Many members of our congregation visit, send notes and cards, and pray for those among us who are no longer able to attend church or be as active in Hope Church as they might like. Some of us reach out without anyone knowing. (Bless you!) Others do so as a part of the Congregational Care and Health Ministry team (CCHM). All manners of connecting provide encouragement and loving concern, and are a part of the larger circle of care provided to members of Hope Church.
The CCHM is looking for new team members who will join us in our extension of care. We meet six times a year to encourage one another, to review with Pastor Jill and Parish Nurse Ginger those on the congregational care list, and to identify who will be visiting with them in the coming months. When we make our contacts (visit, call or card) we inform the church office. This helps the pastors and parish nurse make sure no one falls through the cracks and augments their pastoral visits. We also oversee a few other areas of care.
I’ve asked two recent retirees from the CCHM to share their perspectives on their years of involvement in this caring ministry.
Bette Williams writes: “A few thoughts about my many years participating in Congregational Care. The first that comes to mind is the encouraging feeling of being a part of the caring community that is present just within the committee. Every meeting is a sharing of cares and concern with others that is so important in my faith life. It is hard to explain how important it is to me to share with others for whom I care and who care for me. We share a meditation and prayer time at the beginning of the meetings and end the meetings with shared prayer, too. I always come away with encouragement that this is Hope Church— this is my life and care, my relationship with God within the church.
Many years ago, my adult son was here visiting. He went with me to visit an older, disabled couple and take a meal to them. We stayed a short time for conversation and a prayer. When we were leaving he said, “That’s so cool to do that for them. It tells me what your church is about!”
The stories of visiting others could go on and on!! I always feel that I profit so much from the time with those I visit! Sometimes they want to tell old Hope Church stories. Sometimes they are unable to speak at all, but the feeling is there. When we go through the list of those in need in Hope Church, it always strikes me that as each name is read, or mentioned, that it is so clear that an unsaid prayer for that person is going around the table where we sit!”
Carla Beach writes: “My experience of Congregational Care Ministry visits gave me an appreciation for what persons at this stage of life are vs. the stereotypes that pervade our culture.
Everyone I visited, regardless of the presence of age-related cognitive changes, was gracious and grateful to be remembered by their church family. They spoke positively of their children and grandchildren’s continued involvement in their lives, they were positive about the care they were receiving from staff at the facility, and they continued to do what they could to build connections with other residents.
They were philosophical about their situations, coped with humor and acceptance, expressed gratitude for the lives they had led and inevitably still longed for those past lives. They were not defeated by their current situations nor were they in denial about their current state and what lay ahead in this journey.
I was inspired by these strong women and men and it has made dealing with my own aging process less stressful. I know that I have choices about how to deal with what lies ahead and I am confident that my church will be there for me as my own journey progresses.”
The Congregational Care and Health Ministry invites you to join us in this circle of care by joining our ministry team. I’d be happy to answer any questions.
~Sharon Arendshorst, Congregational Care and Health Ministry Chair