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“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God’s grace in its various forms.” -- 1 Peter 4:10
Those words, taken from 1 Peter 4:10, serve as the inspiration for Jane Keeley’s
work as the St. Anthony Park United Methodist Church’s parish nurse.
Jane, a registered nurse with more than three decades of experience, started the
church’s parish nurse program in 1998. From the onset, she saw it as an opportunity
to combine her two great passions in life – faith and health – and grow spiritually
by serving others. Now seven years later, she readily admits she has received far
more than she’s given through this health ministry.
“Simply put, parish nursing has given my life meaning and purpose,” Jane explains.
“Unlike so many things, it isn’t about doing something for people, it’s about doing
something with people – and that’s a very different relationship.”
As parish nurse, Jane serves church members in four key areas: personal visits;
health education; health advocacy and referral assistance; and personal health counselor.
While each area has given her spiritual rewards, it’s the personal visits that have
deepened her faith the most.
“As parish nurse, I’ve been fortunate to get to know so many people who have been
faithful all their lives,” she explains. “I see first hand how their faith only
strengthens as they go through some of the toughest trials and tribulations that
life has.”
It’s also given her an opportunity to play an active role in God’s work.
“I’ve always said God puts people where they are supposed to be at a certain time,”
Jane explains. On at least one occasion, she’s had an opportunity to bring those
words to life.
“I wasn’t scheduled to see anyone that day,” she recalls, “but I woke up that morning
overcome with the feeling that I needed to visit one of our elderly members who
lived in a nursing home.”
Jane found the parishioner in the midst of a severe asthma attack, not receiving
the care she desperately needed. Jane stepped in, and ultimately saw that the woman
was transferred to a hospital, where she underwent treatment for several days.
“The situation was critical, and might well have had a very different ending had
I not been there to advocate on the woman’s behalf,” Jane explains. “The only explanation
I have for why I went was that God put this thought in my mind. I truly believe
it was divine intervention.”
“When I started this, I felt like I had certain skills from years of being a nurse,
and I wanted to put those skills to work,” Keeley concludes. “But it’s turned out
to be more personally and spiritually rewarding than I ever imagined.”
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