AAFCN

Working Together As the new president of AAFCN, I look forward to working with each of you. Our journey together reminds me of the paralyzed man who was carried on a mat to Jesus—not only for physical healing but for spiritual healing as well (Mark 2:1-12). Just as it took teamwork to bring this man to Jesus, it will take teamwork to strengthen and grow the Faith Community Nursing Ministry and AAFCN.  There are several key lessons we can learn from this powerful story:  Supporting Each Other: Regardless of the paralyzed man’s past, the men who carried [...]

Agape Love In Action What is agape love? Who needs it? Where can one find it?   Agape love is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a Greek word that means “brotherly love or charity”.  It’s a term used in Christianity to describe the love between God and humans, and between humans and God.  It is considered the highest form of Christian Love.  Every human being on this earth needs or deserves to experience what is termed “Agape Love”.  FCNs are grounded in the belief that every person regardless of race creed or color or circumstance, bears the [...]

Implications of the Heart: The Heart Matters The heart is muscular and is responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood to every organ and cell in the body. The heart is a strong and solid organ in that it is made up of three different layers, the pericardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The muscular portion of the heart is responsible for cardiac contractions or the pumping action. The intricate makeup of the heart involves cells, electrical excitation, and the movement of electrolytes that are transported from one compartment to another compartment to produce the heart beat (Ripa et al., 2025).  [...]

Finding Peace in Hospice and Palliative Care  I will keep them in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on thee (emphasis supplied).  Isaiah 26:3  When we think of Hospice and Palliative care our minds immediately revert to fear, worry, anxiety and hopelessness.  This is true, however, there are some unique individuals and unique situations that transcend circumstances such as the one described in the following story:   I once encountered a man who had brain cancer.  He was placed on hospice care, but refused to lie down in bed and wait for death.  He instead was up [...]

Peace In the Night Season It’s almost Christmas. The daylight hours have shortened, and the nights have grown longer.  Here in North America, darkness now absorbs more than half of the 24 hours that comprise our day.     One dark evening last week I was visiting my son and his family.  My son asked his 7-year-old and almost-4-year-old to escort their little friend back to his house, which was two doors down.  The three children set out.  Not one minute later, the front door flies open and little Everett, my almost 4-year-old grandson runs in red-faced [...]

Hydration: An Important Key to Health It is critical for an individual to stay hydrated, especially during the hot summer months. Drinking water at regular intervals is a healthy habit to adopt. By the time a person feels thirsty they could already be dehydrated, and dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion (CDC, 2024). The intake of water is key to helping a person to maintain hydration. If a person works in the heat or if they engage in recreational exercise, they may sweat, and sweating can result in dehydration. When a person sweats, they are prone [...]

Disaster Preparedness: A Call to Action! September is National Preparedness Month. This is a call to action! A call to Adventist Faith Community Nurses (FCNs) to be prepared to respond when disaster of any kind or any magnitude strikes. What is preparedness? It is a set of actions that are taken as precautionary measures in the face of potential or actual disasters. Being prepared helps to save lives. Our goal is to take a wholistic approach and be adequately positioned to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those affected by disasters.We must be prepared [...]

Active Shooter… WHERE?! As nurses, we have been told for some time that healthcare workers and nurses in particular are at risk for workplace violence including gun violence.1   We may have nervously watched our employer’s active shooter video clips, or we may have reviewed workplace violence policies and  updated our department’s procedures, or perhaps even participated in or conducted active shooter safety drills on our units. Even if all this generates apprehension at some level, most of us are now quite good at sliding ‘active shooter’ in with other safety issues at work that we’ve dealt [...]