WELCOME TO FAITH COMMUNITY NURSES INTERNATIONAL
(FCNI)





President’s Passage
Winter 2023-2024

Dear FCNI Members and Friends,

It is cold right now where most of us live, with snow and perhaps rain; however, the warmth of our holy seasons allows joy to arise in our hearts and spirits. Our Jewish community members have just celebrated Hanukkah, the eight-day winter Festival of Lights, observed through nightly menorah candle lighting, special blessings, songs, and prayer. The holiday celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

In the Christian faith tradition, Advent is a season of expectant waiting and “preparing to a way for the Lord” for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year for Christian denominations. Posadas Navideñasprimarily a Hispanic Christian holiday recognizes Mary’s and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus.

Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, created by Maulana Karenga in 1966, Celebrated from December 26th to January 1st, it honors African American and Pan African history. The 7-day celebration encourages the community to remember its roots and reinforces ancient values and traditions. The traditional colors for this holiday are red, black, and green (the colors of the Pan-African flag). Each of the 7 days of Kwanzaa are devoted to a specific concept: 1) Unity, 2) Self Determination, 3) Collective Work and Responsibility, 4) Cooperative Economics, 5) Purpose, 6) Creativity, and 7) Faith.

January 13, 2024 marks the Beginning the Three Holy Months, starting with Laylat al-Raghaib This is a a night of prayer in Islamic practice on January 14th, with observances differing among Muslims in the world.

There are other recognized religious and secular holidays which can be found in this informative Time Magazine article.

The Vision for Faith Community Nurses International is: FCNI strives to be a vibrant, interfaith international network of faith community nurses, empowering and supporting our members as they provide care for individuals in communities in diverse setting, considering mind, body, and spirit. So, whatever your faith tradition may be, we join you in celebrating, observing, and commemorating this important part of our lives and ministry as faith community nurses. I rejoice in our diverse faith traditions!

Please navigate our website to find new items being posted every few weeks. Check back often! We have a great line-up of CNE offerings for the first quarter offered by our Education Committee, new dates for the Aspiring Author’s Writing Space, and resources for all of the Quarterly Research Article Discussions led by the Research Committee.

Finally, thank you to all who donated during our Giving Tuesday campaign.

Please accept my prayers for a blessed holiday season and fulfilling New Year.

Merry Christmas
Mary Lynne
FCNI President


Save the Date: FCNI Annual Virtual Conference

Date: 10/09/2024
Time: 10 am to 3 pm Central Time on Zoom
Time-zone: (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

Download PDF

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Registration Open



The FCNI Education Committee invites you to:

“Evidence-based Practice, Part 2: Executing EBP Projects” 

Presented by: Mary Lynne Knighten, DNP, RN, NEA-BC 
Date:  03/07/2024
Time: 6pm to 7pm Central Time on Zoom
Time-zone: (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)


                                      

This is the second of two webinars designed to enable faith community nurses to use evidence-based practice (EBP) in their ministry. The focus will be on using evidence to design and implement EBP projects in the faith community to solve practice problems and improve health outcomes. please come even if you did not attend the first pressentation.

Outcomes:  

1.    Differentiate between quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and research.
2.    Design an EBP project and implementation plan.

The FCNI Education Committee invites you to:

“Social Determinants of Health for FCN Practice”

Presented by: Cassandra Alexander, MAOM,BSN,RN and Naomi Myers, MA,RN
Date: Thursday, April 11, 2024
Time: 6pm to 7pm Central Time on Zoom


Nurses can benefit from understanding social justice when evaluating health disparities and inequities in their congregations and communities. Health disparities are driven by social and economic inequities and affect mortality, morbidity, life expectancy, health care expenditures, healthcare systems, and overall health status. Learning to assess and manage Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) is essential to address and oversee the health of a faith community.

Learning outcomes:

  1. Identify steps Faith Community Nursing (FCN’s) can take to improve health disparities.
  2. List 3 actionable items to remedy health disparities, personally and systemically. 
 Bios: Cassandra Alexander is a content expert in faith community health. She has 20+ years of experience as a faith community nurse leader and in non-profit management. She launched/managed several community outreach programs providing comprehensive services to indigent populations.

Naomi Myers is a content expert in behavioral health/health administration and an Associate pastor. She earned a Bachelor degree in psychology and counseling, a Masters in ministry and counseling, and serves as a coordinator of health ministry, a Faith Community Nurse, and a Bible class teacher. 

Registration: CNE 1.0 ANCC contact hour
      $20 for Members; $40 for Nonmembers 



Upcoming FCNI Events


CNE Events for 2024- Save the Date

 Webinars (on Zoom) 

1-Topic: Evidence-Based Practice and the FCN, Part I: Inspiring a Spirit of Inquiry to Solve Practice Problems.
Presented By: Mary Lynne Knighten
Date &Time: Thu. Jan. 25 at 6 pm CT

2-Topic: LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Considerations for FCNs
Presented By: Andrea West.
Date &Time: Thu. Feb 22 at 6 pm CT

3-Topic: Evidence-based Practice, Part 2: Executing EBP Projects in the Faith Community
Presented By: Mary Lynne Knighten.
Date &Time: Thu. Mar. 7 at 6 pm CT

4-Topic: Social Determinants of Health for FCN Practice
Presented By: Cassandra Alexander and Naomi Myers
Date &Time: Thu. Apr. 11 at 6 pm CT

5-Topic: Intergenerational Approaches for Connecting Teens to Seniors
Presented By: Marcia Davis
Date &Time: Thu. May 2 at 6 pm CT

