Churches work with hospitals to cut mortality rate

ASSIST News Service 

Hospitals and churches across the United States are joining forces to help improve health care and lower costs.
 
According to www.upi.com/Health_News , The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reports that U.S. hospitals are getting together with faith-based groups in an effort to improve care and cut costs, citing one health official with knowledge of the initiative.

The website says that OhioHealth worked with 43 local congregations for 20 years -- each congregation has a volunteer nurse trained in diabetes, nutrition, communicating with doctors and living with chronic diseases, who then shares the information with the congregants.

Mara Vanderslice Kelly, acting director of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said another program at the Methodist LeBonheur Hospital in Memphis involves about 400 congregations. 

Volunteer liaisons from each church are trained to help patients understand doctors' instructions and ensure they get the next steps of care, the website stated.

The program saved the Memphis hospital $4 million, reduced mortality by 50 percent and reduced hospital re-admissions by 20 percent, Vanderslice Kelly said.

Ten good reasons for hiring young people

Editor’s note: This column was written in May before students went on summer break. Regardless of the year, people of all ages are without jobs at the moment. The message is still a good one. Enjoy!

By Bill Ellis

Throughout the United States, thousands of young people are now looking for part-time and full-time jobs. A large percentage of this group needs to earn money so they may go to college this fall.

Some do not intend to continue their pursuit of education and academic preparation for future careers. They are looking for a job doing something that will support them for such things as an automobile, an apartment, some food and often just the bare necessities of life. They hope things will be better, but are not too interested in making the necessary preparation. Their goal, all too often, is to have a few dollars in their pocket and enough to pay off a credit card at the end of each month. We can hope they are not on the road to poverty.

Thankfully, most young people have some serious objectives in mind. They are thinking of what life will be like 10 years from now and for the rest of their lives. Those of us who are older can recall those first working years. We started out as a waitress, clerking in a store, digging ditches, delivering newspapers, taking the lowest paying job in a factory or trying to be a sales person.

Here are a few reasons for hiring young people this summer.

1.  They have to start sometime, somewhere. Give them that necessary break. Just like somebody did for you. Help them get started.
2. Any kind of job may give them the encouragement to continue. They will never forget your "start-up program" for them.
3.   If they start working in your town or area, they may want to continue to live there or return "home" later. Your town will always need carpenters, doctors, teachers, police officers, nurses, business owners, firefighters, newspaper employees and those who will operate radio and television stations and everything else your town will ever need.
4. They can learn to do just about anything with the proper instructions.
5.  Young people have lots of energy and strength. They can put in a full eight hours of maximum production and work overtime if necessary. They need the extra money.
6.  Young people must be mentored by one of the best employees you have. Older workers often take pride in being a coach for a young person.
7. The younger person may be able to give many years of productive service in your company or office. That will help build stability into your organization.
8.  It is important to not only hire a young person, but also to help them learn, get the necessary education and training to move on up the ladder with your firm. There is still room in the work place to begin as a stock boy and in 40 years own the company. A good corporation can have homegrown and home-trained leaders for years.
9. Young people have many friends in the area and that may attract customers and clients for your business.
10. Remember that somebody took a chance on you and gave you an opportunity to work. It is time to return the favor. Take an interest in the young talent around you.

Winston Churchill referred to those who work as "Soldiers with different weapons but the same courage." No matter what color your collar is, blue collar or white collar, all honest work is noble and necessary. You can always have a job if you want one. Your job may be looking for a job. Then when you find one, be willing to help others accomplish the same purpose. 

Be thankful for the privilege of working. Many find a spiritual connection in their work. The words of St. Paul have special meaning for them, "We are God's fellow workers …" (I Corinthians 3:9).

Can prayer change the top news headlines?

Book describes how the power of prayer can shape our world today

By Michael Ireland
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

Watching the news is either an occasion to give in to fear and despair – or an opportunity to intercede in prayer and impact world events.

This is the premise of “Praying The News” (Regal Books/ISBN-13: 978-0-8307-5926-2/$14.99), a new book by CBN News co-anchor Wendy Griffith and www.CBN.com  ministry director Craig von Buseck.

Released on Sept. 11, PRAYING THE NEWS encourages Christians to allow the news to spur them on to a ministry of intercession in world events through prayer.

The book offers readers real-life accounts of people who prayed and saw incredible outcomes in world events, how God chooses prayers to change the headlines, why God chooses to partner with us through prayer to change the world, and how to revolutionize one's prayer life and see incredible breakthroughs.

Chapters describe the authority given to Christians to pray and intercede in the news, the importance of proactive prayer versus reactive, lessons in how the news works and its views towards Christians, how to pray for events in the news, our leaders and military, good weather, our cities the economy and against crime. PRAYING THE NEWS also offers tips and resources to help readers begin their journeys in prayer today.

The book also features a special Forward written by Dr. Pat Robertson.

Wendy Griffith

"One of the primary ways that God is using the church to defeat the powers of hell is through prayer," said CBN News co-anchor Wendy Griffith. "And this power of intercession was never more clearly demonstrated than after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Beginning that fateful day, believers around the world began praying the news. Churches were packed. But soon afterwards, people returned to their normal routines, prayers tapered off and church was forgotten. But the danger to our world remains, so we need a revival of prayer."

