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President’s Reflections Fall 2025 Greetings FCNI Members and Friends, We have now reached the end of October, and winter is right around the corner. The board of Faith Community Nurses International (FCNI) has been busy this past summer providing monthly CNE webinars and developing new relationships with like- minded organizations, namely Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity and Progress (CVEEP). FCNI participated with CVEEP’s “Stay Updated Campaign”. The aim of this campaign was to provide critical information and resources to nurses and the public about the importance of continued vaccination efforts to reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19. We are excited to announce that FCNI was able to reach over 13,886 individuals during the campaign! What an amazing network we have in our organization! At the conclusion of the campaign, FCNI offered a free educational webinar, "Love Thy Neighbor: Wash Thy Hands, Wear Thy Mask, and Vaccinate!" which was held on September 13, 2025 (if you were unable to attend, access with the link below). It was a powerful way to wrap up the campaign. We had positive feedback regarding the campaign, webinar and toolkit of resources, which affirms the information that was disseminated was useful to the FCNs providing care in their faith communities. We will keep the CVEEP toolkit resources listed at the bottom of the President’s message through the end of 2025 and then the resources will move to the “Practice” tab in the “Practice Toolkit for you to use. An additional area of focus that FCNI worked on this past summer was to update our website to more easily navigate the website to find the content you are looking for. The remaining webinar for 2025 is displayed on the homepage and recent webinars can be found by clicking the “Education” tab. Past webinars can be found by clicking the “Videos-Past Webinars” tab where webinars are categorized by year, with the 2024 webinars listed at the top. We continue to build new relationships with individual nurses and nursing organizations around the world who also have the vision of faith community nursing (FCN). FCNI welcomes FCNs from every corner of the globe to share their knowledge and talents with us by joining one of our committees, are interested in leadership positions or would like to be a presenter for an educational webinar. As we draw near to Thanksgiving here in the U.S., may we all take some time to reflect on what we are thankful for in our spiritual, personal and professional lives. Creating a spirit of thankfulness can help to keep our focus on those things that are most important to us. I am truly thankful for the calling that God gave each one of us as nurses, and that we can integrate our faith and nursing practice together through faith community nursing. I am thankful for each one of you and for the care you give to those around you. Lastly, I am thankful to each of the gifted and dedicated FCNI board members who strive to ensure that FCNI is a trusted, professional organization that offers nurses not only resources, but who also pray for our members and the organization. Save the Date now for our FCNI Virtual Annual Conference on Saturday, October 17, 2026 Here is our November CNE webinar coming up: Soul Care: Faith-Based Self Care Practices for Healthcare Professionals Whether a nurse is looking for resources for their FCN ministry, continuing education webinars, or would like to be part of a nursing organization that will uphold you in prayer, FCNI has a place for you! Please prayerfully consider becoming a member if you are not already one. Thank you for all you do in caring for the people in your communities! I look forward to the remainder of this year as FCNI continues to grow and flourish under the talents and expertise of all of its members. 
Blessings,
Mary Martin, MSN, BSN, RN FCNI President Free Webinar - Love Thy Neighbor: Wash Thy Hands, Wear Thy Mask, and Vaccinate! Vaccine Toolkit Links (Please use these links to access the Stay Updated Campaign resources:
NEW BENEFIT FOR FCNI MEMBERS! Discounted subscription to the Journal of Christian Nursing through Lippincott using code WMK028AA.
This benefit is graciously made possible by Dr. Kathy Schoonover-Shoffner, Editor-in-Chief of JCN | I Am FCNI! This is a new feature intended to capture our FCNI members in action in our communities. Every month we will feature an FCNI member and their ministry and/or practice. Let us know if you’d like to be featured. We can accept videos, narrative, and/or pictures. Let's get to know each other better! Effective Leaders: Serving with Purpose Note: Two nurses featured in the video are current FCNI Board members (Dr. Ciara Thomas, Secretary and Dr. Beverly McLawyer, President-elect) and are graduates of the DNP Program at APU. 
