Peace At Last Ministries [PALM]

Those at life’s end have an urgent need to know the peace and comfort that comes from God Himself—that provided by Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. 

“…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 NET

Blessed are the peacemakers…

Spiritual comforters are desperately needed, individuals uniquely equipped with the skills and tools for ministering the peace and comfort of God to individuals in their last stages of life—the terminally ill and those who love and care for them, as well as the bereaved. 

PALM exists in response to this need.

The COVID Conundrum

No aspect of society has been spared from the ravages of COVID.  Families with loved ones in Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes have felt its impact in ways unimaginable not long ago.  Isolation from family members has been heart-breaking.  No one should die alone, yet COVID has forced multitudes of loved ones to be separated from one another at a time when they are needed most.  

The normal and comforting presence of family and friends, their smiles and close interactions have been replaced by sterile masks, gloves, face shields, gowns and social distancing. Hugs are prohibited.  These restrictions cut across the grain of all it means to be human. 

These then are challenges facing the ministry in these days.  

A Great Door of Opportunity

Credentialed Hospice Chaplains are given access to patients as essential health care workers.  This provision allows the ministry of PALM to flourish in what is otherwise a closed door in the COVID world.  In addition, family members are more open to receiving spiritual care.  Chaplains have become critical liaisons between patients and families who are separated.  

Commissioned and sent out as missionaries in 1975 from Crestwicke Baptist Church in Guelph, Ontario, Paul & Kathleen served overseas in Indonesia and Papua Guinea. Later they spent many years in various administrative and leadership roles in Canada with two agencies, Ethnos 360 (formerly New Tribes Mission) and GoodSeed Canada. 

Currently residing in Wisconsin, USA, the Humphreys provide support and care for Kathleen’s aging parents while serving as staff members of PALM.  Paul also works part-time as a Hospice Chaplain while Kathleen provides invaluable secretarial/research support and encouragement.  

Rev. Paul W. Humphreys 

Born in Manchester, England, Paul lived most of his childhood in Canada.  

Paul holds a BA in Bible & Intercultural Ministries and is presently completing his M-Div.  He has visited 28 countries and lived and worked in 4 of them.  In 2015 Paul registered as an Ordained Senior Chaplain with the International Fellowship of Chaplains, Inc.  Credentialed in health-care services, Paul recently completed his dementia training certification.  

A cancer survivor himself (2010), Paul savors each day. He counts it a privilege to interact with patients and families facing end-of-life challenges.

Having been with some of the most remote people groups of the planet, in South-East Asia and South America, Paul’s diverse cultural experiences coupled with his extensive Biblical studies have served to hone his people skills—a valuable asset in his role as Hospice Chaplain and minister of the gospel.   

Paul enjoys carpentry and the outdoors.  His hobby is metal detecting, or what he fondly calls, “dirt-fishing.”  A longstanding member of an international directory of metal-detecting specialists—The Ring Finders, Paul has reunited many lost jewelry items with their happy owners. The fresh air and exercise are therapeutic.   

Above all, Paul is devoted to Kathleen, his bride and best friend since 1972, and to his Creator God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  His service in PALM is motivated and enabled by the grace of God.