from Rev. David Nard
I’ve been thinking about the title of this column and what it means to me.
It came from an image or metaphor that we used in the National Diaconate Association to describe the way in which Deacons lived out their ministries. We are people that stand in the “between places” and provide links from one place to another. We stand on the bridge of life to help others cross over from one place to another. We do not fit completely in only one place, but span the distance between the secular world and the Church in order to help others make the connection from both directions.
Over the years, I have found that my role in the Hospital as Chaplain is very much involved in helping people make the journey from one place to another: from illness to health, from disbelief to belief, and sometimes from living to dying.
I appreciate my unique opportunities to provide a ministry of presence to those in need. But I sometimes wonder how I can be a more effective bridge from the Church to the world. How do I convey the needs of the world that I encounter on a daily basis to the gathered church community that is charged with living out their Baptismal Covenant and are to be involved in ministry?
I am thankful for people like Nancy Harrison who have found a calling working with people in the hospital in times of extreme difficulty. She is a wonderful example of responding to a call and acting on it.
And there have been others like Prue Wilson and Anne Paul who have become part of our Volunteer Chaplain Program and visit in the hospital talking with patients and staff members as an outward sign of their Baptism to seek and serve others. Still more, members like Gaelyn Evangreene and Elizabeth Zarabi and Bill Dodge have made Prayer Beads for patients and have been intentional Intercessors for those in any sickness or adversity.
The All Souls community has a long commitment to living out our Baptismal promises to serve and care for others and to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ. I give thanks for your ministry among us, and pray that I can remain on the “Bridge” to help those who need to cross from one side to another.
—Deacon David