Click to watch video (opens in new tab) This is a new feature intended to capture our FCNI members in action in our communities. Every month we will feature an FCNI member and their ministry and/or practice. Let us know if you’d like to be featured. We can accept videos, narrative, and/or pictures. Let's get to know each other better! Please meet Abigail Spangler, BSN, RN, FCN who is the Executive Director at Wellspring of Greenbrier, Inc. in West Virginia and a practicing faith community nurse. Her work and ministry are both dedicated to health and wellness. 
Click to watch video This is a new feature intended to capture our FCNI members in action in our communities. Every month we will feature an FCNI member and their ministry and/or practice. Let us know if you’d like to be featured. We can accept videos, narrative, and/or pictures. Let's get to know each other better! Our FCNI members, Dr. Edgar Montessa and Paula Staab Polk are content experts and are featured in a wonderful series called Grace in Grief: Hope After Loss, a series where people explore grief, bereavement, hope, and sustainment after losing loved ones. Produced by Family Theater Productions, this 7-part series can be used by individuals, faith communities, support groups, and the like to help others.
Learn more about Dr. Edgar Montessa and Paula Staab Polk by clicking here. This is a new feature intended to capture our FCNI members in action in our communities. Every month we will feature an FCNI member and their ministry and/or practice. Let us know if you’d like to be featured. We can accept videos, narrative, and/or pictures. Let's get to know each other better! I’m Amanda Thurman, DNP, FNP-BC and I serve the faith community and larger community in the San Diego, CA area who are suffering from food insecurity. Expanding on doctoral work I and my and my colleagues completed, we obtained grant funding to open a Fresh Marketplace near the free clinic where we work as nurse practitioners. I and my colleague, Kristin Kellog, DNP, FNP will be speaking at the FCNI Annual Virtual Conference on October 19th. You can hear more of our story then! 
L - Kristin Kellog and R – Amanda Thurman at the Fresh Marketplace grand opening.
Meet our FCNI Leadership Team! |
FCNI Annual Virtual Conference – 2025 "Behavioral Health Across the Lifespan: Saturday, October 18 from 10 am to 3:00 pm (CDT)
Keynote: “Childhood Cancer: 50 years of Providing Trauma-Informed Care”Kathleen Ruccione, PhD, RN, MPH, CPON, FAAN, FAPHON, is Professor and PhD Program Director in the School of Nursing at Azusa Pacific University, CA Research Drives Practice: “Forging Communities of Belonging and Hope: An Approach to Support”Beth Hlabse MS, LMHCA, is director and counselor with the Fiat MH program at the University of Notre Dame, IN. Practice Drives Research: “Trauma-Informed Care: Strategies for FCNs”Liz Coleman, DNP, FNP, RN is Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University and a FNP at a MH clinic. Closing: “Hills, Hope, and Healing: Mental Health and Faith Community Nursing in Appalachia”Angel Smothers, DNP, APRN, is Associate Dean and Professor at West Virginia University and a FCN in the community.
Feedback from last year’s Second Annual FCNI Conference in Fall 2024:“The entire conference was excellent. All the speakers demonstrated expertise in their subjects and adhered to the time allotment.” and “Very interesting and informative...Looking forward to the next one.” Upon completion of activities at this conference, learners will be able to:
Early Bird rate extended until September 15: Members $120; Non-members $170Regular rate begins on September 16: Members $145; Non-members $195If you join at $50 per year before paying conference registration, you will realize a return on investment immediately— FCNI recognizes the McUlsky Health Force, sponsor of the Fall 2025 conference* |
Upcoming Webinars & Registration |
"Soul Care: Faith-Based Self Care Practices for Healthcare Professionals"
Presented by: Samuel Girguis / Amy Girguis
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
Time: 6 pm to 7 pm Central Time on Zoom
This session will explore the impact of stress, chronic stress, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress on healthcare providers. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of stress in their own lives and practical ways to mitigate stress and prevent burnout.