6- More pending

   



The FCNI Education Committee invites you to:

“Evidence-based Practice and the FCN Part I: Inspiring a Spirit of Inquiry to Solve Practice Problems” 

Presented by: Mary Lynne Knighten, DNP, RN, NEA-BC 
Date:  Thursday, January 25, 2023
Time: 6pm to 7pm Central Time on Zoom

Dr. Knighten is the President of FCNI, a faculty member at Azuza Pacific University, and a board-certified nurse executive with 36 years of progressive management experience leading patient care operations, legal and regulatory compliance, and clinical programs including improving evidence-based practices, patient satisfaction, and quality outcomes for major medical centers and teaching hospitals. Mary Lynne is the Health Ministry Director at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Los Angeles, CA, the Faith Community Foundations Course Educator at Azusa Pacific University and has published widely about faith community nursing.

This is the first of two webinars designed to enable faith community nurses to use evidence-based practice (EBP) in their ministry. The focus will be on inspiring a sense of inquiry to identify practice and/or patient problems and addressing those problems with evidence to improve care. EBP competencies will be presented, along with skill development for the following: writing a searchable PICO question to drive the literature search for research that is ready for translation to practice (including patient/ population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes

Learning outcomes: 
1. Write a searchable PICO question.
2. Identify 2 EPB competencies for nurses.

Registration: CNE 1.0 ANCC :
Contact hours: $20 for Members;  $40 for Nonmembers 

ANCC contact hours are pending from Northeast Multistate Division Education Unit, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.



The FCNI Education Committee invites you to:

“LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Considerations for FCNs”

Presented by: Andrea West, PhD, RN (retired)
Date: 02/22/2024
Time: 6 pm to 7 pm Central Time on Zoom
Time-zone(UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

Current issues abound around the LGBTQ+ and the BIPOC populations. In the past, these groups have not been given the appropriate care and respect necessary to meet their physical, mental, and spiritual needs. Faith community nurses have a unique opportunity to be at the forefront for identifying and providing health care to these individuals—care that includes physical, mental as well as spiritual components. The agencies and congregations where FCNs practice are many times the first line of contact for these individuals needing assistance, understanding, and acceptance.

Bio: After over 20 years working in nursing education, Dr. West served for 2 years as Director of Curriculum and Research at the International Parish Nurse Resource Center in St. Louis, MO. She participated in developing the Faith Community Nursing Association of Oklahoma, was active in the Rocky Mountain Parish Nurse Ministry organization in Colorado, and served on the teaching faculty for the Foundations in Faith Community Nursing curriculum in both in Oklahoma and Colorado. She is a founding member of Faith Community Nurses International and member and officer of the Lutheran Faith Community Nursing Association.

Learning outcomes:
1. Identify issues facing those in the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC community
2. Describe 2 strategies to use for meeting the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC community.


FCNI Events



FCNI Events

FAITH COMMUNITY NURSING

Presenting Offer From: Widener University School of Nursing
Presenting By: Dr. Donna Callaghan, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, Professor
Starting Date: May 13, 2024
Closing Date: August 25, 2024
Time: 6 pm to 7 pm Central Time on Zoom

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 13 and close August 25, 2024. 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 $400plus 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 Events

Aspiring Authors Artistic Space
New Dates for 2024!

Presenting By: Mary Lynne ( FCNI President )
Venue: Zoom
Starting Dates are : Sunday, January 28th, February 17th, March 23rd, 2024
Time:11am to 1pm CT.

We will be setting aside sacred space in order to write. This is not a lecture or a presentation. It is not a continuing nursing education (CNE) event. The intent is to create creative artistic space, set aside the time, and establish the discipline to write. Maybe you have a devotional you would like to publish? Perhaps there is a scholarly manuscript that has been gathering dust on your desk? Could it be a book you're writing that needs some attention? Do you have a prayer you would like to write for the FCNI online prayer book? Any and all of these are perfect writing projects to bring!

We will meet on Zoom for two hours for the first three months of 2024. The dates are Sunday, January 28th, and Saturday, February 17th, and March 23rdfrom 11am to 1pm CT. An FCNI Board Member will host the space. There is no cost, but you will need to register. Please note: There are 3 sessions, each with an individual Zoom link, so please use this link register for the first session:

Please have:
A writing project—have computer open, a pad of paper and pen/pencil and be prepared to write
1. Lunch or a snack, a cup of coffee or tea, so you don’t need to get up during the session.
2. Prepared by getting errands out of the way in the morning, or after you are done writing.
We will start out in prayer and each briefly describe what we are working on for the session in the first 15 minutes. Then we’ll write for 1.5 hours. We’ll come back in the last 15 minutes to report our progress. We will have fun and accomplish a writing goal! See you there.

Free and open to members as well as non-members, however, registration is required. The Zoom link to attend will be sent to you following your registration.







FCNI Opportunities

Read Our Online Journal

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Not a Member Yet?
Join Us!

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Join a Committee!

We are currently looking for additional members to join us on committees! 

  • Education Committee
  • Fundraising Committee
  • Spiritual Resource Committee
  • Technology Committee

Help shape the future of FCNI and learn new skills!

Email us at: contact@fcninternational.org


westberg Inst.

Incorporate the FCN Position Statements into Your Practice!

FCN Position Statements are offered by the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing


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.

You can view the manuscript here: 

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.

Follow this link to the American Academy of Family Physicians' website:

https://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20210504nasemreport.html


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