Craig von Buseck, www.CBN.com  Ministry Director adds, "When people pray in sincerity and unity according to the will of God revealed in the Bible, things change; headlines change. Christians have been given that authority by God and have a responsibility to use it."

There are amazing stories of how prayer meetings changed battles in World War Two that saved all of Europe from Hitler's devilish plans. Prayer moves mountains, Elijah prayed that it wouldn't rain for 3 years and it didn't rain! He prayed again and it did rain. James 5:16 says, the prayers of the righteous availeth much -- not little! We need to be reminded that our prayers are powerful -- and that when we pray in unity -- they are even more powerful (Matt 7:7)."

Griffith says it isn't presumptuous for Christians to feel like their prayers can change the news or the world.

"Absolutely not! God wants to partner with us to change the headlines.

Quarter of a century helping the homeless through Joy Junction

Jeremy Reynalds reveals how he was once homeless and now runs New Mexico's largest homeless shelter

ASSIST News Service 

For Jeremy Reynalds, it has been a long and, at times, tortuous journey from his home in the slightly snooty southern England seaside town of Bournemouth with its 7 golden miles of beaches, to running New Mexico's largest homeless shelter, Joy Junction in Albuquerque.

On Oct. 21, Who's Who of Albuquerque's civic and religious life, to celebrate the silver anniversary of Joy Junction, at a glittering event at the Hotel Albuquerque. 

The special evening called "A Night in Old Hollywood," also included a speech by New Mexico's Governor, Susana Martinez, who praised Jeremy for founding and running his unique shelter which he called "25 years of giving a hand up not a hand out." 

Jeremy Reynalds in the Joy Junction Food Shelter.

The governor said, "The organization provides shelter for 300 people each night, serving as many as 16,000 meals per month and provides a safe refuge for to anywhere between 60 and 80 homeless children every night. 

"And that is not all. Joy Junction doesn't just provide for the physical needs that come about every day - food, clothing and place to sleep. This is an organization that provides a lifeline out of poverty -- like teaching skills to re-enter and succeed in the work place, resume writing and a variety of other tools." 

But behind the glitz and glamor of the evening, where many of the guests dressed in costumes from "Old Hollywood," was a dramatic story that would make a movie in new Hollywood today.

It began when Jeremy left Bournemouth back in 1978 to serve the Lord in the United States back, but it didn't go that well at first. About nine months later he married an American girl, but due to a variety of circumstances, ended up homeless. Shelter was offered to his family in Florida, but because of Jeremy's self-described "rotten attitude" back then, he wasn't included. As a result, he set out on the road to discover more about his adopted land. 

In his book, "Homeless in the City: A Call to Service," he described what happened:

"I had enough money for a bus ticket to Dallas, and from then on my mode of transportation was hitch-hiking. On a late evening in January 1982, it was cold in Dallas. I had about $10 in my pocket and a small suitcase, which seemed unbearably heavy. 

"I stuck my thumb out so much it got cold and sore and felt as if it was going to drop off. I was just about to give up, when an elderly couple stopped for me. They asked where I was headed. They were like angels sent from heaven, and who knows. ? They took me to their home, fed me a delicious meal, gave me a comfortable bed, and took me back to the highway in the morning. What a blessing! 

"I have found, however, that trials follow blessings. By the next evening, I had gotten to the Texas-New Mexico border and found myself standing out in the blazing sun for hours. Cars sped by, but no one was stopping. As the hours went on, I was getting more and more tired. 

 "I finally left the highway and walked to a store. I wearily looked through a telephone directory and called the first church I could find. I asked whoever answered the phone if he could help me with shelter. The man told me that I would be welcome to sleep on the church floor, but I would have to walk there-a distance of about five miles. Needless to say, the idea of walking five miles on an unknown Texas highway did not really appeal to me. I thanked him and despondently hung up. 

"Walking back a few yards, I saw a restaurant which was about to close for the night. Behind the restaurant was a storage shed. Inside the shed was a whole bunch of odds and ends. The only thing that looked hopeful to sleep on was a piece of fiberglass. So that was how I spent the night. 

"I got up early the next day (fiberglass was not my first mattress choice) and I then headed to the highway. A trucker soon stopped and gave me a ride to Phoenix. By this time, I was starving. Without my asking, the trucker shared his sandwiches with me. 

"I really saw the Lord's hand in this. In my position now as Joy Junction's founder and CEO, I have also instructed my staff to see that guests who come in late (and hungry) are fed something, no matter what time of the day or night it is. While I definitely did not enjoy these experiences, if I had not gone through them, I would not have appreciated how tasty a bologna sandwich could be when you have not eaten for a long time. 

His own experience gave him a real love for the homeless and after four years in Santa Fe, he finally settled with his former wife in Albuquerque. In 1986 he started Joy Junction. 

"Joy Junction is a place of refuge to those who have been forced into the streets. As many as 300 women, children and families count on us each day for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and an array of other services. While Joy Junction is the largest homeless shelter in New Mexico, Joy Junction is much more than a homeless shelter. We are a Gospel Rescue Mission that is committed to restoring precious lives which have been forgotten and abandoned by society.”

If you would like more information, just go to www.joyjunction.org. If you would like to send a message of encouragement to Jeremy, his e-mail is: jeremyreynalds@comcast.net