Pastoral Care Opportunities
PASTORAL CARE OPPORTUNITIES AT ST. LUKE'S
On February 6 Rev. Doris met with people who have been in involved in pastoral care at some time in the past. Those present included Mary Raysa, Lisa Gustafson, Henry and Kim Zaborniak, and Wayne Piper.
The purpose of the meeting was to review the status of pastoral care work in five specific areas:
Card Ministry:
This ministry focuses on sending birthday and anniversary acknowledgments and cards of encouragement and support to both the congregation members and staff.
Eucharistic Visitors:
These people are trained to bring Holy Communion to members who are confined and are not able to attend services in our church building.
Friendly Visitors:
This ministry strives to help parishioners and their loved ones maintain social interaction with their faith community, to let them know they are remembered and valued, and to help relieve feelings of loneliness and isolation. Another part of Friendly Visitors is to visit those parishioners who are infirm with a long-term illness or recovering from a surgical procedure.
Health and Wellness Ministry:
This group continues to work in multiple ways to bring events and information to improve the health and well
being of our St. Luke's family and the wider community.
Prayer Chain:
In this ministry members pray for other congregational members who may be ill or passing through difficult times in their lives.
Prayer Shawls:
This group meets to create healing blankets and prayer shawls which are in turn blessed and presented to congregational members who are ill or in need of support.
Each of these areas offers members of St. Luke's an opportunity to be involved in the work of our parish and to strengthen the bonds that bind us together as a Christian family. St. Luke's members who have participated in these ministries have found deep personal rewards in reaching out to serve. One example of the rewards is found in this brief testimonial of Wayne Piper's experience as a Friendly Visitor:
Several years ago, I was introduced to St. Luke's member Myra Malishenko who, until her death last November, resided at Kendal. In our first conversation, Myra told me by way of introduction, “I was a war bride and now I'm a war relic.” In the years that followed and in my role as a Friendly Visitor from our parish, I learned that relic or not there was an incredible soul residing within this lovely lady. Over time and many visits, we shared tea and scones, talked about the most recent royal wedding, attended the third Sunday of the month worship service conducted by St. Luke's in the Amelia Room at Kendal, and took wheel chair rides around the Kendal grounds. (Well, Myra rode, and I pushed.) And while I believe that Myra appreciated my visits, I was equally blessed to be a small part of her life in her waning years. I was honored by her family when they asked me to do a reading at her memorial service. I offer this brief history of our friendship by way of once again calling to your attention that the Friendly Visitors ministry is an important part of our pastoral care offerings at St. Luke's.
If you are interested in learning more about any of the areas listed here and becoming a member of St. Luke's Pastoral Care Team, contact: St. Luke's office at 740-587-0167.