into the kingdom of God! I have been in services where the preacher/evangelist has stretched out the invitation time, almost begging people to come to Christ. If the message of the cross is presented clearly and an opportunity is given to respond by faith to trust Christ as Saviour, then the results are what God wants at that moment. There may be one saved, several saved, or none at that moment. I have always believed that if we pray before we preach, asking the Holy Spirit to work in hearts, then when the service is over, it's over. God has done what He has chosen to do in the hearts and lives of those present.
After the service at Fairview was over, I had a chance to talk with the activity person. She apologized as she told us they had to cancel our services in November and December due to conflicts in the scheduling of other activies. She was genuinely sorry we could not be there, and she didn't like having to cancel like this. Usually they have a set day and time for us that cannot be changed because of other activities, but we asked her "How about another day?" We happen to have some Thursdays open in those two months and were able to fit Fairview into those days. The activity person was estatic! She kept thanking us for adapting our schedule to her needs (almost like Jesus going through Samaria to meet the woman at the well!). We told her that those Thursdays were open because of our having dropped another nursing home off our schedule because of their lack of interest in our ministry.  The facility had "changed hands" and many times we would arrive only to find out they didn't have us on the calendar for that day (and this after ministering there almost 10 years!). I mentioned this in another post, but many of the independent nursing homes are being bought out by larger corporations, who, unfortunately, have little concern for the spiritual welfare of their residents. They have designed or redesigned their facilities with no designated place for church services (or if they have a "chapel", it has been designed as a "meditation room" for only a few people at a time). We also see some of the larger nursing homes moving towards short-term "rehabilitation" centers. In some ways this changes the structure of how the nursing home operates, but for us, we see it as an opportunity to reach people with the gospel who are coming for a short stay and then resuming their normal life activities. There is no doubt that we have seen quite a few changes in the ten years we have been ministering in the nursing homes of northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. But, regardless of this, there is one thing that will never change: mankind's need for a genuine relationship with  God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. And, as long as God allows, we shall remain faithful to His calling to bring the gospel into these facilities. Thank you for your prayers and faithful support that permits us to reach those "living on the brink of Eternity"!

Missionary Pastor Norm Aabye

A Ministry Not Without Its Difficulties!

Recently, our ministry to the nursing homes and rehabilitation centers of northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio have been, well, to say the least....interesting! I don't share the following information to scare off anyone considering a nursing home ministry, but to bring a sense of reality to the work.

While most of the time, our services are orderly and very much appreciated, on occasion they present a real challenge. Such was the case recently while at a local nursing home with some of our church folks. The facility is undergoing renovations, and as a result, has lost or misplaced the songbooks that we use for our services. One was located for me to use so I could lead the singing, but some of the residents became agitated, wanting a book of their own. We had a pretty good attendance that day and it was getting crowded near the door. Several had to be moved around, and that created some confusion. When someone does NOT want to be moved, you're headed for trouble! Priscilla was trying to help out, and one lady grabbed her arm and pinched her. Then her skirt was grabbed and pulled. Finally, one of our church ladies ran to her rescue! One man, who seems to be on a downward trend, kept getting up and moving his chair around. Meanwhile, just outside the door of the activity room, where some other folks from our church were sitting, there was more commotion going on that I found out about later. BUT....despite all of this, a man trusted Christ after the preaching! God seems to override even the most distracting circumstances to bring people to salvation.
Unfortunately, we had to make a decision to discontinue our ministry in another facility. For some time now, we have had some troubles in this home, ever since new management assumed control. They have gone through a number of activity directors, and now have someone in that capacity who was formerly in another facility we ministered in that is now closed. This particular place has no decent room for us to meet in and we have been moved from a dining area to a small room to a hallway with heavy traffic of people interrupting the service by their passing through. I always call the staff if, for some reason, we are not able to fulfill our service on a given day (doctor's visits, illness, car trouble, etc.), but time and again, we have showed up only to find out we're not on the schedule for the day. The other day, after hurrying to pick up my wife from her volunteer work at Foundation Christian School (Pastor Phil Thomas' school) so we could get to the nursing home on time, we arrived once more to find out they hadn't planned on us coming. We decided the time has come to remove this facility from our schedule and look for an opening in another. There's a sense in which this is discouraging because we hate to give up on anyone, but there is also a sense of relief from the frustration of a less-than-positive attitude on the part of the facility's management and staff.
On the positive side, we had a great service at the Walnut Creek Golden Living Center in Erie the other day. While no one expressed interest in trusting Christ, there were many positive comments of appreciation from the residents for our being there, and a first-time visitor who just arrived at the facility the day before, who took a gospel tract. 
The nursing home ministry is extremely rewarding, but you have to learn to balance out the good days with the bad. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

"Living On The Edge"

