Cheryl Plummer, Hospice Chaplain (Lutheran Deaconess Association)

 Cheryl Plummer, Lutheran Diaconal Association, is a hospice chaplain. During this pandemic she has continued to be at the bedsides of those near the end of their lives, to offer spiritual comfort and support, religious rituals, and connection to loved ones in the hospital, extended care facilities and private homes. The hospitals are a somewhat eerie and different place during this COVID pandemic, the hallways are empty, no visitors and no routine procedures, but the units themselves are overflowing and busy with lonely patients. For patients who have the COVID virus Cheryl’s ministry has become one of praying in the hallways into the nurse’s phones into the isolation rooms, and comforting and reassuring their loved ones by phone.  Hospice patients in the hospital, who do not have the virus, are allowed one visitor at a time so visits are sometimes long as I wait as each family member is allowed in to the hospital to have their turn to pray and say their goodbyes. Even though our hospice patients can have one visitor at a time, sometimes due to their loved ones being elderly, or having underlying health conditions, or due to them having small children, their loved ones may not be able to be at their bedside as they are dying. So the chaplaincy team has been doing their best to help all those who are sick and dying to connect with those they need to hear from, to hear the voices that will comfort them the most. Even if someone is near the end of life and no longer responsive, the chaplains will help their family see their dying loved one’s face, share in prayer together, and say those things they need to say to them, the things that person needs to hear, that they are loved and will be missed, but it is alright to go be in God’s embrace. 

Cheryl recounts that recently she sat at the bedside of a dying patient and just held the phone while his daughter and then his son and then his wife each called and said their goodbyes, telling him what a good father and husband he is, and that it was alright, that they would take care of one another and his rescue dog, and that they loved him. I comforted each of them as they grieved from afar, with me as their presence for him, close enough to hear their loved one breathe. He died the next day.  

One of the hardest things is that hospice chaplaincy is usually a ministry of touch and hugs. So she has learned that one can hug and express caring using an extra compassionate word or prayer. Hospice chaplains all have moments of doubt and exhaustion and some fear during this crisis. A huge part of Cheryl’s ministry is supporting the rest of the hospice and hospital teams. She has cried a lot but then goes on and puts one foot in front of the other, to continue to provide spiritual care another day.

(Cheryl is a Deaconess in the Lutheran Diaconal Association, and a hospice chaplain)

COVID19 responses in Winnipeg - Josh Ward

In Winnipeg (Canada), United Church of Canada Diaconal Minister Josh Ward serves as the Community Minister at St. Matthews Maryland Community Ministry – an outreach ministry that works to provide support and build community alongside some of the most vulnerable people. When COVID first erupted, most of the support programs had to be cancelled. But there was no intention of abandoning the community entirely! So, fully masked, goggled, and gowned, Josh and the team continued to provide food service at the door for the first months of the pandemic. Where our drop-in normally sees 60 or 70 people in a day, those days saw up to 150 people each day coming to our door for food! The network of partner churches provided incredible support, which was even more incredible when you consider that they were also closing their own doors and trying to figure out next steps for their congregations as all this was going on. A local business person stepped up to provide hot lunches 4 days a week. With all this help the increased demand was able to be met. Though providing food is an important service, St. Matthews Maryland is truly about building relationships and a safe community for folk who don’t enjoy that elsewhere in their life. It was easy to overlook in the early days of the pandemic, when it felt more like a food line. But one thing that was really encouraging was seeing how people in this community responded to the pandemic. They were patient and generous. They took care of each other. They followed safety guidelines and social distanced when they were lining up for food. Instead of panic, we saw smiles and gratitude. A pandemic is exactly the kind of time when a strong community is needed most! So it was totally fulfilling to see how this community banded together. It confirmed for us that what we are doing in this community is working.

Thankfully, COVID hasn’t hit Winnipeg as hard as it has in other places. The community program is currently in the process of slowly re-opening in a safe way, with social distancing protocols in place. The commitment remains to build relationships and a strong community, so that everyone in the community knows that no matter what COVID throws at us next: We can handle it together! (Josh is based at 1JustCity - St Matthews Maryland Community Ministry, Winnipeg).

Sisterhood Bethesda in Basel, Switzerland - supporting COVID-19 projects

Member associations have offered financial support for projects in other countries. The Sisterhood Bethesda in Basel, Switzerland, maintains its commitment to diaconal work, even though the small community of 20 elderly Sisters is no longer able to conduct projects of their own. The three projects outlined here are indicative of their generous support to vulnerable people in a time where hope has been diminished and the future looks grim for so many people.

In collaboration with the relief agency Connexio (Network for Mission and Service of the United Methodist Church) in Switzerland, the Bethesda Sisters have offered emergency aid, focussed on alleviating the suffering of vulnerable people and food insecurity. 

In Argentina, food packages have been distributed to people in slum areas who have lost their income as a result of quarantine measures. In North Macedonia, protective clothing and disposable tableware was purchased to continue meal delivery and home care ministries for old and sick people. In the DR Congo, pastors’ families, whose income had diminished in a way that they could no longer live on it, received a big sack of corn meal each. Thanks to the love in action of the Bethesda sisters, thousands of people have been helped quickly and efficiently. 

The Bethesda Sisters have also funded relief work offered by Osteuropa Mission Schweiz (OEM -Eastern Europe Mission Switzerland), an independent Christian relief agency that advocates for ethnic minorities, the socially weak and disadvantaged, and is committed to fighting poverty that impacts the most vulnerable. OEM church members of all ages have prepared pots of soup outdoors, each of 100 litres. Soup, bread and vegetable salad have been given to needy people on the streets. As the food packages were given out, the church members prayed with the people and blessed them.

