Bag Lunch in the Hospital

I am on-call this week for my church. I love being on-call. It is one of the most enjoyable privileges of serving on staff. When you are on-call, you get to visit the hospitals and help those who are dealing with loss and challenges in life for a week. When you do this kind of work, you do deal with some of the darker realities of life. But as a child of light, there is a joy in giving the hope you have in Jesus.

It is also a week of inspiration because of the stories that are shared by those you visit with. I love to hear about how people came to know Christ, how they got connected at Living Hope, and how they’ve been cared for by the church during their time of need. Those who are connected in a small group, Adult Bible Fellowship, or service team receive the best care, but even those who are not connected as they need to be are cared for by our deacons and on-call staff through Carenet. Our deacons do an amazing job. On average every person we hear about that is in the hospital is visited daily by at least one deacon 96% of the time. They are extremely effective.

Yesterday, I visited with two ladies who were there with their mother who is in very bad health. She is an elderly lady and struggling with a number of issues. Last Thursday, these two ladies were there with their mother and they were told that she could wake up at any time and that they should not leave her side. They had been there since the night before and had not eaten since the evening before. To say they were hungry would be an understatement. They were desperate to eat or faint. Food was an imperative, but so was staying with their mother.

Just as one of the two ladies was about to go and get something to eat a volunteer from Living Hope came in with a bag lunch for each of them. Every Thursday a group of volunteers gather at the church to make bag lunches. They then go to the hospitals and give them to people in waiting rooms or to people visiting others there.

That ministry makes an amazing impact every Thursday. Please pray for their work. Pray that God will continue to use those lunches to help people know that in this dark time God has not forgotten them and is going to provide.

The church needs people to participate in this ministry. It is a practical and impactful work that is simple, but makes a difference. If you or a group of you would be willing to serve in this ministry, please contact Jeannie Daniels. You can contact her by calling 843.9462 Ext. 145 or email her at jdaniels@lhbg.org. You could be bringing light to a life in darkness with a bag lunch this Thursday.