Most people have some idea of what pastoral care represents and perhaps think the folk who offer such care are somehow supercharged with wisdom and giftedness. This is a myth.
Those of us who make up the small team are ordinary human beings who have a concern to support God’s people in various stages of life and experience. Any of us may at some point be
in a vulnerable position and would value and feel the need of support from another person.
What do we do then?
Well, there are a variety of ways to support each other: it may be a phone call or a visit; accompanying someone to a medical appointment, or being available to walk through dark or difficult times with them. Some visiting is short term, for others longer. It varies according to each individual situation. The focus for each contact is to share the love of God and to be Christ to the person. We can only do that because we have received God’s love and want to share it with others. Taking the sacrament of communion to someone in their home when they cannot attend church is an important way of ministering the presence of Christ and keeping the person in contact with the church when they may feel disconnected through illness or older age and unable to attend services.
Whatever the situation it is valuable to be able to share the tasks with other team members and pray for people with specific needs. Currently, our team numbers are in need of a boost. If any of you reading this respond by thinking ‘I could do that’ then please get in touch. You will be given training, so please don’t worry about not being aware of what to do. You will have help and support. This is a lay volunteer situation and does not involve having experience of any professional therapies, although having knowledge of them may help. We leave that to the appropriate professionals and may refer if appropriate. We learn a lot from each other and never stop learning – no one has ‘arrived’!
If you think God is speaking to you about getting involved, then please contact Margaret
Bradshaw by email at margaretb@ccct.co.uk or one of the other team members; Revd.
John Kronenberg, Stephen Young, Waithira Humphreys, Chrissy Buckley and we can have
a chat.
Margaret Bradshaw
Article taken from A View From St John's Winter 2024 Parish Magazine
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