Health Ministries at Second
Second Presbyterian has a long history of supporting public health. One of the most well-known examples of service is Hattie Ackerman (1850-1878), a school teacher who moved to Chattanooga from Michigan in 1869. A member of Second Church, she nursed victims of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878, until she fell victim herself. There is a beautiful stained glass window in her memory on the Pine Street wall of the chapel. We are and will continue to be service and mission-minded, with a desire to continue the ministry of healing as Christ has taught us.
Faith Community Nurse
Meet Mary Lynn
Mary Lynn Morrison, RN, BSN, CEN, CPN, is a registered nurse, educator, and member of Second Presbyterian Church since 2013.
She has over 40 years of experience in nursing, and has served as a staff nurse, cardiac research nurse, certified critical care and emergency room nurse, logistic specialist, and supervisor. Ms. Morrison completed her post graduate studies in parish nursing through Concordia University in Wisconsin and holds a BSN from PEnn State University, with graduate work in health education at the University of Virginia. She has specialized traiing in grief and loss, working closely with hospice organications in Chattanooga.
An avid traveler and grandprent, Mary Lynn resides in Chattanooga with her husband, Michael. Mary Lynn is a member of Faith Community Nurses International.
What is a Faith Community Nurse?
The role of the Faith Community Nurse is to promote the integration of faith and health in a variety of ways that reflect the context of the faith community. Specific examples include:
health advocacy
health counseling
health education
resource referral
The Faith Community Nurse is a registered nurse and must have specialized knowledge which meets the criteria of the American Nursing Association, Faith Community Nurse certification. A Faith Community Nurse must be registered in teh state in which the nurse practices.
The nurse’s license must be valid and current. This ensures that the public is receiving safe and competent care.
The Faith Community Nurse at Second Presbyterian is a voluntary position limited to a morning clinic on site once a week, and visitations by appointment. Our Faith Community Nurse collaborates with the Deacons, Mission, and Outreach Committees of the church, and reports directly to the Pastor.
Although nursing itself is a vocation or ‘call,’ parish nursing ministry is a call to a specialized practice. The nurse is called by God to this special service. The mandate of the nurse in the faith community is to promote healing and wholeness. The primary care provider is respected. In collaboration, the parish nurse applies understanding of the theology of health, healing, and wholeness in the context of the faith community being served, recognizing that theology differs between individuals even within a denomination.
The nurse may offer:
case management and advocacy facing life changing decisions
development of fairs and blood drives
blood pressure checks and screenings
health education workshops
visitation of the homebound
provision of advanced planning forms
updating AED, safety, and health policies