The Bethesda Sisters have also supported relief efforts in the Philippines, in collaboration with the agency Onesimo, a faith-based, non-profit NGO working among street children and their families and at-risk young people in Manila. It helps young people whose lives in the slums, or streets, are filled with hopelessness. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Onesimo has distributed food packages to thousands of families. In spite of the pandemic, about 400 young people are still cared for in the community-based rehabilitation programs in the slum churches. As schools have been closed, the young people are relying on alternative school systems, such as provided by the rehabilitation programs. Many of the slum churches have no computer nor internet provider. They were so thankful for financial support, so that the young people could continue their training through online learning.

New Web Manager for DIAKONIA World Federation

Web Manager Diane Kaufmann has been the DWF Web Manager since 2012 and has indicated she plans to hand over responsibilities by the end of 2020. Thank you for your years of faithful and dedicated service, Diane.  

Welcome to her successor, Deaconess Student, Sara Manning. We look forward to the redesigned web sites coming soon.  

How COVID-19 is impacting communities in Nigeria and Africa

(by Deaconess Ibironke O. Oremade-Oworu)

The Corona Virus Pandemic or the Covid-19 is an uncommon situation that showed up across the World and created a situation that the present generation had not witnessed before. The pandemic caused virtually all economies of the world to shut down. Movement within each country and across continents have been limited. 

The virus has caused so many deaths with some countries more affected than others. The western world, even with all the advancement in health care, has witnessed more death and has been greatly affected.

Looking at the effect of the pandemic as it affects Africa we might say that Africa has been very lucky because the fear at the beginning was that Africa Countries will be greatly affected especially in regards to our health care system and since no Country was prepared for something of this magnitude.

South Africa is the African Country that has been greatly affected with the highest number of infections and deaths.

NIGERIA

Nigeria has also experienced her share of the Covid-19 infection but again the country has been lucky so far. The country has had 50,488 infections with 985 deaths and 37, 304 recoveries. 

The Government had to issue a lockdown of most of the country, causing businesses to shut down and people to stay at home. It was not a pleasant experience because most people earn their wages through daily labour or employment. When people are not able to go out during the day, then they are not sure of being able to feed their families. This was the greatest challenge at the beginning of the lockdown experience. 

The government acted by providing palliative measures in terms of cash transfer and provision of food stuffs to vulnerable families. However, this could not continue for too long because the population is so large. This challenge made the government ease the lockdown, so that people could gradually return to their businesses. There were stringent measures in place to curb the spread of the virus. The use of the facemask is compulsory even though the compliance is not 100%.

Another challenge which we have observed during this pandemic is the increase in cases of domestic abuse and rape. The rape victims have sadly been young babies, children, young ladies and even older women. When caught, the perpetrators of this evil act will most of the time blame the devil for their actions. There has been an increase in cases of fathers defiling their daughters and their family members. The government is concerned about this upsurge and is now working on enacting laws that will keep perpetrators of such acts away from the public for a long time. Some of our legislators and members of the public have suggested life imprisonment and castration for anyone caught in the act. 

As with other parts of the world, another challenge is how to get students to return to school in the midst of the pandemic. In Nigeria the government last week allowed students who have to write their final High School examinations to return to school just to write the examination - while observing all safety rules. However, in one State in the country, seven students writing the examination have already tested positive.

In the Archdiocese of Lagos, Deaconesses are working with relevant authorities and agencies to discourage domestic violence and rape through education programmes that highlight the importance of being vigilant with the girl child. As well, remembering that the boy child also gets raped. We consider gender when we speak about domestic abuse and rape.

DIAKONIA World Federation - Executive Committee (July 2020)

The DWF Executive Committee met in July 2020 by Zoom. As people lived in different parts of the globe, from Fiji to Seattle, some were joining the meeting before dawn in winter (5.30am in South Australia) and others were joining the meeting late at night (Europe). People in North America had the luxury of meeting in the afternoon. The meeting happened for 1.5 hours each day for four consecutive days. A great deal of work was done. In fact, the Executive agreed to meet more often by Zoom, rather than one annual meeting, and that the face to face meetings would happen every second year. This enables more regular contact and monitoring the progress of the Executive's work, and is a wise use of financial resources. 

The Minutes of the DWF Executive Committee meeting are available here. If you prefer to read a PDF of the minutes, contact the DWF Secretary, Traude Leitenberger. 

The  Financial Futures Task Group report will be of interest to DWF members, with 23 recommendations. (Read more below)

New member association - Kaiserswerther Schwesternschaft

 In July 2020, the DIAKONIA World Federation (DWF) approved Kaiserswerther Schwesternschaft in Germany as a new member association, on the recommendation of DRAE (DIAKONIA Region of Africa Europe) Executive Committee. The Kaiserswerther Schwesternschaft is an evangelical sisterhood, with 74 members (mainly retired). Sr Ulrike Kellner served for many years as Secretary for DIAKONIA World Federation. 

Actually, this 'new' member has a long history, dating back to 1836 and the pioneering work of Lutheran Pastor Theodor Fliedner in Kaiserswerth. Over the decades, an enormous range of services have been developed in the social, health and education sector, including aged care, children and youth, people with disabilities, vocational training, schools, day centres, and the Florence Nightingale hospital with general and specialist clinics. The work is overseen by a Board, and employs approximately 2,600 people. Due to a recent re-structure, it has been necessary to apply afresh for membership, as previously membership was through the Kaiserswerther Association.