Partnering With Highpoint Residence

By Brandon Lemons

Caroling at Highpoint Residence in 2024

If you’ve been around Friedens for a while, you have probably heard of the “UP-IN-OUT Triangle.” This diagram, which is central to Friedens’ mission, emphasizes three key relationships for Christ-followers: our relationship with God (UP), our relationships with other Christians (IN), and our relationships with the surrounding world (OUT).

Churches are often good at UP and IN relationships, because UP and IN are the natural focus of worship services, classes, small groups, and other activities at church. However, the OUT relationship is frequently more challenging – especially on the local level. It is easy to support missionaries around the world, which Friedens has been doing for decades, and which constitutes a significant part of our OUT ministry. It is also vital that we are intentional to minister to people beyond our walls locally, to love our neighbors well.

For a couple of years, Friedens’ Leadership Board has sought to identify additional ways the church can minister to our community in meaningful ways. We already have a lot of ministry taking place “organically” through relationships the people of Friedens have in their spheres of influence. Yet it’s also important for a church to have “programmatic” ways of facilitating new relationships and mobilizing the congregation to “love our neighbor” beyond our current spheres of influence.

As the Board considered the needs of the Port Washington area, their minds and conversations kept returning to the elderly. After assigning a small task force to do additional research and consideration on what it might look like to minister to the elderly, it was determined that partnering with a local care facility (nursing home) is a great way to care for the elderly and others around them.

The Need: Relational Ministry with the Elderly

Among the elderly, there is a high frequency of social isolation, loneliness, and sadness. Even though a care facility can provide activities and daily interactions with staff and other residents, there is often a deep sense of loneliness, and sometimes even despair – especially since it is common for residents to receive few, if any, visitors.

In addition, many care facility staff face high stress and low morale. Ministering in a care facility offers opportunities to serve not only the residents, but also to care for staff and families of residents.

A unique aspect of care facilities is that the people in those settings see their needs and are often receptive to people caring for them. Many ministries that seek to meet practical needs in the community (such as support groups for grieving, addictions, or divorce, or tutoring programs) require people to take the initiative to come to us, which frequently means overcoming social stigmas, busyness, and personal reluctance. In a care facility, though, people easily recognize their needs and are often welcoming to people caring for them in practical ways.

Our Resources

Friedens has the resources to help meet the social, emotional, and spiritual needs in a care facility.

One of the resources Friedens has is experience in care facilities. Our church has a long history of Christmas caroling in local care facilities. Pastor Brandon has extensive experience ministering in these settings, particularly through leading chapel services and engaging residents interpersonally. Other members of Friedens – retired pastors among them – also bring valuable experience in care facility ministry. Countless people at Friedens have personal experience of visiting people in care facilities.

One of the huge upsides of ministering in a care facility is how it can engage a large variety of people from within the congregation. People of all ages can find meaningful ways to contribute, allowing this ministry to become a churchwide effort. There is truly something that everyone can contribute, from the smiles that a young child can bring to residents; to teens playing games, leading crafts, or performing music for residents; to adults hosting activities and building relationships with residents and staff; to people making cards or treats for both staff and residents. There are so many possibilities for engaging the entire Friedens Family in “loving our neighbors” in a care facility!

The Highpoint Connection

After careful consideration and conversations, we have chosen to focus on loving our neighbors at Highpoint Residence in Port Washington (formerly known as Ellen’s Home). There are several reasons why we believe Highpoint Residence is an ideal place to serve. We’ve caroled at Highpoint for years and know the facility well. It’s a manageable size for a congregation like ours to invest in meaningfully, without spreading ourselves too thin. Plus, this facility has fewer volunteers serving at it than some of the larger facilities.

Pastor Brandon and a small team of volunteers have already connected with Highpoint’s Activities Director, who shared that they have very few volunteers and would value a stronger connection with a local church group.

Developing a Partnership

In the initial stages of a partnership of this nature, it is vital that we build trust and show ourselves to be a reliable partner. This is obviously important long-term as well.

To start out, Pastor Brandon recently began leading chapel services at Highpoint on the first Thursday of each month. Fifteen residents attended the first chapel. We plan for these to continue and to involve more people in leading and assisting with these services.

On May 18, a group from Friedens led a “hymn sing” at Highpoint. The hymn sing included nearly an hour of singing, followed by homemade treats and conversations. Ten residents attended and responded so positively that we are considering doing hymn sings more often than expected! (We are now planning to do them on a monthly basis. The next one is Sunday, June 15.)

Connecting as a Congregation

In the coming months, we plan to add ways for Friedens’ congregation to be involved in loving our neighbors at Highpoint. For instance, the residents love Bingo, so we plan to lead Bingo events. There will be sign-ups for serving in activities and making treats; people will be asked to make cards for residents and staff; and more opportunities will become available as this new partnership unfolds. As we see who is particularly interested in this ministry, we plan to develop an ongoing leadership team to coordinate and expand this partnership.

In response to a request from Highpoint’s Activities Director, Friedens will soon be conducting a “craft supply drive” so we can provide materials for future projects.

Sign-ups will begin this Sunday for those who are interested in serving in this ministry to the people of Highpoint.

It’s important to note that Highpoint requires background checks for adult volunteers, so visits will require advance planning.

Conclusion

It’s exciting to consider how God may use the Friedens Family to minister to the Highpoint Residence community!

The Activities Director specifically indicated that they have very, very few volunteers; this is a great opportunity for Friedens to be a “breath of fresh air” to them!

Plus, this is a great way to fulfill Jesus’ call to love our neighbors.

In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus told a story about ministering to those who have practical needs:

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”