FMHF Expands Its Vision

Serving God through Our Professional Lives

We had a wonderful retreat as we examined how we serve God throughout our professional lives. Our board also spent a half day looking at how our organization can give service to God by helping our churches minister more effectively to those who attend our churches. In addition to our newsletter and annual retreat, we discussed the possibility of putting on half or all day meetings at local churches or at our Free Methodist colleges. Subjects could include medical missions, ministering to the sick, Christian understanding of suffering and addictions. We thought that a church could sponsor this and invite other churches to join them, or a conference. The half or whole day could have one theme or several issues addressed although our organization would provide at least one speaker, local speakers could also be involved. For example: if the theme was addiction, Dr Wetterau might be a featured speaker but local substance abuse providers, school officials, and others might be involved. A day could also be set up with more than one theme and people might attend all or choose which ones that interested them. A lot is happening in our mission hospitals and this subject might interest people including Ebola, violence against women, and prevention of violence.

Colleges could sponsor similar meetings but some might want something on how to get into medical school, or do you really want to become a health professional? We did have representation from the Chaplain’s association and would like to have a closer relationship with medical chaplains. We are seeking a medical chaplain to join our board.

Anyone who has an interest in any of these areas can email normwetterau@aol.com with your interest and phone number. Organizing a conference may require more contact than a few emails.

FMHF - Addressing Wholeness

by: Norman Wetterau, M.D. - FMHF President

Our group started out in 1960 as the Free Methodist Medical Fellowship. It was initially a fellowship of doctors and dentist, many whom had been involved in missions. The group supported each other and also our denominational medical missions. Most groups like this do not survive for almost 60 years, but ours has and has expanded our vision and mission. The expansion of our vision and mission goes along with the new vision of medicine which emphasizes holistic care and team-based care involving physicians, PAs, NP, nurses, social workers, and chaplains. Many of the improvements in life expectancy are due to social and public health changes, rather than new treatments. Our biggest medical challenges are now mental health, drug addiction and ageing. Lone doctors working my themselves may have limited impact on these conditions. Even all the health care professions need the help of community groups and social networks such as Churches. Certified patient centered medical homes need to document how they connect patients with chronic diseases to these non-medical groups which could include a church.

But it is not just medical professionals and their patients that need churches. Churches need to know how to respond to those with chronic diseases, developmental disorders, mental health issues and addiction. Note that Jesus healing were not just those with acute illnesses. Leprosy was a chronic, and isolating disease. Jesus touched these people and healed them. Other people were healed of strange behavior or epilepsy.

The woman with the hemorrhage had been suffering for years. Our churches are filled with those who are suffering and as the woman with the hemorrhage they had spent all their money on doctors and were no better. Now can the church minister to these individuals, or to those with chronic pain, or with incurable cancer.

In September 2014 our fellowship hosed a national speaker, Dr Willard Swartley and author of featured InterVarsity Press book of the year in 2012: Health, Healing, and the Church’s Mission: Biblical Perspectives and Moral Priorities. The book is more about the church then health professionals but addressed both. We recommend this book for pastors as well as health professionals. So our fellowship, through our website, retreats and our members, help churches become better healing communities.

Our fellowship has changed in several ways First we have become a fellowship of all healthcare professionals, not just physicians and dentists. We include chaplains and emergency responders. Secondly, we are not a fellowship just for ourselves but a resource for our churches. Our online publication try to address some of these issues. We want our website to be a resource for pastors and churches.

Walking with those in Need without Losing Heart: this was the theme of our September 2018 conference. The speakers, Doctors Eric and Rachel McLauglin, from Kibuye hospital, Burundi, talked about the difficulties of reaching out to those who are hurting in situations where our efforts appear futile .One begins to wonder if God is breaking the promises he made to you when he called you. Although they were using illustrations from their medical work, these issues are present in any church which is addressing seemingly impossible situations in people lives. Our December 2018 Newsletter is a real resource and the McLaughlins book on this topic, when it is published will be a even grater resources. Our fellowship wants those who cannot attend our retreats to still benefit. Check out the article in our December 2018 newsletter.

The December 2017 issue has two articles on Soulcare. Medical science today now recognizes the important of soulcare, and we want to share this with Free Methodists in medical professions but also with pastors and those in our churches who minister to the sick.

Our November 2015 newsletter summarizing our conference which included 7 chaplains who shared how they relate to those who are ill. They also shared valuable insights on how people can effectively visit and support those who are ill. We have posted extensive notes on how churches can more effectively minister to the sick.

Finally, this summer at a General Conference Breakout session, Dr Wetterau will be addressing how churches can aid those who suffer from addictions. His presentation and resources from this will also be posted on our website. Anyone is free to sign up for our newsletter. Let your friends know about these resources including the one produced by our chaplains and the one that will appear after general conference on addiction.

Please share this article with your pastor and others. Go to www.fmhealth.org, read some of the material and sign up to be sent future information. If you are a healthcare professional you can also become a member and support us with fifty dollar annual dues. Thank you.

FMHF Lives on with a Purpose

by: Tim Kratzer, M.D.

Hearing Drs. Eric & Rachel McLaughlin speak at our annual meeting in Warm Beach, WA brought to mind the reason why I am a member of the Free Methodist Healthcare fellowship. We often get into our routines and keep on doing what we do without thought or purpose. The Fellowship challenges us to live our lives with purpose and meaning.

We began meeting as a Fellowship more than 50 years ago, young and middle-aged professionals looking for meaning and purpose, and in so doing encouraging one another. And yes, we would also question and probe into the basis for our faith. Why do we do what we do? We experienced new energy as we met together.

How is this energy and purpose passed on from generation to generation? I have heard this said about the Free Methodist Fellowship, “Now why is it that we are meeting?” We look around and see more folks in our age group – old, slow and gray. Where are the young folks asking the questions we posed back in the day Why are we spending all this time and money to gather for these annual meetings?

Then there comes the moment when our vision is renewed. Eric and Rachel are a young medical couple who have followed God’s call into medical missions. They met in medical school as they were following God’s call and now they are raising their family as they are following God’s call. They are at Kibuye Hope Hospital as part of the Serge group, a group of young medical missionaries who have committed themselves to one another and God. They are committed to serving the poorest of the poor. Eric and Rachel spoke of the reality of providing medical care for the under-served in Burundi. They spoke of how poverty and neglected medical conditions often exceed their human resources, “Walking with Those in Need without Losing Heart” as they so aptly described it.

As they spoke I felt my heart drawn back to our days in medical school, a time when our call to medical missions was taking us on a path not understood or embraced by many in our circle of friendships. What an encouragement it was to have a medical missionary couple, Dr. and Mrs. Yardy, invite us to come to our first fall meeting of the Fellowship. We met medical professionals who were living their lives with meaning and purpose. When these folks heard our story, they affirmed the choices we were making to follow God’s call into medical missions.

The story that Eric and Rachel must be shared with our young people. We will again have the opportunity to reach the medical professionals of today as we meet this year at Essenhaus in Middlebury, IN. Our guest speaker, Dr. Bill Morehouse, has written how he followed God’s call in medicine as a ministry to the medically under-served here in America. He has spoken often locally and at the Christian Community Health Fellowship National Meetings. Through his talks and in our group discussions, we will explore the Christian calling of students, residents, practicing health professionals and even those who are retired.

So the challenge comes to us: Invite a student, resident, young doctor, dentist, nurse or other healthcare professional. Or you might even invite someone older or who is approaching retirement. The reason we meet ever year is to look at our careers in the medical field as an opportunity to serve and preach the gospel with acts of compassion, and sometimes with words. Peter said to the paralytic, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)