There is a phrase we sometimes hear when someone who seems to be adventurous risks their life again and again for the sake of thrills or notoriety. We say they are "living on the edge". Well, there's a motto we've used in our ministry to the nursing homes for the past ten years: "Bringing the Gospel to Those Living on the Brink of Eternity!" Now, I'm pretty sure residents of the nursing homes are not adventurous or planning on doing anything that would risk their lives for the sake of thrills or notoriety...but even if they don't know it, they are "living on the edge"; the edge of Eternity! Unless someone is temporarily placed in a nursing home facility for rehabilitation purposes, residents are aware that their final days will no doubt take place right where they are. How important it is, then, that we be there repeatedly with a clear gospel presentation and an invitation to accept Christ as their Saviour. We cannot be sure of everyone's spiritual state who attends our regular services in the nursing homes, but we rejoice when someone openly responds to the invitation and asks Jesus Christ to save them. Such was the case just this past week when a man named Bob came to one of our services for the first time. I saw him sitting in the front row, where he was being helped to find the songs in the book we were using. I preached about the resurrection of Christ and Jesus' words, "because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19). And, I spoke of the fact that if the resurrection is not true, we are yet in our sins, and any faith in Jesus Christ is misplaced (1 Corinthians 15). But if it is true, then all will be raised one day, either to enjoy God's presence forever, or to experience eternal separation from Him. When the invitation was given Bob's hand immediately went up. After the service was over, I went over to him to verify that he had indeed trusted Christ. I was able to give him some large-print material to take with him that had been provided to us by a man interested in our ministry some time ago. I don't know yet if Bob will be a permanent resident at the home but if his decision was true, I know he'll be a permanent resident of Heaven one day! Please pray for Bob and for others who hear the message of the gospel every week. There is one worker at this particular facility who seemed interested but has not yet taken the step of faith. We are grateful for each church that believes in what we are doing. Winning the lost doesn't just take place on a foreign field somewhere. The nursing home is a field that is always "white unto harvest", and its residents are extremely open to hearing of God's forgiveness and eternal life. We appreciate your trust in us to be faithful to God's call upon our lives to reach this often forgotten people group.
On a different note, back in October of last year I stepped on a scale while visiting our son in Missouri. We didn't own a scale so I hadn't weighed myself in a long time. Boy was I surprised! I determined I was going to have to do something to lose some pounds. Priscilla and I started on a low-carb diet that has brought some very pleasing results. No expensive dieting programs, or ordering specialized foods on a monthly basis. No meetings to attend, and no counting calories. We just changed our eating habits, cutting out sugars and carbohydrate-loaded foods, I have lost almost 40 pounds, and my wife has lost over 30! We feel great, have more energy, and our blood pressures are down. In addition I now have a whole new wardrobe....clothes that have hung in my closet for years that I haven't been able to wear, until now! It's good to have people in the nursing homes ask "Have you lost weight?" and to be able to tell them our story. We give all the glory to God, who enabled us to discipline ourselves to stick to our plan.
If you are a pastor and would like to schedule us for a meeting to show a video of our work among the elderly of Pennsylvania and Ohio, or conduct a seminar for your church on beginning a nursing home ministry, please e-mail us at care.ministries@yahoo.com.

Winter 2016 Report

Here in northwest Pennsylvania we have grown accustomed to severe winter weather than can begin as early as October and last until the end of April. Thankfully, so far this winter has been comparatively mild, with only a couple of snow storms and reasonable temperatures. But we take nothing for granted, and expect that, unless the "global warming" hoax turns true, we will once again find ourselves as seasonal winners in the national "most snow" contest! When we moved out here ten years ago we wondered why people made such a big deal about Spring.  Now we know!
Winter can be pretty dreary. All the colors of Autumn have disappeared and the scenery is reduced to grays and whites. But we take heart, because Spring is on the way with all its evidence of new life! Pardon me if I use this as a lead-in to talk a little about the nursing home ministry. Those whose lives have been reduced to a small shared room with a bureau and a side chair, have little to look forward to. Spring for them will be no different than Summer...or Autumn...or Winter. The seasons become irrelevant behind the walls of America's nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and Alzheimer units. While activity departments do their best to provide entertainment and diversions for residents, they cannot meet the deepest need the human heart has: a relationship with God. We have been privileged over the past 10 years to bring the life-changing message of the Gospel of the grace of God to the nursing homes of northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. We are thankful for the faithful support of churches and individuals who believe in what we are doing, and make it possible for us to keep a busy schedule ministering in the homes.
Once again we were able to spend Christmas and New Years with our son and his family in southwest Missouri. While there I was able to share in a service at the local nursing home where my son, Jason, preaches each Sunday morning. He has developed a real rapport with the folks there and gave me an opportunity to share with the residents a little about our ministry.
Upon our return, we started in on our busy schedule for 2016. Although we minister in ten nursing homes in the two states, some are visited more frequently than others, depending on the nursing home's calendar of activities. One of the places we minister in is the Golden Living Center at Walnut Creek in Erie, PA.  Due to scheduling changes (both theirs and ours) over several months, we have missed visiting this facility. When we began the service we found that except for one or two people, the whole crowd was new to us. After the music portion of our service, where I play the guitar (the residents really love the guitar!), I felt unusual freedom as I preached the gospel. At the invitation several individuals responded to trust Christ as their Saviour. Now, there is nothing especially unusual about that. We have been blessed to see God save so many over the years. But what I want to emphasize is the fact that, for the most part, this service was made up of all new people. Every time we go into a nursing home, the possibility exists that some who have attended our services before have passed on; some having trusted Christ, some not. This is an URGENT MINISTRY! Statistics show that only 10% of all nursing home residents know Christ as Saviour. That means that the majority are merely religious and have no hope of Heaven.  We must reach them while there is time. The "winter" of their lives is fast approaching. Only the Gospel can bring a "spring" of new life to them.
Unfortunately, reaching the elderly in the nursing homes is not a high priority for most churches. Missionary efforts and support are usually relegated to church planting or the foreign field. I do not discount the importance of either of those. I have been involved in church planting myself back in Connecticut. But the nursing home is an ever-growing, never fully reached mission field that is literally right in our "back yard"! We would appreciate your prayers for our work. We hope that one day others would catch the burden and the vision for reaching "America's fastest growing, yet most neglected people group". We would love to see other multiple-nursing home ministries started across America. If you would be interested in such a ministry, please contact us.

Missionary Pastor,

Norm Aabye