Sharing My Story

Early on in my Campus Crusade experience I responded to
an emotional appeal given at one of our all staff meetings
by a staff member named Lou Hurley who had developed
a ministry to the inhabitants of Convalescent Hospitals.
I became quickly invovled as a Sunday worker at a specific
hospital in nearby Highland, California (just east of San
Bernardino). Here is an excerpt from my April 1972 newsletter.

"I would like to tell you about another personal ministry that
I have been in for several months. One of the newest works of
Campus Crusade is the Convalescent Hospital Ministry. This
work just gained official status in November of last year. In
this we are involved with a segment of society that is often
shunned, "put away', lonely and in real need of love and concern.
Most of the people in the convalent hospitals are elderly who
are weak in either mind or body. This is a real ministry of love
where the spiritual fruit of kindness, gentleness and patience
are vitally needed by the worker. Our ministry is twofold.
Firstly, he have a short chapel service on Sunday for the
patients with singing favorite old hymns, a short message,
prayer, and sometimes special music. Secondly, for bed-ridden
patients we have 'bed-side evangelism' in which we can share
Christ in a more personal way than is possible in a large group
and pray with and read scripture to the patients who are
already believers. Many people believe that the elderly are
almost impossible to reach for Christ. This may be true for
some, but at the hospital I am at over 40 have received
Christ as Savior in the last year. I ask your prayers for
wisdom in dealing with the patients and their problems.
Problems that only Christ can solve."

My part time work in the hospital would last around 4-5 years
and was overall a very good experience of ministry. I initially
worked with fellow Washingtonian Dick Berg (who was involved
in Grounds maintenance at Arrowhead Springs) and his eventual
wife Becky. Oddly enough a number of my supporters in
Washington developed an interest in this aspect of my work
more than some of the other parts. Perhaps they could relate
to the problems of the elderly better. With the large aging
population in America this more of a concern than ever.