Pastoral Care Ministry Year 2007 Pastoral care is a listening ministry and being "there" for the other. Christ's presence is the corner stone of participation in this caring ministry. TEAM MEMBERS: Annette Bouwman, Bernice and Milt Hadden, Barbara Clarke, Irene Marteinson, Heather Scheer, Rev. Michelle Eason, Pearl and Walter March, and Fay Gomes (our newest member). We meet every 3-4 months. The ministry has been a part of the body of the Church for over 3 years now and has stabilized into a smooth running and caring ministry. Parishioners are aware of the services we offer spiritual as in hospital/home visits, phone calls etc. and practical as in house work, meal preparation, driving to doctor's visits, etc. A heart felt thanks and appreciation to those who helped make this happen, drawn from our parishioner volunteer pool. We are the body with Christ at it's centre. At our meeting in September, we were privileged to have Joyce Schaaf as our guest speaker. Joyce is the pastoral care coordinator at Mountainside United Church. She spoke on the topic "What is Pastoral Care?" She is an impressive speaker and we were truly blessed with her presence. She gave us a lot of food for thought and hand-outs for guidance. The book "Listening for the soul" by Jean Stairs has been placed in the Church library, using Pastoral Care funds. It comes highly recommended by The Rev. Linda Borden Taylor, Diocesan Warden for Pastoral Visitors. A monetory donation was made to the pastoral care ministry by a family within the parish in gratitude for our Services. The love of Christ shines through in every aspect of this ministry. "The first duty of love is to listen The first duty of listening is to love." (hand-out on Pastoral Care, Joyce Schaaf) Yours in Christ, Annette M. Bouwman |
