Menu
Log in


LUTHERAN
FAITH COMMUNITY NURSE ASSOCIATION

(LFCNA)


Welcome to Region 8!

Region 8 Includes: 

Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod, Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, Allegheny Synod, Lower Susquehanna Synod, Upper Susquehanna Synod, Delaware-Maryland Synod, Metropolitan Washington D.C. Synod, and West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod

Region 8 Calendar

         Ruth G. Manchester, Silver Spring, MD



Marilee Tollefson, Rockville, MD



Margie Kay, Timonium, MD

Welcome to the LFCNA Region 8 web page.
Allow us to introduce ourselves.


If you have news to share from your Synod or Network, let us know so we can post.

Ruth Manchester originally hails from Minnesota, and after taking her nurses training at Methodist-Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, MN and obtaining a BSN at the University of Minnesota, she then moved to the Washington, DC area. She has been a paid Parish Nurse at Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, MD for the past 23 years. In this capacity, she is in charge of Caring Ministries, Social Ministry, and the one-to-one caring that a Parish Nurse does. She has an MA in art history from the University of Maryland, so combines her love of art with Parish Nursing. She is wife to Paul, mom to Sarah and Dan and “Grandma” to Raina, Alden, Evan, and Aaron. She serves on the LFCNA Membership and Outreach Committees.

Marilee Tollefson is from South Dakota, has a BSN from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, during which time she joined the Army Student Nurse Program, and was on active duty for 23 years. During that time she earned her MSN from the University of Colorado, and upon retirement from the Army Nurse Corps, worked at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, DC. She is currently paid staff faith community nurse at Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Silver Spring, MD for the past 25 years, coordinating care teams, serving as staff liaison to Social Ministry, and supporting many volunteers on the Health and Wellness Teams.  Marilee is married to Luther, has two daughters, Sara and Mari Liv and is “Mimi” to Lauren, Eric, and Emery. She serves on the Membership, Outreach, and Grants Committees for the organization. 

Margie Kay received her AA Nursing Degree in 1975 from Montgomery College. Upon graduation she participated in a Nursing Internship at the University of Alabama Medical Center In Birmingham Alabama. In 1994 she became a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and in 1996, completed the Certification Course to become a Faith Community Nurse. Most of Margie's Nursing career has been focused on Maternal/Child and Community Education which was hospital based here in the Baltimore area.

She has served as a volunteer Faith Community Nurse at three congregations, and currently serves as the chair of the Health Ministry Team and Congregation Care Committee for St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lutherville, Maryland. For several years she was an instructor for Faith Community Nurse course at Franklin Square Medical Center. Margie has been an member of LFCNA for several years and is a member of the Education Committee. Besides active ministry at her home church, she also volunteers weekly at her neighborhood elementary school providing clerical support for the 3rd and 5th grade faculty.

All three Parish/Faith Community Nurses were members of the Holy Cross Hospital network of Faith Community Nurses, which is in transition.

Bereavement Support

For those who are grieving the death of a loved one, the Holy Cross Bereavement Program offers a nine-week grief support program  and drop-in grief group  are available through Holy Cross Health in Silver Spring, MD.  Spanish language groups are also offered.  For more information, contact the Bereavement Center at 301-754-7742 or bereavementcenter@holycrosshealth.org


Hope Connections for Cancer

You're not alone.
At Hope Connections for Cancer Support, you will find a community of support for all people affected by cancer.  
https://hopeconnectionsforcancer.org

Maryland NursesDear Licensee/Certificate Holder. During the 2021 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a new law that goes into effect on April 1, 2022, requiring all renewing licensees and certificate holders to complete an implicit bias training program approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program. All licensees and certificate holders scheduled to renew their license or certification in 2022 must complete one course of the program before applying for renewal. This is a one-time requirement. The law may be accessed here: https://health.maryland.gov/mhhd/Pages/Implicit-Bias-Resources.aspx

Click here for the list of approved program courses

Best Regards,

Karen Evans, MSN RN-BC, SD-CLTC

Executive Director

Maryland Board of Nursing

Maryland Board of Nursing


NAMI Montgomery County, Maryland


Link to support group information:  https://namimc.org/support-and-education/support-groups/ 



Workshops and Educational Programs 




Ministry spotlight:

 

 The Conversation Project

Now is the time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated how quickly one’s health can unexpectantly become a crisis. While unexpected circumstances are not always avoidable, addressing critical healthcare planning and decision-making in the middle of a health crisis is avoidable. This is so important that every April 16 is the designated Annual National Healthcare Decisions Day(NHDD). It is devoted to the importance of planning and telling loved ones and healthcare providers your wishes regarding healthcare decisions.

To help you and others consider options and begin conversations, visit the The Conversation Project. Here you will find the latest faith resources from The Conversation Project

 including the Community Call featuring Dr. Anthony Back, Co-founder, VitalTalk and Co-director, University of Washington Center for Excellence in Palliative Care. Dr. Back shared key takeaways on messaging research pertinent for NHDD and community groups shared what they are planning. Access the recording and slides 

from this recent Conversation Project community call.

Getting Started Guide for Faith Communities has recently been updated! This guide is filled with examples of how various faith communities are encouraging their faith members to have conversations about care wishes and what matters most.

The Faith resource page has additional updated materials including how to host a “Conversation Sabbath” for NHDD and organizing faith-based events.

Also, for pertinent cultural and religious traditions refer to this list of 14 Faith-Based Books on Living and Dying Well.

Additional Resources

End of Life Care on the Archdiocese of Washington (ADW) website https://adw.org/living-the-faith/marriage-family/end-life-care/



Community Resources:



Holy Cross Community Health

Health and Wellness Classes and Support Groups
https://www.holycrosshealth.org/health-and-wellness/

COVID 19 Vaccination Booster offered by Holy Cross Health.

For more information and to register:
https://www.holycrosshealth.org/health-and-wellness/covid-19-vaccine/

Caregiver Support:
Caregiver Resource Center (holycrosshealth.org)

Medical Adult Day Center:
Medical Adult Day Center Silver Spring, Maryland (MD), Holy Cross Hospital



Highlighting Community Partners

Lock and TALK Virginia provides services and materials designed to promote safe and responsible care of guns, medication, and other lethal means.  www.lockandtalk.org

Mental Health First Aid USA is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues.   www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org

Resources

Cornerstone Montgomery ACT and Crisis Houses:  https://www.cornerstonemontgomery.org/
Cornerstone Montgomery is an independent, nonsectarian, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with the capacity to serve more than 2,500 adults and transition aged youth.  We specialize in the provision of comprehensive, community- and evidence-based mental health and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder treatments and interventions.

horizontal logo.PNG

CaringMatters (founded as Hospice Caring in 1989) serves children, adults and families facing serious illness and grieving the death of a loved one. CaringMatters also increases community awareness and advocacy about end-of-life concerns, advance care planning and grief. CaringMatters serves the culturally and economically diverse residents of Montgomery County, Maryland.

All services are delivered free-of-charge; none are covered by Medicare or other public or private insurances. A mix of individual and business donors, foundations and government supports CaringMatters.

Services include Hospice support, grief support groups, community education and more.  Click here for more information.   

Last updated: 02/12/24

 Visit us on Facebook at: 
 https://www.facebook.com/lutheranfcna

© LFCNA

Please contact us with any website recommendations or corrections at lutheranfcna@gmail.com

Click below to find the LFCNA Brochure: 
LFCNA Brochure

Email us at:
lutheranfcna@gmail.com

Mail us at:
LFCNA
6626 Eliot View Road
St. Louis Park, MN 55426


Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software