June 2017
The LCMS Northern Illinois District Parish Nurse Network once again welcomed Raida Mansour back to the district in May 2017. Mansour is parish nurse at Christmas Lutheran Church and Diyar Consortium in Bethlehem, Palestine.
Marcia Schnorr, parish nurse at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Illinois, and education coordinator for Parish Nursing for the LCMS, developed the initial parish nurse education for Mansour. Mansour was (and is) the only parish nurse in Palestine so had not role models. Schnorr saw to it that an internship was arranged at St. Paul in Rochelle and other locations in the Northern Illinois District to fill this need.
The NID Parish Nurse Network has been funding a biannual visit for Mansour to return to the district and to attend the annual Concordia Conference for Parish Nurses and Congregational Health Ministries at Concordia University Wisconsin. This year, Mansour’s schedule included an on-site visit to the Friendship Center, which is part of the parish nurse ministry of Kathy Baumgartner at St. John Lutheran Church in Lena, and a coffee hour and presentation/discussion hosted by the parish nurse team in Rochelle.
Mansour was in Mequon, Wisconsin, for part of her visit and recorded a lecture for Lutheran Parish Nurses International, attended the annual meeting for the Parish Nurse District Representatives for the LCMS, and presented one of the keynote presentations for the annual Concordia Conference at CU-Mequon.
The parish nurse ministry in Bethlehem began with service to 14 older adults of Christmas Lutheran Church and has expanded to serving over 1,200 persons in Bethlehem and beyond. Most of her service is to Christian older adults in Palestine, but she also serves young Christian parents and provides an outreach to Muslim women in nearby villages.
Schnorr was privileged to initiate parish nursing and elder care ministry in Bethlehem. She continues to escort teams of parish nurses and others to Bethlehem at least once a year as part of a pilgrimage and ministry of presence.
For more information about the parish nurse ministry at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Rochelle, or the Parish Nurse Ministry (Ajyal) in Bethlehem, contact Marcia Schnorr at 815-562-2744.
Your invitation to Parish Nurse Network
The Northern Illinois District Parish Nurse Network meets most months of the year for a continuing education program. These events are hosted at various churches in the district so there is one to be sure to be close to your congregation if you have an interest in congregational health ministries.
The Education Committee for NID Parish Nurse Education includes Jody Fuchs (parish nurse at Mt. Olive, Rockford), Deb Andersen (parish nurse at St. Matthew, Hawthorn Woods), and Marcy Schnorr (CLM-parish nurse at St. Paul, Rochelle, and coordinator for education, LCMS Parish Nursing).
For a listing of all scheduled gatherings, please contact Marcy Schnorr or check their Facebook page (LCMS-Northern Illinois District Parish Nurse Network). LCMS Health Ministry also provides a video lecture most months that are specifically planned for parish nurses. Visit lcms.org/health/parishnursing to view.