Learning Outcomes:
- Define terms for self care such as stress, burnout, and trauma including cultural considerations.
- Identify 3 self-care practices to utilize in one’s own practice.
2026 CNE offerings will be posted in the coming months.
Go to the Education page for Recent 2025 webinars.
Use the tab on the Left to find webinars in the past.
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FCNI Webinars for 2025 Webinars (on Zoom)
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Teen-Senior Connections: An Intergenerational Approach for Building Teen Resilience Presented by: Marcia Davis, DNP, RN, CRNP-PC Description: Faith Community Nurses face challenges in creating relationships among the generations. In the literature, resilience had been identified as a protective factor against the alarming rate of teen suicide in the US. This presentation describes a study to build teen resilience by using an intergenerational approach within a faith community. Outcomes reveal potential benefit for both young and old including other options for exploring intergenerational activities among a congregation. Bio: Marcia Davis is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care. She received a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Nursing degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), a Nurse Practitioner Certificate from California State University at Long Beach (CSULB), and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the Azusa Pacific University. She has over 45 years of experience with children in inpatient and outpatient settings, private clinics, and school settings, and has been an Assistant Professor for over 12 years at Loma Linda University and at Azusa Pacific University. Learning outcomes:
Registration: CNE 1.0 ANCC contact hours $20 for Members; $40 for Nonmembers  |
Community of Support for Research and EBP:
A New Benefit for FCNI Members
The FCNI Research Committee is thrilled to announce that we have developed a Community of Support for Research and EBP. The goal is to provide mentoring, networking, support and consultation to FCNI members who are conducting research studies or EBP projects and disseminating scholarly work related to those research studies and EBP projects.
We are NOW accepting applications for the FCNI Community of Support for Research and EBP Program. If you are interested in becoming a mentee, visit our “Research Webpage” and submit your application
FCNI Events
Presenting Offer From: Widener University School of Nursing
Presenting By: Dr. Donna Callaghan, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, Professor
Starting Date: May 12, 2025
Closing Date: August 24, 2025
Time: 6 pm to 7 pm Central Time on Zoom
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Widener University School of Nursing is offering the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing’s Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Program for registered nurses who are interested in learning more about the specialty of faith community nursing and how to establish or enhance these ministries in their own faith communities (churches, mosques, synagogues).
The asynchronous 36.5 hour online program will open on May 12 and close August 24, 2025. Dr. Donna Callaghan, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, Professor of Nursing at Widener and certified Faith Community Nurse, will facilitate the program. The program consists of 15 modules that require from 1 – 4 hours to complete on a weekly basis. Registered nurses who complete the program will receive 36.5 PDC hours through Widener University School of Nursing, an ANCC-approved PDC provider.
PROGRAM DISCOUNTS!
1. The fee for the program is $400 plus purchase of the participant guide (approx. $50).
2. New and renewing members of Faith Community Nurses International (FCNI) can receive a code to take the program at a 50% discount ($200).
3.Please email Donna Callaghan at drdonnarn@comcast.net for registration information.
FCNI Opportunities |
Read Our Online Journal
| Not a Member Yet?
| Join a Committee! We are currently looking for additional members to join us on committees!
Help shape the future of FCNI and learn new skills! Email us at: contact@fcninternational.org | 
Incorporate the FCN Position Statements into Your Practice!
FCN Position Statements are offered by the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing |
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Suggested Reading
The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity (2021)The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, utilizing technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030. This work builds on the foundation set out by The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011) report.
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25982/the-future-of-nursing-2020-2030-charting-a-path-to | Other Recommended Reading
A comprehensive report published this month by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine strengthens the case for primary care as the foundation of the U.S. health care system. It also makes policy recommendations that reinforce several of the AAFP’s long-standing advocacy positions.
https://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20210504nasemreport.html |
Updated: 08/08/2023
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