Brotherly Love Ministry - Parish Nursing
The next Brotherly Love Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 17 at 6:00 pm in the chapel. All are welcome to attend!
Parish Nurse Summer Hours I will be available by phone call or text anytime during the summer months of June, July, and August. If I can be of assistance to you, please contact me at 484-223-7324. I will resume the in-person office hours from 9:00 am to 10:15 am in the Fall. Enjoy the summer!
Taking Blood Pressure Readings We would like to to offer blood pressure screening for members of Grace and the community at the monthly Free Community meal. If you would like to take blood pressures for those attending the Free Community meal (the second Friday of each month from 5 pm to 6:30 pm), please contact Kim Vaupel.
WHERE TO FIND...
The AED (defibrillator) is mounted on the wall by the AED sign. There is an emergency supply kit and a diabetic emergency supply kit on the table next to the pew in the Chapel. If you enter the Chapel from the doorway in the hallway by the sanctuary, the table with the emergency care kits will be on your right. This is a more central location than the previous one in the event of an emergency. When you are next at church, please take a minute to locate the emergency equipment.
First Aid kits are in all restrooms and the Sunday School classroom. There is also a first aid kit in the rear of the sanctuary on a table below the bulletin board, and in the kitchen on the counter in Fellowship Hall (downstairs). Feminine hygiene products are available in all restrooms except for the Men’s restroom in the Sunday School wing.
The Brotherly Love Ministry/Parish Nurse bulletin board is by the front ramp entrance.
June Newsletter
The month of June is known for celebrating grads, dads, brides, end of the school year, and the first official day of summer. Families make plans for vacations, day trips to Dorney Park and sporting events, and other outside activities to enjoy “ fun in the sun.” Unfortunately, hunger does NOT take a summer vacation. Many families are affected by hunger and food insecurity during the months school is not in session. Hunger is defined as a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food and the desire to eat. Food insecurity is the condition of not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality to meet one’s basic needs. “Summer hunger” is a term which refers to the increased risk of food insecurity and hunger during the summer months for children, particularly those who rely on school meal programs. These children receive both breakfast and lunch each day at school. But when school is out, these children lose access to free or reduced-price meals.
In addition, families may face financial difficulties during the summer months, making it harder to provide food to their children. There are some school programs in our area that do provide food for children during the summer months. However, not all children have access to these programs, due to parents who work or due to lack of transportation.
Summer hunger affects 30 million children in the United States, and 1 in 5 children suffer from food insecurity, an official term from the USDA to describe when people don’t have enough food to eat and don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Summer hunger and food insecurity can cause physical conditions in children such as iron deficiency and anemia, as well as depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Children who don’t have enough to eat have more issues with language and motor skills. Summer hunger can contribute to a condition called “summer slide,” which is when children forget some of the material they learned during the school year due to improper nutrition and hunger. Conversely, when children are properly fed, their brains are nourished, which sets them up for success in the classroom!
Fortunately, Grace Lutheran Church offers food ministries during the summer months to feed those in need as well as offer fellowship. The Grace Food Cupboard is available weekly on a Wednesday from 2 pm to 4 pm and on Sundays following the worship service. The Free Community meal is offered on the second Friday of each month from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Gracious Seniors, which provides a meal and a guest speaker, will be held on the third Thursday in August.
To help decrease summer hunger for children this summer, Brotherly Love Ministry will be using Grace Endowment funds to donate gift bags of breakfast and lunch food items and snacks. These gift bags will be given to children attending the Grace Food Cupboard starting in mid-June. This donation will be in addition to the weekly food donations given to the Grace Food Cupboard clients.
As you prepare to enjoy the upcoming summer months, please remember to continue to contribute to the feeding ministries offered here at Grace to help feed our brothers and sisters in the community! Remember, hunger does NOT take a summer vacation!
May peace and good health be with all of you!
Kim Vaupel, RN
History: In September 2023, a new ministry was started at Grace Lutheran Church. The goal of this ministry is to promote the health, wellness and safety of the members of Grace and the community. Brotherly Love Ministry was named in honor of my brother Leonard Sterner, Jr. who passed away unexpectedly in September 2019. Since my brother was proud that his sister was a nurse, I have decided to use the memorial donations given to Grace in his name to start this parish nursing ministry. This memorial fund was used to pay for the classes I needed to take in order to obtain a certification in faith community/parish nursing, and also to attend a lay eucharistic communion class. After this, I will be available to assist Pastor Samantha with visiting the homebound and ill of the congregation. I will also be a resource to the congregation to answer any medical questions and offer support to the congregation as needed.
Next I will be updating the church first aid kits, and will create a kit for use in case of a medical emergency which will include a blood pressure cuff, a glucometer to check blood sugars, snacks to treat low blood sugar, and a pulse oximeter to check oxygen levels. I am also asking for anyone certified in CPR to contact me at the number below, as I will be creating a list of those members certified in CPR. I plan to coordinate a one-hour class taught by the Macungie Ambulance team to teach “hands on CPR for the community” to anyone interested in learning this skill.
On a monthly basis, I will be speaking to the congregation about how to prepare in the event of medical emergencies, fire emergencies and gun violence emergencies. My goal is to raise awareness and prepare the congregation for these different emergency situations, and be available to the members of Grace as your parish nurse. I look forward to sharing information with all of you in my monthly newsletter column in the Grace Notes monthly newsletter, and here on this website.
Peace be with all of you!
Kim Vaupel, RN
