August 2013 – Pr. Anthony’s Letter

Grace to you and peace from God our Father the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I settle into the parish, I am noticing what a great partnership that is beginning to form between the three congregations.  It is wonderful to see people working together all for the sake of the gospel.  We will continue working on building up our partnership with each other over the next months and years.  One thing that I am realizing that the pastoral staff could use some help on from you is information.  With the new HIPAA laws, pastors are usually the last people to hear if someone is hospitalized or goes into a long-term care facility.  We need your help.

When the government passed the new HIPAA laws, it made it difficult for pastors to remain informed about hospitalizations.  HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.  It requires health care providers to institute new policies and practices to protect the health information of patients and residents.  Prior to the HIPAA laws, pastors were privileged with a lot of information.  We could go to the hospital and see a list of all the patients to see if any were our members.  Plus, in some small settings, hospitals or care facilities would actually call your pastor upon your arrival.  This is no longer the case.  Pastors are no longer informed when someone is admitted to a hospital or care facility.  We now rely on you.  If you are admitted to a hospital or other care facility and would like a visit from one of your pastors please call us or have a family member or friend call us.

Part of our Christian calling is to visit and care for the sick.  The Letter of James says, “Are any among you sick?  They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.  The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” (James 5:14-16)

We all are called to visit and care for the sick, but we cannot do that unless we know who has been admitted to a health care facility.  So please help us pray for and visit you.  Word of mouth is still the best way to pass on information.  If you hear of someone being admitted to a health care facility please call the church office or one of the pastors.

In Christ,
Pastor Anthony