Building an Effective Cancer Ministry Part 2
With the annual number of people diagnosed with cancer continuing to rise, Our Journey of Hope® (OJOH), the spiritual outreach program of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), works to help church and community members expand their knowledge and skills to more effectively care for the cancer patients and families they encounter.
To that end, CTCA held its second Building an Effective Cancer Ministry event on May 7, 2011, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Chandler Room of the Midlane Country Club, 4555 West Yorkhouse Road, Wadsworth, Illinois. Approximately 150 people attended the free event.
The seminar featured Dr. Damon Arnold, MD, MPH, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health; Dr. Harold G. Koenig, MD, MHSc, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University Medical Center and a leading researcher and author on the link between faith and health; Rev. Jerry and Shirley Rose, co-hosts of the Significant Living television program and authors of the book Significant Living – a Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life; Dr. Edgar Staren, MD, PhD, MBA, Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Chief Medical Officer for CTCA and a practicing surgical oncologist; and Rev. Percy McCray, Director of Pastoral Care for CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center.
According to a 2007 Journal of Clinical Oncology study, cancer patients experience higher quality of life when their spiritual needs are met. However, many patients say their spiritual needs aren't supported by their medical providers or religious communities. This spiritual component of care is an essential part of the CTCA patient care model. Based on research that shows spirituality and religion play a vital role in helping people cope with cancer, the Pastoral Care department of CTCA offers spiritual support, such as prayer, counsel, worship services and educational classes, to patients and their caregivers.
OJOH allows CTCA to take the insight gained from caring for the spiritual needs of cancer patients and their families over the past 20 years and share it with churches and congregations throughout the country. The first of our two spiritual support websites, www.ourjourneyofhope.com, provides spiritual support resources for cancer patients and their families. Our second site, www.hopenavigators.com , provides written and video resources for people who minister to cancer patients and their families. Videos and handouts from the first Building an Effective Cancer Ministry event can be accessed by clicking here.