Parish Nurse Notes: December 2025

​Recently a sister in Christ asked me what my favorite day of the week was. Immediately my first thought was Sunday. As a lifelong Lutheran, Sunday's have always been my favorite day of the week. I love to devote the day to worshipping God, family time, and cooking healthy meals for the week ahead. A few moments later after she asked me this question, I also began to think of how Thursdays have become very special to me as well. Thursday is the day when I meet with Parish Nurses from around the country to share and support one another as we serve Christ and our congregations. Recently Thursdays are also a day where I have the opportunity to participate and a Zoom Yoga class which begins with prayer and a study of God's Word. Do you have a favorite day of the week? Ponder this question as we gather closer to Advent, and the promise and hope of the birth of our Savior. 

With permission from Christie Hansard, a Parish Nurse from Michigan, and a dear friend of mine, I have included a devotion that she read to us last Thursday. I pray it will also nourish you, and share insights into Parish Nursing and Congregational Health Ministries. If you have interest in serving in this field, please know you are able to join our Thursday meetings to find out more, and to have support from nurses all over the country. Please reach out to Colleen Bottcher as well, for any questions or if you need support. 

In His joy and service, 

Colleen Bottcher RN, BSN, FCN 
NJ District LCMS Parish Nurse Rep. 
Cell# 201-723-9836

​A Fall devotion from Christie below: 


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we move towards September and all that goes along with Fall activities, I wanted to reach out to you all with encouragement, greetings, and a couple of attachments to clarify our vocation as LCMS Parish Nurses.

As faithful servants in our unique ministry of parish nursing, I want to encourage you with the reminder that our labor in the Lord is never in vain, as we see in 1 Corinthians 15:58, "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain". We stand at a blessed intersection of mercy and witness, where the needs of the body and the hope of the Gospel meet. 

In this place, Christ is present.

Through our hands and hearts, we carry out works of mercy that reflect the compassion of Christ, who Himself bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). Whether we are offering health education, walking with families in crisis, advocating for the vulnerable, or simply sitting beside one who suffers, we bear witness to the healing that is found in Him who promises, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

Our ministry is not only about caring for the body but also about honoring the whole person who was created in the image of our God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We embody the love that St. Paul commands us in Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Please know that even when the hours are long and the burdens heavy, Christ Himself sustains us. The same Lord who knelt to wash His disciples’ feet also strengthens us to serve in humility and mercy. He is our refuge, our rest, and our joy.

On behalf of the LCMS Parish Nurse Council, we give thanks to God for you—for your compassion, your skill, and your steadfastness in Christ. May the Holy Spirit continue to encourage and equip you for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17), and may our risen Lord bless you with renewed strength and joy as you serve His people.

Blessings,
Christie

--
Deaconess Christie L. Hansard, RN, CM
LCMS Michigan District Representative,
Congregational Health Ministries/ Parish nurse
810-516-1693

“Let your mercy come to me, that I may live” Psalm 119:77