Inspire, Spring 2009

Cedarville University 43 Dr. Cheryl Fawcett Teaches Around the World Dr. Cheryl Fawcett, former youth ministries professor at Cedarville, was teaching in southern Brazil with alumna Erin Wawro ’94 when she heard we were hunting her down. Not too surprisingly, Cheryl is now a full-time missionary with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE). The Brazil trip was an ABWE church planting mission. “I travel the world and equip national believers to do youth ministry in their country,” Cheryl said. “In the last year, I have been to three major cities in the Ukraine for a month and taught in four cities in Romania. I served in Germany in October of 2008, then in Greece, and just returned from a 12-day trip to Porto Alegre, Brazil.” When she’s not on the road — or in the sky — Cheryl lives in El Cajon, California. She loves attending Shadow Mountain Community Church, where Dr. David Jeremiah ’63 serves as pastor. She volunteers with the high school ministry there, often going on missions and leadership trips with the young people in the group. Before her work with ABWE, Cheryl taught at Christian Heritage College in Australia from the time she left Cedarville in 1999 until May 2005. “During that time,” she said, “the youth ministry program doubled in size. I also worked hard to improve the curriculum for youth majors, begin a women’s ministry program, and place more than 100 interns in local church service. Many of those grads are now serving the Lord in local church youth ministry, and a number have gone into missions reaching youth globally.” You may contact Cheryl at cfawcett@abwe.cc . Where Are They Now? Education With a Ministry Focus One of Cedarville’s newest programs is a parish nursing foundations course, modeled after the one offered by the International Parish Nurse Resource Center. This course addresses a wide variety of topics related to parish nursing and is geared toward volunteer nurses who have limited time and resources. Attendees study the philosophy of parish nursing, how to start a health ministry, health and wholeness, legal and ethical issues, and coordination of volunteers. They also evaluate their current level of health ministry and plan specific steps to take next. Over the five-day course, each participant presents a devotional to the group and joins in class discussions related to grieving, ethics, teamwork, and appropriate action as a health counselor. The variety of topics and speakers, along with a group of nurses from various backgrounds, creates a lively exchange of ideas, opinions, and knowledge. The synergy of the speakers, participants, and conference material evokes challenging and thought-provoking interaction. As a first-time attendee at the 2008 Parish Nurse Basic Preparation Conference, Marsha Swinehart can attest to the excellence of the fellowship and course material. “It was such an encouragement to discuss issues with like-minded nurses and hear of their challenges and opportunities,” she said. “For many, this was their first exposure to information related to parish nursing, so it brought up many questions. They were committed to applying the lessons learned during the week to their own congregations.” In Marsha’s case, the information solidified her desire to work harder within her local church to address the health promotion and disease prevention needs of the congregation. When she returned home, she discussed these ideas with her pastor, elders, and congregational committee. As a result, Marsha streamlined their methods to focus on the specific needs of their congregation. Her church has a large number of elderly parishioners, so the pastor chose to address the issues of death and dying in a series of Sunday messages, including living wills, hospice, and the physical characteristics of dying. After learning more about parish nursing, perhaps you can envision ways a nurse could minister at your church. Please consider speaking to your pastor or congregation about having a church member participate in Cedarville’s parish nursing program. We look forward to seeing how God uses nurses and congregations for effective service in His Kingdom. The next course will be held on Cedarville’s campus, May 10–15, 2009. For more information, visit www.cedarville.edu/faithcommnursing . Dr. Judi Shrubsole (in left of photo) serves as an associate professor of nursing and director of the parish nursing program at Cedarville. She is also a parish nurse at Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, Ohio; a faculty associate of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center (IPNRC); and a member of the IPNRC national curriculum team, the Health Ministries Association, and the Canadian Association for Parish Nursing Ministry. You may contact her at shrubsj@cedarville.edu . Marsha Swinehart (in right of photo), assistant professor of nursing, graduated from the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing and spent six months as a missionary nurse in Suriname, South America. After returning to the U.S., she worked as a public health nurse at a health department. She serves as a parish nurse for her church in Chillicothe, Ohio. You may contact her at mswinehart@cedarville.edu . i