Celebrate
National
Nurses Week!
May 6-12, 2007

Nurses Christian Fellowship (NCF) joins other nursing organizations to recognize and encourage nurses during Nurses Week. Jesus Christ is our joy and strength. In the midst of our many challenges in nursing, we come together to receive encouragement and direction from the Lord.

Planning an event
Nurses Week events can be small and simple, or big and elaborate. Here are some ideas:

Getting the word out
Be brave! Go beyond your own circle of friends. Invite everyone you can think of, including colleagues who may not share your Christian commitment.

Program ideas
For smaller gatherings, a brief time of Bible reading with discussion, followed by prayer is a sufficient program. Larger meetings, such as prayer breakfasts, will need a more formal program and a schedule to keep things moving.

Almost everybody enjoys sharing a meal together. Plan to have food—anything from simple snacks to a full breakfast. Plan your budget, and ask others to share the cost. Many church groups will enjoy bringing or preparing food for the occasion, so ask! Some larger groups get a caterer and charge a fee. If you are serving food, be sure to ask for an advance sign up, so you will know how much to prepare.

For groups that enjoy having an inspirational speaker, some possibilities might include:

Sample schedules

A Prayer Breakfast
8:30 Welcome and opening prayer
8:45 Breakfast
9:00 Speaker
9:30 Break
9:45 Bible discussion (see below)
10:45-11:30 Prayer for Nursing

A Prayer Brunch
11:00 Welcome, singing & prayer
11:15 Brunch
11:45 Singing and speaker
12:15 Bible discussion (see below)
1:00 Closing prayer

A Prayer Luncheon
12 N Welcome and opening prayer
12:15 Lunch
12:30 Speaker
1:00 Break
1:15 Bible discussion (see below)
2:15 Prayer for Nursing
3:00 Conclude

An Informal Potluck
5:30 Eat
6:00 Bible discussion (see below)
7:00 Pray
7:30 Conclude

A Cafeteria Gathering
12:00 Bible discussion
12:15-12:30 Prayer

Nurses Christian Fellowship

Celebrate Nurses Week 2007

A Passionate Profession of Faith
(ideas for a speaker)

 

Romans 12:1-8

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

I. Profession—a Living Sacrifice
A. What does it mean to “Offer your body as a living sacrifice”?
B. Give an example
C. How can we do this in nursing without becoming a “burnt offering”?

II. Passion—a Transformed Life
A. Overcoming the forces that try to conform us
1. Identifying evil
2. Confronting with grace
3. The role of repentance

B. Renewing your mind
1. Getting to know God— Scripture
2. Seeking the Source— Prayer
3. Finding reinforcement—Christian community

III. Nursing—a Faith-based Ministry
A. An accurate self-assessment
1. I can’t do everything
2. My contribution is essential

B. Body life
1. Know your gifts
2. Value the gifts of others
3. Use them together with confidence

Questions for discussion

Warm-up question: What do you love most about being a nurse?

Read Romans 12:9-21.

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"]says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:
   "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
     if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1. According to verses 9-13, what does genuine love involve?

2. Review the qualities of love in verses 9-13, discussing what each might require of you in your present work setting.

3. Which of these commands is the most difficult for you to practice? What difference would it make if you did do it?

4. Describe a situation at work where you felt wronged by a patient or co-worker. How did you respond?

5. According to verses 14-21, how can you respond to this person in Christian love? What specific positive steps could you have taken (or take now) to do this?

6. Pray for one another in regard to the situations shared.

All Bible quotations taken from Today's New International Version, International Bible Society, © Copyright 2001, 2005 © 2006, Nurses Christian Fellowship, prepared by Judy Shelly

Ideas for Prayer

Invite Requests
You can serve and encourage nurses who work with you by asking them to share prayer requests that can be included in your Nurses Week gathering. You may want to develop a creative form for the requests, or just place a shoe box labeled “Prayer Requests” and slips of paper in the chapel or another accessible place.

Guide the Prayer Time
Whether you lead from the front, or provide a written guide, help participants to move along in the prayer time. Let them know when to begin and end. Honor advertised schedules, so participants will feel comfortable leaving at the appointed time.

Conversational Prayer
Prayer with others can take the form of a conversation, simply directing your group discussion toward God. In this informal style of praying, a participant speaks about only one topic at a time, allowing others to add other dimensions to the request. Prayers are short and topics change naturally, as in a conversation with friends. One person can be asked to begin the conversation, and another appointed to conclude at the set time.

Prayer Partners
This is a more personal, and often less intimidating, style of prayer. Ask participants to choose one other person with whom they feel comfortable praying. Prayer can be guided, either through a written list of suggestions or a leader can suggest topics or requests from the front.

Formal Prayers
Many nurses will feel more comfortable praying formal, written prayers. Several examples are given below. You can also find excellent examples in prayer and service books developed by liturgical churches, or the following books:

Prayer in Nursing: The Spirituality of Compassionate Caregiving, by Mary Elizabeth O'Brien (Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 2002)

Moments of Grace: Hymns, Worship Services and Meditations for Caring and Healing Ministries, prepared by David Christian with John Eckrich and Arden Mead (Fenton, MO: Creative Communications for the Parish, 2002). www.creativecommunications.com

Prayers for Help and Healing, by William Barclay (Minneapolis, MN: Harper and Row, 1995)

A Prayer for Nurses
Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our nursing practice from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

A Litany for Nursing (responsive prayer—all respond “Hear our prayer”)

Heavenly Father, you gave your Son to live among us, suffer and die for us that by His wounds, we might be healed. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, you healed the sick and cared for the poor when you lived upon earth. Help us to love those in our care as you love them. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counselor, it is only by your power and direction that we can comfort others. Fill us anew today. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, we commit to you our nation’s health care system. Use us as your instruments to make it compassionate, just and fair. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those who lead our nursing organizations. Give them wisdom, courage and integrity. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We also pray for those who teach nursing, that they would be encouraged and refreshed. Bring more faithful, competent teachers to instruct the next generation of nurses. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Uphold the administrators of our health care institutions and facilities. Make them wise and just, faithful and kind. Strengthen them to stand for goodness and truth, and support them when they are weak. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for our colleagues, that you would encourage, strengthen and uphold them in their daily work. Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, we bring our own petitions before you (fill in your personal prayer and read it aloud in turn) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

© 2007, Nurses Christian Fellowship, prepared by Judy Shelly